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| On the ridge to West Pintler. |
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| Jen on West Pintler. |
On the weekend of August 22, I went on a backpacking adventure with Jen, Ellie, and Ellie's boyfriend Danny McKay. The smoke was oppressive in Missoula, and I worried that the Pintler's proximity to the Bitterroot would make it oppressively smokey as well, but it turned out to be just fine, and a fantastic backpacking outing. It was my first time accessing the Pintler via the Moose Lake road, which is low clearance vehicle accessible. Our loop started and ended at the end of the Moose Lake Road. This trail head gets a lot of use, as Johnson Lake is a very popular Pintler destination. On the first day, we hiked six miles up to beautiful Phyllis Lake on trail #28, then Jen and I bagged West Pintler Peak, and we spent a nice evening chatting with the kids around the fire. For a detailed description of the West Pintler Peak climb, see this summit post site. On day 2, we hiked 2-3 miles over to the truly spectacular Johnson Lake, and I bagged MacLaughlin in the afternoon. This is an easy and unimposing summit, but the views from the top are outstanding: Warren Peak is huge to the north, West Goat dominates to the East, and impressive Peak 9805 to the south. The swimming and lounging at Johnson Lake kept the trip spirits high. On day 3, we hiked six miles out to the cars. This is a great short loop. The hearty peakbagger might do it in a day, summiting West and East Pinter, Peak 9805, MacLaughlin, and maybe even Warren, along the way.
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| Upper Phyllis Lake |
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| Jen pointing at West Pintler Peak |
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| Me on West Pintler with the Phyllis Lakes below. |
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| The Phyllis Lakes |
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| Swimming at Johnson |
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| Lounging at Johnson. McGlaughlin Peak above. |
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| Again. |
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| Ellie and Danny at Johnson Lake on the hike out. |
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| McGlaughlin Peak above my head. |
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