Trip Report: Rainbow Mountain (10,162) and Liberty Mountain (10,220), Lemhi Range, Idaho

• October 22, 2016

• Team: Solo

• Summits: 

• Rainbow Mountain (10,162)
• Liberty Mountain (10,220)

• Route: Northwest face on Rainbow 
• YDS: Class 3-4
• Route: East face on Silver Moon
• YDS: Class 3

• Total Elevation Gain: Approximately 4,000 feet

• Total Miles: Approximately 6 miles

I accessed Rainbow Mountain via Coal Kiln Road. Heading north past Lone Pine on Highway 28 Look for the historical marker indicating the turnoff to Coal Kiln Road. Turn left at the marker, follow the road past the kilns and go as far as your vehicle will safely travel. A trail leads to a basin at the base of the northeast face. 

I had not been out for several weeks and was looking for a challenge. Instead of heading south to the saddle and then following the ridge heading northwest, I decided to take a more challenging route up the face directly to the summit. The crux was finding a route through the tall cliff band guarding the face. Making the route even more difficult was a few inches of snow.

Five feet into the climb I took a rough tumble straight to the ground. Few holds, snow, and vibram boots conspired against me. I considered the longer route to the saddle for a moment and then sought out another route up the cliffs. Now I knew that I needed at least an inch or 2 of rock ledge without snow to get good boot purchase. 

Route through the cliffs

Midway up the cliffs

I was a bit loco to trade the class 2 saddle route for the class 3/4 climb through the cliffs. A few moments during the ascent had my adrenaline going pretty good. Although the few vertical sections were not much more than 10 feet high, a fall would land on a steep snow covered slab sliding into another 10 feet vertical fall, etc. The combination of snow and few holds had me puckering. I wondered about what kind of damage I would sustain in a fall and concluded that a few broken bones would be the least of my problems. I knew one thing. I would not be down climbing this section. I began to think about a possible glissade down the saddle in the south.

The cliffs from the top of the saddle. Yes, I took the longer route down to avoid those cliffs. 

Above the cliffs the steep face led right to the summit. Post holing was all I had to contend with to the top and the wind scoured ridge.

The summit of Rainbow Mountain

Looking down the ridge to 10,274 and 10,546. I believe peak 10,693 and Mount Inspiration are peaking from behind 10,546.

I hustled down the ridge and to the saddle in the south. A short glissade and lots of big steps in the knee deep snow put me at the bottom of the basin in less than 45 minutes. Raced back to the truck and drove to Gilmore to tackle the second mountain of the day.

I knew a 4WD road just north of Silver Moon Gulch led to within about a mile from the summit of 10,220. If I hurried, I could summit and be back to the truck by dark. The path to the east face of the mountain follows a well defined creek bed. The going was easy, not much brush. 

Soon the forest gave way to an open slope of rocks leading to the ridge of the mountain. I followed it straight to the top.

The ridge in the center distance

The upper part of the steep ridge was a bit difficult. Deep snow made slow going. I inched my way to the top and then carefully treaded solid ice to open rocks and then made for the summit.

Summit ridge of Silver Moon Mountain (10,220)

Tagged the summit and then raced down. Arrived at the truck around 7:00 in fading twilight. A near perfect day with two summits in the bag.

When researching a route up this mountain, I was intrigued by the name of the gulch to the east of the mountain. Silver Moon Gulch captured my imagination and I though it fitting to refer to the mountain by this beautiful name. 

10/26/2016 Addendum: While the name Silver Moon Mountain may be poetic, I learned that an historical precedent was in place. Rick Bauhger shared historical notes about a believed climb by plant biologists J.H. Christ and W.Ward on July 15, 1945. They christened the mountain "Liberty Mountain" after Liberty Gulch to the east. I think that the historical significance of the name bears significant weight and should be honored.

Rainbow Mountain route

Silver Moon route

Finally, a few images made of the Lemhis, terrible light but, good for reference:

Bell, Umpleby, and Knoll

The ridge from Medusa north to 10,693 has no prominent peaks, in fact, I am not sure 10,693 has the required 300 feet of prominence to "qualify" as a peak. Any input would be appreciated. I have read a Rick Baugher account where he refers to 10,693 as Mount Perspiration and List of John states the mountain has a rise of 393 feet. Approaching this mountain from the east from 10,546, I can only find only about 280+ feet. If this is the case then the first peak north of Medusa would be Mount Inspiration (10,715). Any feed back would be appreciated. Below is a photo of this ridge beginning with Medusa on the left. Unfortunately, Mount Inspiration is further north.

Medusa on the far left and the slope of 10,274 in right corner

Trip Report: The Clapper (10,740), Lemhi Range, Idaho

Bell Mountain on the left. The Clapper on the right

• September 17, 2016

• Team: Ben Prescott and myself

• Summit: 

• The Clapper

• Route: Southwest Ridge north of Deep Creek
• YDS: Class 2

• Total Elevation Gain: 3,786 feet

• Total Miles: 6.04 miles

Ben climbing the foothill north of Deep Creek

Looking for a simple hike/climb that puts you on top of a Lemhi peak with great views of Bell Mountain? A hike that gains an average of only 1,250 feet an hour/mile? No difficult terrain? Crosses three distinct zones: grass, timber, and alpine. An up and back time of around 4.5 hours at a leisurely pace? The Clapper is perfect. 

During the climb, I often thought this would be a great training destination for a runner. The terrain is simple enough to run without worrying about twisting an ankle and offers a six mile round trip with about 3,800 simple feet of gain. I also thought that this would be perfect for skinning up in the winter. Only the last 600 feet becomes bit more complex with talus, though the rock is very stable.

A 2 hour drive from Rexburg puts you at the trail head. Albeit that was the time on our return trip when I was cruising pretty good through the desert back to the highway; we were both thinking about pizza and pop in Mud Lake. 

To get there, head north on the Little Lost River Highway to Clyde. A large sign on the east side identifies Clyde. Just past the sign, cross the stream and then hang a right and drive across the Little Lost River. Turn left and drive on a relatively good road by Lemhi standards. I followed the road to Foss Mountain and then turned left at the oasis. I drove until I found a good route up a ridge just north of Deep Creek.

Hiking through sagebrush and grass, Ben and I made our way toward the timber line. The grade was gradual and easy. Once in the trees, the ridge continues northeast and levels out from time to time. There is a high point on the ridge (10,095) that we went around on the right. Looking again at the map, a left course may be a bit better. rounding this point, The Clapper came into view. 

10,095

overlook before skirting the slope leading to a broad saddle at the base of The Clapper

First view of The Clapper

Lemhi Crest south of The Clapper

Before the final 700 feet, on the saddle, the views of Bell Mountain were wonderful.

An easy push puts you on the summit. Ben and I spent sometime on the top taking in the views and making some images and then booked it down.

View of Bell Mountain from The Clapper

Ben on the summit

Lemhi Crest from left to right: Peak 10,681, Peak 10,751 (Midway Mountain), 10,737 (Little Brother), Big Sister

Southeast ridge of Bell Mountain and Umpleby

The Ridge of The Clapper

Trip Report: Lemhi Enchainment, Little Sister to Foss Mountain

High Point on Little Brother (10,737)

• August 27, 2016

• Team: Solo

• Summits: 

• Little Sister
• Big Sister
• Little Brother (10,737)
• Midway Mountain (10,751)
• 10,681
• Foss Mountain

• Route: Mud Springs to Lemhi Crest

• YDS: Class 2

• Total Elevation Gain: 7,310 feet

• Total Miles: 13 miles

A Class 2 Grand Slam and a Double

Drove to Mud Springs Friday evening. Arrived just before dusk. The hazy conditions did not bode well for photography so I just bedded down for the night. Slept under the stars. Watched the sky darken and the pin pricks of light appear. Mars and Saturn shone brightly in the southwestern sky long before stars and the Milky Way lit up the dark night. The faint white noise of crickets hummed in the desert silence.

Woke up at 4:30 and thought once about beginning the hike. Just once. Fell back asleep and woke at 6:30. Boots on the ground at 6:50. The goal was to make Little sister and then head for the main crest. Next, continue north as far as 10,681. From there I would head west along the ridge to Foss Mountain. Drop off Foss and hike back to Mud Springs.

From Mud Springs, I hiked up the gentle ridge shown below. The goal was to thread the space between the two sets of cliffs near the top. Once past this point, a rocky ridge leads to the lower slopes of Little Sister. At the end of the ridge, I came across what looked like a rusty gold pan. Decided to hang it in a tree marking the route up Little sister.

The way to Little Sister

On top of Little Sister

Big Sister looms ahead

The Lemhi Crest. The goal was to make the pointed peak on the left and then head west

Dropping off Little Sister I spooked 5 or 6 mountain goats. They fled up the rocky slope making a galloping ruckus in the shale.

Goats disappearing over a ridge

Little Brother (10,737) was next

Heading north off Big Sister, 10,737 was next. The Idea of calling it Little Brother just seemed fitting. For me have a moniker to remember the peak is just easier to remember and talk about than a number. Having Big Sister stand between both Little Sister and Little Brother was in keeping with the family theme already in place. Those who know Ben might agree. 

On the ridge, I passed this interesting rock. A large slab of limestone sits balanced on an outcropping. How in the world?

The Lemhi's own Balanced rock

I determined the high point of Little Brother to be this rock, and, yes, climbed out to touch the top.

Looking south towards Diamond Peak

The next summit would be 10,751. I was in the name game mode and dubbed it Midway Mountain because of its location about midway between the 2 most notable Lemhi Peaks: Bell and Diamond.

Midway Mountain (10,751)

Two views of Rust Peak along the way.

Rust Peak

Rust Peak

The next destination was 10,681. It was the most impressive of the enchainment. Yet, I was without another name. I made several images of this peak:

10,681

10,681

10,681

10,681

10,681

Heading east now, I made for the long west ridge in the above photo.

West ridge of 10,681

Made an image of Bell Mountain and The Clapper in the foreground.

Bell Mountain and The Clapper

Looking back at the route, I made these images:

Little Sister far right and Midway Mountain center left. The rise on the right does not have 300 feet of prominence.

Midway Mountain, Little Brother, and Big Sister

Ridge line from Little Sister to Big Sister and Little Brother on left

The east ridge from 10,861 leads directly to Foss Mountain.

Foss Mountain center mid-ground

There is an actual road that one can drive to the top of the mountain. I came across it and followed it for a bit and then took a more direct line to the summit. Once summited I now needed to descend southwesterly and meet the road for an easy path to the mouth of the canyon. My map showed a possible route between 2 sets of formidable cliffs. I got really lucky with this descent. I found a scree run that was perfect for sliding down the mountain. Then, with some moderate bushwacking, I found the road and the way out.

Looking back at the face I came down

 Coming out of the canyon I was impressed by this very thick oasis.

Spring at the canyon mouth leading up Foss

I began the long walk over the foothills back to Mud Springs. Often following faint roads or stepping through sagebrush, I headed south. the hike was punctuated by several lush areas fed by small springs. Although, barely a trickle this time of year, the areas were surprisingly verdant. I did see 5 more mountain goats on the upper foothills and counted myself lucky to come across such magnificent animals.

Looking back at Foss Mountain

The rolling foothills pushed my total elevation gain to over 7,300 feet and the distance to 12.97 miles. Finally I saw the green line of Cedar Run Creek in the far distance. I had rationed my 3 liters of water to just make it back to the truck and was motivated to reach the cooler and down a cold Mountain Dew Kickstart and a protein drink.

The line of cedars in the distance leading to Mud Springs

Reaching the car at 5:40 gave me plenty of time to make it to Mud Lake and order a Hawaiian pizza before the pizza joint would close at 8:00 P.M. Perfect timing and a perfect day. 

Finally, had a rare optical experience driving across the desert. Artists and photographers are keenly aware of different changing light temperatures from dawn to dusk. For example, Monet was a master of seeing the light for what it is. Most people never have the optical experience of seeing the light because of an overriding auto white balance in the brain. 

For some reason, I was able to really see the light that evening. Artists know that as the sun sets and the colors change, the shadows cast by the sun will appear as the complement of what ever light the sun and atmosphere transmit. That evening the sun set in the smokey haze from the numerous wildfires in the area. It glowed red. Hence the shadows of objects should be a vivid green. Most will never actually see this as their brain prevents this visual feast. However, that evening as I drove across the desert, I was ecstatic to see the shadows as green as can be. Wow! a final treat to a great day.

GPS Track from Mud Springs