Glacier Mountaineering Society

Sat, Oct 6 2012, Sun, Oct 7 2012 - Mission Mountains - Glacier Peaks (View Original Event Details)

Coordinator(s):		Bill Krause
Participants:		Bill Krause, Barbara Schwarz, Frank Wesolovski, Rod Graham, Jesse Manning, Carly Hohf

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Write Up:
Eager for one final climb of the season, six GMS members met at the Mission Creek trailhead early Saturday morning, October 6. A few days before, the first winter storm of the season had dumped over a foot of snow at Logan Pass, but left the Mission Mountain summits with a dusting. We had bright sunshine both days, but the temperature only exceeded freezing on Sunday afternoon. We followed the trail to Lucifer Lake, passing beautiful Mission Falls. At the lakeshore, we warmed in the sun and made camp. An exploratory group embarked on a sojourn around the lake while others cast for Yellowstone cutthroat trout in emerald lake waters. Knowledge of the eastern shore of the lake made our return the following day easier. We enjoyed an evening campfire made warmer by the presence of friends and good cheer. We arose in the predawn light Sunday morning. The campfire remained a big draw as we ate breakfast. An indistinct path headed around the north shore of the lake to the inlet at the north fork of Mission Creek. From there, we headed to the unnamed tarn just north of Lucifer Lake. We passed the tarn on the west shore and then headed northeast to the saddle between unnamed peak 9,328’ and Glacier Peaks (9,407’.) From the saddle, we scrambled the ridgeline to the summit arriving in the early afternoon. We descended the narrow East Ridge to the low point before Mt. Shoemaker. We then descended a series of ledges into the broad gully draining the northern half of the Garden Wall. Rather than descend to Picture Lake, we sidestepped the hillside above the rocky north shore of the lake and then headed west through the woods and underbrush to Lucifer Lake. We reached the lake near the northern inlet and then retraced our steps back to the campsite. The sun was descending fast in the western sky. We quickly packed and headed down the trail. All of us made it to Mission Falls before dusk. Some of us walked the last mile in the dark. Shortly after eight P.M., we convened at the cars. We shared a cold drink, hugs for our success, and bid farewell. We were Carly Putman, Jesse Manning, Rod Graham, Barbara Schwarz, Frank Wesolovski, and Bill Krause.

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.