Snowy Walkabout

     Why go backpacking in October?  Why not?  Well, weather, for one...   ...but weather be damned, to the hills!!!!!

      Mark Davidson had the idea to traverse our home mountains (The Madison and Taylor-Hilgard Ranges) to fill some off season time, and when Renae and my schedules freed up for the second leg, he was nice enough to invite us along.

The Crew

Mr Mark Davidson

Miss Renae Counter

Yours Truly (despite lack of smile, stoke level was high)

       Heading from north to south,  Mark started at lava lake and spent a week passing along Table, Wilson, and Beehive ridgelines.  After the first week Renae and I joined up and we continued south, heading for cedar mountain, the sphinx, and then through the Taylor-Hilgards to Hebgen Lake.  After a beautiful sunny first day we awoke to some solid snow at cedar lake.  With a planned exit route heading over an 11,000 foot ridge, and a storm that wouldn't lift after two days, we were forced to take a long day down the Cedar Creek drainage at out to Ennis.  After a ride and a wonderful meal with gracious hosts in Ennis we stayed the night with a friend of Renae's and headed back out to the sphinx to tag back into the wrestling match.  Even with some continued storming and cold temps, we kept managing to catch just enough good luck to make it one day further, and with some ahead of schedule hustling we found ourselves at alp lakes.  The halo's around the sun finally caught us and after an awesome final night under the shadow of imp, we awoke to a rowdy snow storm winding up.  With a bow to the mountains we said adieu and headed over alp pass and down the sentinel creek drainage to the car.  We managed to only miss Hilgard basin and Avalanche lake, getting a rad adventure along the way and leaving a perfect long weekend loop for another time.  Getting a big, traversing trip like this through our home mountains is so great for realizing just how huge the beauty and potential is right out the back door.

Day 1 heading out to cedar from big sky, lone peak in the background

Mark topping out around 10,600 on the way to cedar lake

Mark descends into Cedar lake basin

taking a walk around the lake during the "clear weather"

The cedar lake outlet, with the dam from an old homestead

Evening light over cedar lake, fan mountain in the background

Cedar Falls, one of the tallest in Montana, starting its freezing cycle

Mark passing by the south face of the Sphinx

Hey Mr. Grizzly...

The south face of the Sphinx and the Helmet

Heading up the canyon from no mans lake

This day turned the stoke meter to 11, Mark working out the last bit of vert to the ridge

Our previous route looms behind as Renae climbs to the western crest of the Taylor Hilgards

Our "trail" on this day was an 11,000 foot ridgeline, crossing four peaks between no mans lake and nutters cathedral lakes

chilling with some hot drink in front of nutters cathedral peak, rest day afternoon activities included a lot of peak gazing

The north face of Imp Peak looms over a frozen nutters cathedral lake

Gazing into Alp lakes basin

East face of Imp over lower Alp lake

The moon sits above sentinel peak as the fire roars