Granite Peak, Montana - 12,799 ft.
July  27-29, 2003

  We (Peter Junger and Jim Juritsch) decided to tackle Granite Peak at the last minute. So we found some reasonable flights out to Billings.  I traveled from Richmond, Virginia and  Peter from Seattle, Washington. We only had 5 days to travel to & climb a particularly challenging highpoint, so all logistics had to play out perfectly. We had been out here in 2001. Peter and I missed the turnoff up to Froze-to-Death plateau, so we opted for the Huckleberry Creek Trail. (you get into this situation when you put two germans together who are always right!)  That isn't the best way to get to the summit, as we would discover. But we had a great time anyway. We made it as far as Avalanche Lake (approx. 10,000 ft.) and ran out of time.
  This time would be different. Our first camp would be on the edge of the Froze-to-Death plateau, and the second camp would be as high as we could go, preferably near Tempest Mountain. We were determined to stick with our plan. The Froze-to-Death plateau is basically a high plateau; it looks like a lopsided table if you look at a picture from a distance. Although you can see great distances once you're on it, sometimes it's still deceiving to get from point A to B. But there were plenty of rock cairns along the way to provide guidance.
  We were most worried about the weather, as many a team had been turned back on Granite Peak by the fearsome summertime thunderstorms. Montana, and the West in general, had been experiencing a heat wave for much of the summer. Fortunately, the forecast called for more of the same hot weather and several days of high pressure. So we traveled to Red Lodge, MT and stayed the night before heading out into the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.
  Good weather and good times were with us as we summited according to our plans.
Jim had help packing in Virginia
The accommodations were quite nice in Red Lodge.
Peter at Mystic Lake Trailhead. Peter and Jim left the trailhead (6,554 ft) at 1:00 PM on Sunday, July 27. The weather conditions were perfect.
Jim at Mystic Lake Trailhead. Peter and I were both packing bear spray. Our friends who were 2 days ahead of us left us a message, telling us their tent was damaged by a bear near Mystic Lake.
Mystic Lake dam
Peter - Mystic Lake
Jim - Mystic Lake
Don't miss this trail! It's the turnoff up to Froze-to-Death plateau from Mystic Lake
Our goal was to establish camp somewhere on the edge of the Froze-to-Death plateau.
 

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