7/17/2015
Buck Mountain at 11,938 is the highest mountain south of Garnet Canyon in the Teton Range. The approach is a wonderful hike with all the classic elements of a Teton outing without many people. Ben and I saw only two guys on the trail once we left the Death Canyon trailhead.
Follow the Death Canyon trail for about a half mile. Right before crossing the third bridge, look for a trail veering off the right (north) of main trail. If you get to the bridge without seeing the cutoff, walk back about thirty feet and find it.
This trail will take you up Stewart Draw. Follow the well worn path up to a large alpine meadow peppered with an assortment of boulders from the slopes above. Buck Mountain lies above this meadow. Ben and I opted to follow the creek up the left side of the meadow to the ridge above. I crossed the creek and climbed along its edge. The blocky rocks provided steps up the steep slope. Ben stayed on the north side of the creek and seemed to struggle with traction on his way up. It's also possible to bypass the creek altogether and climb the more northern slopes above the meadow.
Coming out above the creek, we turned north towards Buck Mountain. At this point Timberline Lake is minutes away. You can stay on the ridge to the east of the lake or drop down for a closer look at the lake. Either way you proceed north looking for a narrow couloir up the southeast section of the face. This couloir will lead you to a point above the cliffs at the base of the mountain.
Coming out of the couloir you have two route choices. The most obvious and straightforward is to follow the east ridge to the summit. This is the most direct route and involves class 4 climbing. Once you commit to the ridge, it becomes more exposed on both sides the higher you climb making for some tremendous views. At one point the ridge line requires a walk across a narrow granite slab that slopes precariously towards a thousand feet of thin air. there are no good hand or foot holds for about ten feet. the slope of the rock adds to the sketchy nature of the short shuffle. Climbing shoes would add a layer of protection. Vibram soled boots didn't promote a lot of confidence on the smooth granite. I was half way across before I decided I did not want my 13-year-old son so exposed without protection. We turned around at this point and headed back down the east ridge.
Finding a path off the ridge we dropped down to the face. From here it is a matter of route finding up the east face to get to the summit. Although not as direct as the ridge, good class 3 climbing can be found on the way without the exposure of the east ridge.
The round trip is about ten miles with a total ascent of about 5,879 feet.
Just as we were nearing the Death Canyon Trailhead, a deer walked out of the forest and decided to investigate us. I was talking on the phone as the deer walked right towards us. Ben excitedly grabbed a camera and took some photos. The deer stopped about fifteen feet in front of us, looked us over and began eating. It was a pretty amazing encounter.
For more trip reports of other mountains visit idahoclimbing.weebly.com
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| North Face of Buck Mountain |
Buck Mountain at 11,938 is the highest mountain south of Garnet Canyon in the Teton Range. The approach is a wonderful hike with all the classic elements of a Teton outing without many people. Ben and I saw only two guys on the trail once we left the Death Canyon trailhead.
Follow the Death Canyon trail for about a half mile. Right before crossing the third bridge, look for a trail veering off the right (north) of main trail. If you get to the bridge without seeing the cutoff, walk back about thirty feet and find it.
This trail will take you up Stewart Draw. Follow the well worn path up to a large alpine meadow peppered with an assortment of boulders from the slopes above. Buck Mountain lies above this meadow. Ben and I opted to follow the creek up the left side of the meadow to the ridge above. I crossed the creek and climbed along its edge. The blocky rocks provided steps up the steep slope. Ben stayed on the north side of the creek and seemed to struggle with traction on his way up. It's also possible to bypass the creek altogether and climb the more northern slopes above the meadow.
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| Ben and I followed this drainage out of the alpine meadow |
Coming out above the creek, we turned north towards Buck Mountain. At this point Timberline Lake is minutes away. You can stay on the ridge to the east of the lake or drop down for a closer look at the lake. Either way you proceed north looking for a narrow couloir up the southeast section of the face. This couloir will lead you to a point above the cliffs at the base of the mountain.
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| Albright Peak comes into view in the south |
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| Buck Mountain comes into view on the north |
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| A small pond. Timberline lake is beyond the tree-lined ridge |
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| Ben at Timberline Lake |
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| The Tetons peek over the east ridge |
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| The Tetons peek over the east ridge with Lupine. No pun intended |
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| The couloir leading above the cliffs |
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| The face of Buck Mountain. The couloir is located on the right. The lower slope of Static Peak is on the left |
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| Climbing up to the couloir |
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| Looking down the couloir |
Coming out of the couloir you have two route choices. The most obvious and straightforward is to follow the east ridge to the summit. This is the most direct route and involves class 4 climbing. Once you commit to the ridge, it becomes more exposed on both sides the higher you climb making for some tremendous views. At one point the ridge line requires a walk across a narrow granite slab that slopes precariously towards a thousand feet of thin air. there are no good hand or foot holds for about ten feet. the slope of the rock adds to the sketchy nature of the short shuffle. Climbing shoes would add a layer of protection. Vibram soled boots didn't promote a lot of confidence on the smooth granite. I was half way across before I decided I did not want my 13-year-old son so exposed without protection. We turned around at this point and headed back down the east ridge.
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| The Tetons from the lower section of the east ridge. |
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| Looking south. Static Peak and Timberline Lake |
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| On the east ridge |
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| East ridge |
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| East Ridge |
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| East Ridge Exposure |
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| Dropping off the ridge onto the face |
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| Climbing the face |
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| Climbing the face. Static Peak in mid-ground |
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| Ben shooting some video in the middle of a pitch |
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| Nearing the summit |
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| On the Top |
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| Looking down the east ridge |
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| Finding time to play while down climbing the face |
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| This must have been quite the sight when this boulder careened down to land here |
The round trip is about ten miles with a total ascent of about 5,879 feet.
Just as we were nearing the Death Canyon Trailhead, a deer walked out of the forest and decided to investigate us. I was talking on the phone as the deer walked right towards us. Ben excitedly grabbed a camera and took some photos. The deer stopped about fifteen feet in front of us, looked us over and began eating. It was a pretty amazing encounter.
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| Ben's Deer |
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| GPS Track |
2 comments:
Nice! Good decisions lead to a good time! Great pics!
I climbed this Mountain in August 1979 on my honeymoon! We reached the summit on Aug.10, my 22nd birthday !!
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