Alpine Happiness

[TOGIE]

Just when one believes its open paradise to take a whiz, in comes Oak to buzz the whizzer!

yeah, he always says he's looking for "sheep" in the name of "science"

 

[Sytes]

He's sellin' raffle tickets his Mavrick ass can't cash! I knew that's why I hadn't drawn!

 

[choc dogs]

Yet another time where we need a button to like the whole damn thread. Thanks for sharing, y’all

 

[Lasiocarpa]

 

[Hem]

 

[Hem]

Treeline is a little lower here; about 4500 feet. I love it up there, but the big mountains are popular and the tundra that grows that high is all protected, so you have to stay on trails. Here, the secret to solitude is to just step off the trail and into the forest. Loving the pictures on this thread!
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I think I recall you are back East. I cut my teeth on the White Mountains. The Presidential Range was fuel for my move West.
Climbed Mt. Washington a couple times, and Katadin(sp?)in Maine. Washington hands down had generally FOUL weather...no surprise people routinely die up there.

 

[Hem]

Nothing better than spending a day (or a couple weeks) up in the alpine. I have some similar goals. I have been checking off highpoint for each mountain range in Montana, but still have a long way to go on that list. I'm also trying to summit every peak above 7000' in my local wilderness area. Only 3 left to go on that list.

Your mention of out of country trips got me thinking of my only volcano climb. Back in 2006-2007 I met my parents and sister in Bali for the holidays. My parents were living in that part of the world at the time, so it made a great excuse for me to visit an area I had spent some of my childhood. While I was there, I decided that I wanted to climb the local volcano. It is called Ganung Agung and is just under 10,000' tall. I had no idea where to start the hike or what route to take, but after a few inquiries I found a local teenager that knew the route up and was willing to show me the way for around $30. Seemed like a good deal to me! I arranged a vehicle to take us up to the most sacred Balinese temple where the trail started. It was highly recommended to start hiking a few hours before daylight to be able to see the sunrise from the crater rim, so it was a very early 2am wake up the next morning. The hike up wasn't too bad with most of it on steep but very grippy volcanic rock. It took us about an hour less than the guide expected to get up to the top as he wasn't expecting an American to be in as good as shape as he was. Unfortunately, that hour before sunrise was very cold and windy and I had mostly packed beach clothes. Thankfully my guide had a extra rain suit that kept me from freezing to death while we huddled in a lava chute waiting for the sun to come up. It was all worth it once I got to see the sunrise from above the clouds.
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Looking into the crater
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Above his head in the forest you can see the temple where we started and ended the hike.
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Besakih Temple
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Gunung Agung has since had several somewhat large eruptions forcing mass evacuations and even caused a significant disruption to flights from asia to Australia and New Zealand. Not my pic, but a shot of one of the eruptions in 2017.
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Thanks for starting this thread. Brought back some good memories and this place needed something uplifting to counter some of the drama lately!

I had a similar goal to climb the highest peaks in all the areas of Southwest Montana. At some point I became distracted by other endeavors. My list includes: Bridgers, Crazys, Absarokas, Hyalites, Spanish Peaks, Hilgards, Big Belts, Elkhorns, Highlands, Pintlers, Flints, and Tobacco Roots. I came to within 100' of Granite but backed off the last pitch. I knew I could get up,but I wasn't coming down without being roped in. Might not go back. Waiting in line at the snow bridge and above took the thrill out of it.
Two of my favorites were Hilgard Peak and Mt. Cohen. In the early 90's it was considered noteworthy if you bagged Cohen in one day. 26 miles total. I did it twice. Not a chance now. The summit is about as large as a sheet of plywood with serious vertical on the north side ...rather exposed for the final approach.
Keep your focus, go for it.

 

[Hem]

Great thread. Alpine as a definition is: relating to high mountains.

Prompted to go through my google photos, I was a bit bummed that the trips from youth I spent in the Missions, Bitterroot, and Pioneers were all pre-smart phone, so no pics. The highpoints of all the mountain ranges around where I live and play the most rarely exceed the mid-9-thousands, and are timbered to the top or if they are treeless, it is as much geology as elevation (Boulders, Bulls, Elkhorns,Nevadas). So only a couple to contribute:

Obligatory photo from the summit of Swiftcurrent Peak in Glacier Park.

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A very Gneiss Lake in the Wacky Tabacky Roots
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That lake is SO sweet. Love that location.

 

[Hem]

Imp Peak

 

[antlerradar]

This is a fantastic thread. I don't have anything to contribute as I can count on one hand the number of alpine peeks I have conquered. Not may antlers on the top of the mountain so most of my time has been spent closer to the bottom.

 

[Irrelevant]

This is a fantastic thread. I don't have anything to contribute as I can count on one hand the number of alpine peeks I have conquered. Not may antlers on the top of the mountain so most of my time has been spent closer to the bottom.

Buddy and I were deer hunting last fall, hiking over a high remote pass, one pretty difficult and well known peak on one side. I argued that let's go bag it real quick. His response, "there's no deer up there." Turned and walked over the pass.

 

[Southern Elk]

That lake is SO sweet. Love that location.

My boy and I got caught in a snow storm up there in August. We weren’t prepared for it and came down in a hurry.

 

[Southern Elk]

Black Butte. Easy climb.

 

[ILbowhntr]

From a motorcycle ride to colorado. RMNP I believe…

I wish the mountain West wasn’t so far west. I’d spend more time there if I could.

Like others here, I’m also reviewing other photos from hunting trips to MT, CO, WY and NM after reading this thread. Thanks to everyone for the contributions. Awesome!

 

[Hem]

Every year..how much more can these knees handle ?

 

[BirdManMike]

Ya, great topic everyone. Had me looking at pics.

Here are some more.




Sometimes the fishes are small.





Sometimes the fishes are large.

 

[Dougfirtree]

I think I recall you are back East. I cut my teeth on the White Mountains. The Presidential Range was fuel for my move West.
Climbed Mt. Washington a couple times, and Katadin(sp?)in Maine. Washington hands down had generally FOUL weather...no surprise people routinely die up there.

Yes, I'm in the Adirondacks. Very similar to the Whites. I moved out to Montana for school, in the 90's and for some reason, the hardwoods called me back. I'm still a little torn..

 

[lbaldrid]

father/son fishing trip in Medicine Bow National Forest.

 

[Irrelevant]

Anyone else notice that outside of the Flattops it's pretty damn tough to figure out what state these were taken in?

 

[MTLabrador]