Glacier Mountaineering Society

Mon, Jul 22 2024 - Spot Mtn and Red Mtn (View Original Event Details)

Coordinator(s):		Jake Bramante, Kristen Bramante
Participants:		Jake Bramante, Kristen Bramante, Greg P, Dave Archibald, Cole Schneider, Joe Jimenez

Write Up:
Our ambitious crew took off from the Two Medicine entrance station on a warm, cloudless morning. Loaded with water and buoyed by excitement for a day of ridge-walking, all six climbers stepped onto the trail. After a brief and mild bushwhack through dense pine trees, we ascended the meadows, gullies, and rocky slope to the first summit of Spot Mountain. Although the skies were hazy from wildfires, the views were still fantastic. As we followed the rounded ridge over to Red Mountain, a herd of bighorn rams were spied feeding on the fading flowers of the season. Some fun scrambling occurred through many colors of rocks followed by skirting of cliffs, then climbing up through a chute as we gained the ridge for Red. White-tailed Ptarmigans escorted us as we marveled at Lonely Lakes and Mad Wolf/Eagle Plume to the north and Rising Wolf to the south. After the long, red ridge walk, we made the final push up to the brown-capped Red Mountain, took some pictures and continued west along the ridge to the saddle beyond. A wonderful goat traverse skirts the cliffs, along the way there was a water source which we gladly filled empty bladders/bottles. The goat traverse popped out to another saddle where we dropped into a magical, flower-filled meadow. We continued wrapping southwest through the meadows to where it descended towards the Dry Fork Trail. A short, easy bushwhack brought us back to the trail and to our cars. Snacks and beverages capped off a big, hot, exhausting, but insanely gorgeous and fulfilling day.

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.