McDonald Peak with Al: Mission Mountains

Al on the summit ridge, just steps from the top of McDonald after 6 hours hard walking, with Sheep's Head in the background. 

I've been asking myself lately why I am so drawn to doing long, hard days in the mountains. Part of it is passion, and its close relative obsession, but there's also a spiritual quest that's involved. Such days bring me as near as I can get to a place of pure-awareness, where I am simply a human being, alive and 'moving upon the earth'.

About a week ago, I climbed McDonald Peak with my Bozeman friend Al, a fellow seeker of wilder-spiritual inspiration. It's the hardest peak I've done, not in terms of technical difficulty - as far as that goes it's not too hard - but rather in terms of the shear effort involved to get there and back. Amazingly, Al left Bozeman at 2am the day of our outing. I met him at Orange Street Exit at 5:15am, and we headed on up to the Ashley Lakes Trailhead, which requires a 4 wheel drive vehicle to reach. We were on the trail by 7am. 

The route starts on the ridge on which you park at the end of the road, along a trail that leaves the Ashley Lakes Trail immediately on your left. From here the route description is pretty straightforward; the difficulty is in the long, hard day required to execute it. First, follow the ridge to 7000 feet, at which point you traverse around the huge bowl below Sheep's Head, staying approximately at 7000 feet through the cliff band about half way round. After what seems like endless steep sidehilling, which only seems to get more difficult the further you get, you begin the climb up to spectacular Duncan Lake. Once at the lake, cross the outlet and ascend the climbers trail immediately ahead of you, to the saddle above the lake. Then contour around (or drop down the creek below as we did) to the base of McDonald. From here the climb to the top is straightforward, though if the snow fields are full, you may want an ice axe. This is a seriously strenuous, entirely off-trail outing into seriously rugged country, so if you do it, do your homework, get an early start (I would suggest leaving the trailhead at 6am), take a friend, go on a day with decent weather, and note that it's closed for Grizzlies July 15-October 1. My GPS track, and another short trip report, can be found here.

NOTE: alternative routes from the same trail head include going up and over Sheep's Head, which involves class 4 climbing, or traversing at 8000 feet, rather than 7000 feet, which is a shorter traverse and might be the best option, but it requires a significant elevation loss to Duncan Lake and analogous gain on the return. Others approach the peak from lower Post Creek to the north (see Cedron Jones' Peakbagging Montana) or upper Post Creek to the east (accessed from the east side Turqoise Lake trail). There's no easy way to do this great mountain. 

Al on the ridge to Sheep's Head. You park on this ridge and walk it up to 7000 feet.

A snack before the long traverse.

Pudge and Skila on the traverse, Ashley Lakes below.

Al on the traverse in the upper-right hand corner. The traverse was the most physically punishing part of the trip for us.

At Duncan Lake. This is an amazing place.

On the saddle above Duncan Lake, Sheep's Head in the backbround in the second photo.

Another shot from the saddle, looking southwest. A magnificent place. That might be Flattop in the background.

Two shots looking different directions. Looking south in the first and north at McDonald in the second one.

Looking south from a bit higher up than two photos ago. Here you can see Icefloe straight ahead and Mountaineer to the left.

From the summit. Lake of the Clouds (I think) with Daughter of the Sun Mountain in the distance.

Skila on top.

Al Looking West. Sheep's Head on the right.

Pudge on the McDonald snowfiled. Kakashe and Flattop in the top-center of the picture.

Shangrila below McDonald.

Further below in the Shangrila.