Sat, Jun 17 2006 - Apgar Mountain Ridge (View Original Event Details) Coordinator(s): Larry Hiller Participants: Larry Hiller

I was curious to find out if the same route would work for a summer climb. Jodi Smith, Steve Berg, Denise Grabowski and Guy Bateman joined me for the endeavor. Some reconnaissance prior to the climb revealed that the lower part of the route, unlike during the winter when snow-covered, would be tough going because of a tangle of small, downed timber. We opted therefore to ascend the old-fashioned way via the east side, maintained trail which climbs very moderately for six miles to reach the lookout. It was a cloudy day so the views were nothing to cell phone home about, but there was general agreement as we noshed on our lunches that it was well worth the effort.

Rather than heading back down the trail to our vehicles, we decided to descend directly to the North Fork bridge at the Camas entrance by following my winter snowshoe, ridge route which provided the opportunity to compare the seasonal differences. For the most part, the route was very easy going. There was some minimal bushwhacking through shrubbery that had been buried under snow during my March trek, but not enough to draw any blood. As we descended, we came across the old telephone wire to the lookout strung out along the ground — a relic of Glacier's lookout history. A few perfectly shaped holes indicated where the telephone poles had once stood. We had to negotiate through the timber tangle the last few hundred feet of vertical to the road, but it was not a major issue. I preferred the uniqueness of the winter ascent to the summer endeavor, but Huckleberry Lookout is worth visiting any season of the year.