Hiking Mt Blackmore, A week in Montana
Met up with Payde Stockman for a great day hike up Mt. Blackmore – Craig
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Today, Kyle, Amanda, Craig and his friend, Payde (from Wolfeboro) and I hiked Mount Blackmore.
Payde has been living in Montana for a number of years now, and was the one to suggest this particular hike as he knows it well and goes throughout all 4 seasons. Kyle and Amanda were happy to try a hike they had not been on just yet, and for Craig and I any trail would be new and exciting.
So we drove to the Gallatin National Forest and parked by Hyalite Reservoir where the trail head began. Leading up to the hike, I certainly had my awareness of grizzly country, and mountain lions, but I tried to rationalize those fears with the reality of minimal encounters that occur and, more comforting, the fact that I was hiking with 4 other people (2 with bear spray), and 3 dogs. I am sure anything out there would hear us coming and head the other way. Once I had that compartmentalized in my mind, I was able to focus on the beauty of the forest we were driving through. There was a river/creek running all along the bottom of the hillside that dropped from the road, set amidst extremely tall but narrow green pines, and signs of autumn were everywhere. Campers and hikers were out enjoying the park, with people in every parking spot, campground, etc. There certainly was a draw for humans to this kind of natural wonder.
The dogs were fired up as we set foot on the trail headed for the summit of Mount Blackmore. Goose was most notable as he’d run ahead to the leading dog and, in his own way, count and keep track of who followed behind—first Payde, then Craig, then Amira, Amanda, and Kyle. Once he’d succeeded with his count from front to back, he would bolt ahead to do it all over again; a trait that was both endearing and appreciated. The trail wove its way through pristine forest with varying shades of green spread across the pines, moss, and all plant life. I tried to imagine the brilliancy of the plants in full bloom, which would have surely introduced me to wildflowers and allies I’ve yet to meet.
The trail was well maintained and well traveled. Horses had headed up this path not much before us, and we wondered when we would run into those riders. We kept moving forward on a cool fall morning that was expected to reach highs in the 60s, but knew that those conditions would certainly not apply to the top of Mount Blackmore. No, for that we had our snowshoes strapped to our packs which were full of the many layers we would need throughout the hike.
About a mile in, we reached Lake Blackmore set among an open field where the dogs could run and grab a drink. We are all feeling strong and excited, scoping out the view of the summit from where we stood. It surely looked like quite a climb and its white snow top sparkled in the sun. Wonder what the winds up there are like at this moment?
A quick break and we were back on it, now dropping layers from our bodies that were rapidly warming up. Our starting elevation for the hike was 6,720ft with 3,434ft to gain in elevation. Never having needed trekking poles on the east coast, as the altitude began to hit me (this being my first exposure to the west coast mountains in 2 years) I found I really needed to use poles to help steady my weight and keep me moving forward. Short of breath with a bit of the flashes coming on, I needed to rest, drink water, and eat something to fuel my body. I have experienced altitude sickness a couple other times before and I wanted to learn from those experiences where I nearly blacked out and was useless for 15 minutes. So, this time, I honored what my body was feeling and took it slow, careful not to overdo it, so that I could work through the situation. Nevertheless, I was really struggling for about thirty minutes but never to the point of needing to stop. I was able to keep going with the help of refueling and ditching my backpack (thanks to Kyle and Craig’s help). As we emerged above the tree line and into the snow, I did get a second wind. Truthfully, within 10 minutes of being out in the open bowls, snowshoes strapped to our feet now, I felt the best I had on the hike. I was grateful that I had slowed down before to recover, got some help from friends with the weight I was carrying, and to be amidst the elements of the mountain that I love most—snow!
Amanda had made the comment on the hike, “I love when nature reveals itself to you right at the moment you need it most”. That is how I was feeling, for not only were we now playing in snow, but we had reached a high enough altitude to really catch some wildly wonderful scenic views of the Bridger Mountains and the Crazies from where we stood on the Hyalite Range. As Craig says, “we were amidst a mess of mountains”, and the colors of white, blue, and purple that shone so distinctively and yet melted together in places where one ridge laid against the next before finally meeting the sky were magical.
The winds atop Mount Blackmore were strong, and I watched as the snow spun in gusts across the summit. We took cover in a village of pine trees and ate lunch before making our way back down the trail head. Others were quick to move on their snowshoes down the slopes, but I needed to pause and take in this moment—where I was, what it looked like, how it felt… Breathe in, breathe out and appreciate this very spot. After all, it was some view!
What do you think?