Wrapped by Reynolds

There are quite a few Montanans at Dartmouth College. However, we mostly only see each other at college. So, Erin and I decided to meet up in Montana, during break, and go camping and hiking. To Glacier National Park we went.

On Monday (early) morning I left Missoula, arrived in Kalispel, picked up Erin, and then to Glacier we went. We topped Logan Pass around noon. Naturally we weren’t satisfied with the basic tourist boardwalk. Off the trail and to the goat paths we went; destination: Mt. Reynolds. First to the saddle over the Continental Divide, then south and around the west side of Reynolds, finally up the South Face. Above, on the saddle of the C.D. looking west down towards Hidden Lake.

Hidden Lake, as seen from the saddle. You can see the trail dropping down to the lake center-right.

Well, we set out to make it to the top of Reynolds, but alas, as things happen, we didn’t make it. Probably got within 500 vertical feet of the summit. Thwarted: the scree field gave way to a solid rock face that was, at minimum, a class four scramble. And as we naturally valued our lives, we chose to stay put, have lunch, and head down. So Erin sits here, at the spot where we turned around. The lakes in the canyon are the Twin Lakes

Looking down into the Twin Lakes drainage again, with the upper of thw two middle-left.

Strange rock formation below. Of glacier origin, most likely. But how formed, no idea.

Erin scrambling down the mountain, with the rock face that thwarted our full ascent in the background.

Erin looking at, at a particularly rocky, spiney, and inaccessible portion of the continental divide.

A strange color pattern of lichens and mosses on the west rock face of Reynolds.