I'm addicted to the high country lately, and the weather is holding, so I've been able to keep getting out. Last weekend, I took a morning and headed just a bit down the Bitterroot, to Bass Creek and on up to the trailhead to Little St. Joseph and St. Joseph. It's only about 2.5 miles from the trailhead to Little St. Joe's, but it's a straight-up trail gaining 2500ft+. Not a bad outing in itself, but I wanted to keep going on to St. Joseph, which requires another 2.5 miles along a ridge that's challenging walking/scrambling, and then the final push up to the summit, which requires a bit of follow-your-nose route finding. Here's a few pictures from the trip. It was tough and punishing and took me around 6 hours, but it's non-technical. I was worked at the end.
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| Bass Creek spires on the way up |
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| On the top of Little St Joe's with Pudge, St. Mary's in the distance. |
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| Looking off to St. Joseph from Litte St Joseph--had to tie Pudge up not much further on. |
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| St Mary (left) and the Heavenly Twins (right) from the ridge. |
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| The ridge, looking back at Little St Joseph, which is the bump--a strenuous bugger. |
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| A cool shot of subalpine larch on the damp north slope and white bark pine on the sunny south slope. |
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| Just north, the ridge from Sweeney (out of view on the right) to Lolo Peak, which I scrambled with Al Parker years ago. |
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| View south from St. Joseph, with summit Cairn. Less than 10 people had signed the summit register in 2013! |
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| dork |
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| And a long ridge walk back before a knee punishing descent from Little St. Joe to the truck |
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