Hyalite Ice: Upper Avalanche Gully

With the end of the season rapidly approaching due to warm temps and gate closures, its time to squeeze in whatever ice climbing is available. Sam and I departed an 18* parking lot (which is usually the coldest place in SW MT!) headed for Slot Corner and Land of the Lost, two WI4s with a couple easier pitches. I stopped on the main trail and looked right at the approach trail, deciding it was the wrong one and about 15 minutes later I realized it was the right one. At that point we were closer to the Dribbles than anything and Sam had never been so up the hill we went. I have climbed it twice, once this season already and upon seeing it basking in the sun decided that it was climbable but it gets soo much better so I convinced Sam to look elsewhere. I have always wanted to climb Avalanche gully (the standard decent route of the Dribbles) as well as the upper pitches (P3 and P4?) so off we went. P1 and P2 were in the shade so we were feeling optimistic about the upper pitches. Wrong. The upper pitches must get as much sun as any N-NW facing climbs there. It was still really fun to gain atleast 1k' to get there with 60m of M1 climbing to get to the base of the upper climbs. We both agreed fairly quickly (possibly to our dismay in the future) that these upper pitches were definitely within our grasp and added fuel-to-the-fire for next year's season! This was Sam's high-point-in-Hyalite, mine wasnt much higher when I was at the Climb-above-the-Dribbles. I cleaned 20+ years of tat off the rap anchor (obviously replacing it with good stuff) and 4 rappels later we were back to the beer, I mean packs. It was atleast 50* driving out!

Getting there earlier in the day may have possibly allowed us to climb the hanging pillar kind of the middle of the pic but the top out had all melted out. It wasnt hanging on by much and I didnt have any rock pro with me. 

Maid of the Mist and Palace Butte in the distance.

Cleos in the background.\

Pitch 1

Hyalite Ice: Twin Falls

Devin, Anika(?), Sam, Manfred I got a McAlpine start on Cleos the other day which, with this heat, was a mistake. We arrived at Cleos about 11:30am and watched large chunks of it melting and falling down. Most of the calving ice was landing on the belay for P2 so changing into Twin Falls mode was an easy decision. The two parties that were on Twin right quickly departed after we got there so we got the ice to ourselves for the rest of the day. The four of us (Manfred just spectated) climbed every line available on Twin right. Twin left was mostly covered in snow and didnt look near as appealing as Twin right. As Anika stated "Well, we raped that chunk of ice!" It was fun, and sad, to listen to Cleos fall down all day. The debris pile at the base was significantly larger on our way out than on the hike in. The trail down was in the best glissading shape I have ever seen and the four of us instantly became giggly little kids sliding on our butts for a few hundred feet. We seriously contemplated hiking back up to Cleos so we could slide down again but in true MUU style we retreated to the cooler, I mean truck.

Manfred was quick to borrow everyone's extra layers.

Sam's first lead of Twin right.

Devin blazing a path far climers left of Twin right. 

Definitely the place to be when its 60* and sunny everywhere else.

The 2016 Ice Fishing Bonanza

I think this year marks my twelfth pilgrimage in-a-row to Fort Peck for some ice fishing. This was the first year that I have had a friend join me since high school! There were 6 of us this year which is definitely the largest group we have had. But the more the better on Peck. You only get 6 total lines in the water per person so when you have 6 people fishing, you have 36 opportunities to find the fish! You're thinking, "well, at year 12, havnt you found them yet"? Nope. The water level is different every year and the spring run off shifts the main channel of the bay ever so slightly so you're starting at square one annualy. This was also the first year that I brought my truck and camper. You would think one spare is enough, guess again. I popped both of my camper tires trying to get down there. The second one blew at about 2am so we crept down the dirt road on the rim until there was a spot to pull over and went to bed. Sam and I got up super early Friday morning to try and catch the crew before they went out fishing so we could tell them whats going on and prevent any worrying but we just missed them heading out. Luckily some other fisherman fishing next to my party were still at the boat ramp so they were able to relay the message. Sam and I screamed back to the camper, picked up the tires and went to Malta for a pair of freshies. We got back to Peck by 3 and were fishing (and catching) by the time the sun went down. Saturday had Sam and I heading out to the main lake to fish some spots that were extremely productive the year prior. We fished hard for a couple of days trying all sorts of things but a basket of Perch was all we had to show for our efforts. Meanwhile, back in the bay, my dad and his friends were killing it! They had a hog line with some mighty fine walleye and pike so the decision to move back to the bay was pretty easy. Everyone but Sam and I had to leave on Monday so we quickly pounced on their big fish holes and drilled a few new ones. The pike bight was on so much so that we had to quit fishing for them. We were throwing back 3 or 4 for everyone that we had to keep (ex. swallowed hook or gaf wound) and they just kept piling up. With a hogline chock full of pickerel, we threw everything we had at the elusive walleye. They were and still are elusive. Sam and I cleaned all of our fish Wednesday morning and headed back to reality. The whole drive home you think about what you would do differently next year and where and how to make improvements in everything. This year was the thinnest ice we have ever experienced and we had some close calls. One of our party drove into some open water and had to go for a swim. Luckily he was unscathed and we were able to retrieve the 4-wheeler. Then the next day Sam walked backwards into open water and took a little swim. Theres talk about fishing in January next year instead of February because the ice is getting thinner and thinner every year. Sorry ladies, its man weekend and you're not invited.

#shredded

There goes number 2

This big fish has been immortalized on Fast Eddy's wall

26"

40.5" 18lbs

What we kept after 3 days of fishing

Pike, Walleye, Perch and a whopping slab Crappie!

Nice work gentleman! Making photos like this is what brings us back every year. 

Time for a fish fry!

And the big pike award goes to (drum roll) my dad (glasses)! Ed took home the big 'W' trophy. 

Not everyone's definition of a vacation...

If there was an award for the smallest fish, I would have won it. I mean, it takes some serious skill to catch a fish thats smaller than the minnow you were fishing with! 

Back in the bay, Sam drilled an 'experimental' hole that quickly became the hottest hole of the weekend. We had to quit fishing it! 

Every 15 minutes Sam was pulling one of these out. 

We were trying to throw back as many as possible but sometimes you hook 'em a little too well.

Our haul after the rest of the crew left. 

This is the last year I am getting wet on Peck. Carharts are great and all but they do nothing for the wind and rain.

This photo is sweet! Directly above my head there is a flying V of geese.

The notorious gumbo clay must be avoided at all costs. We made ice pavers to walk around on shore. If that seems a little silly, go walk around the CMR after it has rained; you'll be 4" taller in 3 steps. 

My buddy Dana showed up on Monday and quickly found some fish.

Camp: 3 campers, 3 trucks, 4 4-wheelers, one trailer and one wall tent.

The final voyage of the Gypsy Wagon. (I sold it upon return to Bozeman)

These 'free range' bison can go anywhere they want, until they hit a fence. There is a major battle between the locals and the Feds in this area over the re-introduction of bison. 

There is ice in the T.Roots?!

Sam and I had plans to crush Hyalite again but, after looking at the Hyalite Snotel and weather station, we decided against 70mph winds in 20* temps. Brr. I mean, we live 30 min.s away so why fight bad weather when we are privileged enough to chase good weather? So off to the 'Roots we went. We drove over to the Ruby Valley and found little to no wind! Now to find that ice. After getting stuck trying to get around a stuck SAR vehicle, we counted our losses and just parked about a mile down the road from our target spot. (After pushing him out of course!) An easy 20min walk up the road and boom, there was Smugglers Seep WI3 300'. Grey ice is thin ice and this baby was grey and thin! BUT, there were safely protectable chunks that I figured I could bounce between using extended alpine draws. We hiked past the first pitch that was not in and I sent the second and third pitches in one 60m rope stretching pitch. I was traversing a curtain of ice that broke and went straight down at Sam. Luckily his attentiveness, my enthusiastic screams of "ice" and a little belay cave saved him from potentially serious injury. I expected the worst from up above but Sam brushed it off as no big deal. One rappel and some 'shwhacking got us back to our packs. Im surprised I have never heard of anyone climbing this gem of a climb before. Maybe now I will...

We climbed the far climber's left flow. 

Classic slab ice. 

There are bolts all over that granite.