Ramblings: Climbing the Lemhi Range

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Trip Report: Meadow Peak (10.633), Lemhi Range, Idaho

Meadow Peak Summit Ridge

May 14, 2016
Team: Fred Wooley, Scout Troop 418
Summit:

Meadow Peak

Route: East Face
YDS: Class 2
Total Elevation Gain: 2,690 feet
Total Miles: Approximately 5.5 miles

This May has been cool and wet. When the weather forecast predicted a small window of sun for the weekend, we decided to make the most of it by taking some scouts up Meadow Peak. I picked the mountain for its gentle class 2 east face with two large plateaus on the way to the summit. That way I did not have to worry too much about thirteen-year-old boys running around on a mountain and could just enjoy the hike.

To get there, head north on highway 28 up Birch Creek Valley. Pass the turnoff on the left to Mammoth Canyon and the turnoff on the right to Nicholia. Then take the left turn to Meadow Canyon. The road then continues west to the mountains. Just before dropping down into Meadow Canyon, hang a right up the hillside and then find your way to the large red something, perhaps a water tank. The red cylinder sits at the foot of the east side of the mountain.

We drove to the mountain Friday after school and made camp near the base of the mountain. Driving across the desert, I was reminded of how massive and beautiful The Incredible Hulk is, I stopped and made some images of the mountain.

View of The Incredible Hulk driving in

Once at the foot of Meadow Peak, some kids set up tents. A few laid out bags under the stars. Fred brought a few pounds of marinated turkey breast that he had recently butchered with several of the boys. He mixed this with several kinds of beans and spices to make an evening meal.

Campsite

The boys threw a football around and played kick the can as the evening light faded. I took this opportunity to make images of The Incredible Hulk to the south. I wandered around the base of Meadow Peak to get a good vantage and made the following images.

I also made an image of the Birch Creek Valley in the evening light from out campsite.

The route up Meadow Peak is straight forward. Head up the face and find the ridge to first plateau. Cross the flat and then continue up the steeper face of scree to the second plateau. During this scramble, the boys were thrilled to find Horn Coral. The abundance of intact horns made them picky as to which one they would keep. Most went home with a near perfect horn.

The summit sits about 600 feet beyond this second open space. The most obvious route to the top is the ridge on the south end of the peak.

Two scouts approaching the southeast ridge

Matthew Erikson and Cameron Ricks below the summit ridge

The Summit Ridge

Meadow Peak is not a photogenic mountain. Its two wide intermediary plateaus set the summit far back from the foot of the mountain. To photograph the entire mountain one must be a considerable distance to see the actual summit. Although the south face is dramatically punctuated with dizzying cliffs, the east face is unremarkable. I think most climb Meadow Peak not for its aesthetic qualities but for the views to be had on the top. This day the views did not disappoint.

Neil Clifford, Cameron Ricks, Ben Prescott, and Matthew Erikson on the summit looking north

Cameron Ricks and Matthew Erikson on the summit ridge

Bell Mountain with Meadow Peak's snow covered ridge in foreground

Bell Mountain and Peak 10,720+ (The Clapper) on the left

Saddle between Peak 10,720+ and Bell

Several point-release and one slab avalanches on the northeast face of Bell

Bell Mountain

One final image of the trip is of the north face of The Brow. I have an interesting connection to The Brow. While coming off the northeast ridge on my way to Lame Jake, I experienced my first real-time avalanche off the north face. The memory of the slide slamming into rocks below and exploding into the air was an incredible sight and a reminder of how powerful even small avalanches can be. Anyway here is the impressive north face of The Brow.

The Brow, north face

Sunday, September 07, 2014

Climbing Bell Mountain Climb From Basinger Canyon

9/1/2014

The Summit Block of Bell Mountain

Climbing the Summit Block of Bell Mountain

The hike begins at the end of Basinger Canyon on the east side of the Lemhi Range. To get to the canyon, travel to Howe and head north up the Little Lost River Valley. Go about 28 miles and pass a building with a large sign identifying the area as Clyde. Go about 5 more miles. Once the pavement ends, look for a yield sign to your right. The sign marks the road you turn on and is hard to see because it is for cars entering the highway from this road. You will pass some livestock pens on your right. After crossing the river, take the left fork. This road will lead you to Basinger Canyon. Drive to the end of the road and look for a trail that looks more like an ATV trail than a hiking trial following the north side of the canyon. If you pass the trail, the road soon ends and you can easily find it coming back down.

The trail is fairly good. It is a pleasant hike through the forested canyon for about half an hour. After passing a thicket of aspens, start looking for an old cabin on the south side of the canyon. The hike up Bell begins at the cabin. If you are interested in climbing Umpleby and the Knoll, veer northeast from the cabin, around the bend and to the very end of the canyon to find these two mountains guarding the end of the box.

On the Ridge Leading to Bell Summit
The Knoll and Umpleby in the Distance

Once at the cabin, the goal is to make the east/west ridge leading to Bell. Head south, down the gully and over the creek, and up the side of the mountain. Keep heading south and up. Once the timber is cleared, follow the ridge to the top. You will encounter two blocks on the ridge to Bell. The first can be easily climbed. Veer a bit to the south and go up and over. The second block can be skirted on the north side.

The summit block looks imposing. Take it head on. Perhaps the center rib looks the most approachable. The nice thing about the climb is the rock is pretty blocky and foot and hand holds are numerous. If the route you take becomes too steep, bypass it by taking an adjacent one; there always seemed to be a way up. This is a fun class 3 climb.

The most memorable part of this hike/climb was the bear we saw near the summit block. As we approached the block, Don spotted a big bear turning over rocks looking for food. Once we were sure it was not a grizzly, we continued our approach. Once the bear became aware of our presence, he hightailed the opposite direction. I never expected to see a bear so far above the timberline this time of year. Several people have told me the bear was most likely looking for moths to fatten him up for the winter.

For Images of Bell Mountain, Follow this link.