Trip Report: Shoshone John (11,212), Lemhi Range, Idaho

Shoshone John from the east ridge

• April 5, 2016
• Team: Ryan Hagge and Myself
• Summit: 
• Shoshone John
• Route: Bunting Canyon
• YDS: Class 2
• Total Elevation Gain: 4,876 ft.
• Total Miles: 8.16 miles

Ever since I read Dave Pahlas' TR of a Big Boy to Shoshone John traverse from Bunting Canyon, I have kicked around the idea of bagging my last 11,000 foot summit in the southern Lemhis, Shoshone John, from the same canyon. I contemplated a similar traverse last spring from Black and White Peak. After summiting Black and White, I continued toward Shoshone John. When the ridge got hairy, I dropped off back into the canyon. For me, the sense of doom is always more intense when alone on a precarious ridge. This year, after standing on the summit of Shoshone John and studying the gnarly line that Dave and a friend tackled last May, I concluded that their traverse was most certainly an epic adventure.

When Ryan Hagge suggested we climb a peak over spring break, I knew just the mountain! Ryan is a technical climber and strong mountaineer. I was super happy to have an accomplice for a respectable mountain like Shoshone John. 

We left Rexburg a little after 5:00 A.M. heading for Badger creek on the Little Lost River side of the the Lemhi Range. The goal was to summit and be back in town by late afternoon. I had studied the route and thought it to be straight forward. We drove to the first makeshift bridge across Badger Creek and made ready for the hike in. All went well for the first 20 or so minutes. About then the deepening snow foreshadowed what was to come. I had mistakenly assumed the snow levels would be low and hard packed. Who would need snowshoes for such a hike? The calf deep snow soon gave way to post holes up to our knees. Then the snow came up to our thighs. We knew we in for a struggle when we broke through almost to our waists. My overacting mind imagined Ryan mumbling cursed thoughts about Prescott's planned route up Bunting Creek. This hike turned out to be the cruz of the entire trip. Needless to say, we did not make our planned return time back to town.

We passed by what, I believe, Dave referred to as the "Pearly Gates." An entrance that led to the west slopes of Big Boy Peak was guarded by massive walls. Beyond this opening, a large gaping hole appeared in the mountain side. A thick limestone slab curved over the entrance into the mountain. It looked like something out of The Lord of the Rings. I think a trip back to Bunting Canyon to explore this impressive feature would be well worth it.

The Pearly Gates

Farther up the canyon, Nicholson Peak presented itself on the west side of the canyon

Nicholson Peak

Nicholson Peak

We were much relived to leave the canyon floor and begin the hike up the drainage to Shoshone John. Here the snow was hard enough to support our weight. The initial slope was gentle and easy going.

Leaving the canyon behind, Ryan begins the ascent 

Soon after, we put on crampons. Then, a bit later, traded the poles for an axe. At this point the hard snow was perfect for crampons. The spikes bit solidly with each step with a reassuring thwack. Anyone craving a great climb in the Lemhis will find the hard packed snow a welcomed surface rather than the endless scree in this approach. Just make sure you take snowshoes for the next few weeks.

Walking up the drainage we were treated to one of the best shows I have seen for a while. The north/south ridge was blasted by high winds sending spin drift in geyser like twisted plumes high into the sky. The cloud like whirlwinds of snow spun dramatically against the blue sky. We watched, mesmerized by the display. 

The north side of the drainage entrance

Leaving the gentle slopes, we soon began the steep climb to the ridge. We zigzagged up gullies avoiding the exposed slabs and their iced over surfaces.

The slope steepens

We headed for the V shaped gullies just under the ridge. In the spin drift photos above, the gullies are just left (north) of center. We opted for the gully on the right (south) and pushed towards the ridge top. This last gully was the steepest part of the ascent. Once on top, the views were stunning.

We came through the above opening on the ridge
Notice Ryan's footprints ascending the ridge in the foreground

View from the ridge looking north
Diamond Peak barely breaks the east ridge of Big Boy Peak

For some reason I had the idea that the actual summit was a bit to the east. I spotted what looked like the high point and began a traverse to the southeast up and across a steep slope of scree to what I believed to be the summit.

Finally, the summit
 Or not

Once on top of the above high point, I was basking in summit achievement and enjoying the views. Suddenly, Ryan asked what the peak was behind us. I turned and was surprised to see the summit of Shoshone John up the ridge to the west! In my zeal to reach "the east summit" I had overshot the path to the actual summit. In fact, had we stayed on the path, Ryan's footprints, shown in the third photo above and not traversed across the steep icy scree and ascended the slope above, we would have went directly to the summit. I immediately began the walk up the east ridge with Ryan coming up behind. Again, I imagined Ryan thinking that darn Prescott and his routes. Now something great became of this faux pas. since I was out in the lead, I turned to wait for Ryan so we could summit together. A great photo presented itself...

Ryan coming up the east ridge

The summit cairn of Shoshone John from the east ridge

Splattski summit shot

Again the views were tremendous.

Looking towards Black and White and Little Diamond
Nicholson Peak on the right

Big Boy, The Riddler, Diamond

Coming off the summit 

Over the edge back into the gully

Coming down was great. Again the snow cooperated and heel stepping most the way down was possible. There were only a few short stretches of  hard ice that required careful stepping. Soon I was ready for a glissade, the best part of spring climbing. I am not sure how far I slide but it was a heck of a long way. At times, I rolled on my hip to lessen the surface area and cruised at a pretty good clip.

I began the glissade above the top of the first gully heading to the right
If you look closely, you can see the beginning track of the glissade

I snapped one more photo before leaving the drainage and entering Bunting Canyon.

Bunting Canyon ahead

It was then back into the canyon and slogging through the softening snow. For some reason, it always seems to take longer on the return trip even though Ryan was in overdrive on the way back. We reached the car enjoyed a cold drink and headed for home.

GPS Track

Click for an index of peaks

Trip Report: Bald Mountain, 9,011 ft, Lemhi Range, Idaho

Bald Mountain from Blue Dome

• April 1, 2016
• Team: Ben and Myself
• Summit: 
• Bald Mountain
• Route: Southeast Ridge
• YDS: Class 2
• Total Elevation Gain: 3,681 ft.
• Total Miles: 6.65 miles

Ben and I drove over to the Lemhi Range with the idea of climbing Bald Mountain. We hoped that by now the road into the range would be free of drifts. Heading north on the Salmon Highway, we turned left at the sign for Eight Mile Canyon. Once on the back road, Ben took the wheel and drove all the way to the mountain.

Copper Mountain, Beaverhead Range from the banks of Birch Creek

The road was in great condition all the way to the southeast ridge of Bald Mountain. This ridge extends northwest from the road to an upper gentle slope leading west to the summit. This line undulates up and down till meeting the westward slope. In retrospect, this route was surely not the fastest or easiest. Yet, it was a pleasant hike with no real difficulty.

GPS Tract

On the descent, we dropped off the west side of the ridge to the valley floor to avoid the last few ups and downs. A shorter, more direct route, would be the magenta line to the east of our green route. Another possibility would be hiking the north ridge as shown above.

A two foot cairn locating a geodetic marker

About a mile from the summit we found a two foot cairn mysteriously positioned on the ridge. My initial thought was why would anyone go to the trouble of building a nice size cairn in the middle a ridge? The answer to this question was found in some post-climb research.

Ben suddenly became much more interested in the hike when we spotted a herd of elk a half mile away. We then suddenly intersected with their tracks in the deepening snow. Their scent still hung in the air. We watched them approach the east/west ridge and disappear over it.

Elk tracks

Elk cresting the ridge

After the elk sighting, Ben was fascinated with a small slab avalanche. The wind had loaded a slope that eventually slide under the weight. I was reminded of the story of a kid(s) who were killed in the foothills around Pocatello a number of years ago. They were playing in a gully when the windward slope gave way and buried them. Seemingly benign slopes become avalanche prone when laden with wind blown snow. 

Small slab avalanche

From this point, the grade flattened a bit and it was an easy walk to the summit.

Bracing against the wind, Ben approaches the summit

Ben on the summit
Witness post in foreground
Diamond Peak in the distance

We found two geodetic markers on the summit and the remains of a witness post. 

Clark No 1

Station Mark

The following data is from the NGS Data Sheet:

DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1950 (WRH)
 PZ0702'STATION IS LOCATED ON THE HIGHEST POINT OF A BARREN, GRASSY
 PZ0702'AND ROCKY TOPPED MOUNTAIN, KNOWN LOCALLY AS BALD MOUNTAIN.
 PZ0702'IT IS, AIRLINE, 29 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GILMORE, 5-1/2 MILES
 PZ0702'WEST SOUTHWEST OF BLUE DOME TAVERN ON STATE HIGHWAY 28 AND
 PZ0702'1 MILE EAST OF THE BUTTE-CLARK COUNTY LINE.
 PZ0702'
 PZ0702'STATION MARK, STAMPED CLARK 1950, IS A STANDARD BRONZE DISK
 PZ0702'SET IN A DRILL HOLE IN OUTCROPPING BEDROCK THAT IS FLUSH
 PZ0702'WITH THE SURROUNDING ROCK.  IT IS 17 FEET WEST OF A WITNESS
 PZ0702'POST.
 PZ0702'
 PZ0702'REFERENCE MARK NUMBER 1, STAMPED CLARK NO 1 1950, IS A STANDARD
 PZ0702'BRONZE DISK SET IN A DRILL HOLE IN OUTCROPPING BEDROCK THAT
 PZ0702'IS FLUSH WITH THE SURROUNDING ROCK.  IT IS 1-1/2 FEET LOWER
 PZ0702'IN ELEVATION THAN THE STATION.
 PZ0702'
 PZ0702'REFERENCE MARK NUMBER 2, STAMPED CLARK NO 2 1950, IS A STANDARD
 PZ0702'BRONZE DISK SET IN A DRILL HOLE IN OUTCROPPING BEDROCK THAT
 PZ0702'IS FLUSH WITH THE SURROUNDING ROCK.  IT IS 6 FEET LOWER IN
 PZ0702'ELEVATION THAN THE STATION.
 PZ0702'
 PZ0702'AZIMUTH MARK, STAMPED CLARK 1950, IS A STANDARD BRONZE DISK
 PZ0702'SET IN A DRILL HOLE IN OUTCROPPING BEDROCK THAT IS FLUSH
 PZ0702'WITH THE GROUND.  IT IS 2 FEET WEST OF A 2 FOOT CAIRN.  TO
 PZ0702'REACH FROM THE STATION, GO DOWN THE RIDGE NORTHEASTERLY AND
 PZ0702'THEN NORTHERLY FOR 1.0 MILE TO A 2 FOOT CAIRN ON A ROCKY
 PZ0702'OUTCROP AND THE AZIMUTH MARK.

We found "Clark No 1" and the "Station Mark" for triangulation. It is interesting to note that the witness post is still at the station mark location. It is also interesting to learn that the two foot cairn we passed on the way up is mentioned as a location marker for the "Azimuth Mark." Finally, I have always wondered about the area at the mouth of Skull Canyon being called Blue Dome. The 1950 reports states that the Blue Dome Tavern once was located there.

We made good time on the descent. The snow had softened up enough to cushion big strides down the hill. Once out of the snow, we traversed to the west of the ridge to avoid elevation gains on the way down.

At the car we refreshed ourselves with grapes, crackers, Fritos, and bean dip. the day was still young and we decided to drive over to Skull Canyon. We had the four-wheeler in tow and wanted to see how far up the canyon we could get before snow hindered our progress. Ben was again motivated for another adventure by being able to drive the four-wheeler up the canyon.

Pulling into Blue Dome, we were greeted by seven beautiful rams. Ben was pleased to see both a large herd of elk and a group of sheep on this trip. He said he knocked two things off his bucket list that day.

We didn't get very far as tight spots in the canyon were still covered in snow and ice.

This trip was not only a chance to summit Bald Mountain, But it was also a chance to reconnoiter the surrounding mountains. I am creating a visual record of the Lemhi Range to add to my personal knowledge, and I knew vantages from Bald Mountain would feature some impressive views. Although the light could have been better, I made some images to help me understand the relationship between mountains and provide reference material for future trips. The following images may also prove beneficial to others.

Great Western Peak, Mount Hoopes, Tyler Peak, Shrill Peak:

Two views of Shrill Peak, the dome shaped peak on the right:

Four views of Mount Hoopes and Tyler Peak:
Great Western can be seen on the far left of the fourth photo.

Four views of Peak 9,860 (northeast of Shrill):

Below the distinctive dome of Shrill Peak is seen to the left of Peak 9,860

Peak 9,125 southwest of Bald Mountain:

Peak 9,860, Shrill, Dome, White Bird, Marshalls Mount:

Shrill Peak, Dome Peak, White Bird Peak, Buckhorn Peak, Marshalls Mount:

Big Boy Peak, The Riddler, Diamond Peak, Lame Jake Peak:

Black and White Peak, Shoshone John Peak, Big Boy Peak, The Riddler:

Shoshone John Peak, Big Boy Peak, The Riddler:

Diamond Peak:

Black and White Peak, Shoshone John Peak

Swanson Peak, Little Diamond Peak:

Little Diamond Peak:

And finally a photo of the hills just south of Skull Canyon in the Beaverheads. The light was just right and a narrow canyon just south of Skull Canyon was thrown into shadow making it stand out. I thought it made for an interesting shot.

Click for an idea of peaks