Glacier Mountaineering Society

Sat, May 2 2015 - Thunderbolt Mountain (View Original Event Details)

Coordinator(s):		Paul Cogswell
Participants:		Paul Cogswell, Will Hendrix, Jason Wilkes, Dell Meuchel, Gail Meuchel, Stacey Endebrock, David Endebrock, Craig Parmelee, Don Arthur, Frank Wesolovski, Sue Shannon

Write Up:
The snowpack on the original mountain, Hall Peak, had gotten pretty thin which means brush and ticks. So another destination seemed to be a good idea. After considering a number of possibilities and ruling them all out, an exploratory route was chosen to Thunderbolt Mountain, further south in the Swan Range. The climb began before 8 AM, when immediately climbers were faced with ascending a 2500' slope averaging 35 degrees to reach the Swan Crest. Once there, the route leveled out and roughly followed the Swan Crest Alpine Trail #7. Thunderbolt Mountain had appeared early during the initial climb and as it became closer, the route became all snow and some drifts were 30 feet deep or more. It was disappointing not to summit but good judgment prevailed when the intended route became too dangerous. Another route could have been considered but it was decided that would require more time than was available this day. So the group settled for a sunny picnic on a huge snowfield with expansive views of the Swan Range to the south, the Mission Range to the west, and the Bob Marshall to the east. The route was retraced back and finished by 6 PM. Drinks and snacks were enjoyed in celebration. It turned out to be a fun and interesting day in the Swan Range with great team of adventurers who were willing to gamble on something that was in no way a sure thing. Round trip statistics ended up being 10 miles and 5000' (+/-).

Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Tim Anderson at twamontana@gmail.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.