SigMT

SIGNATURE MONTANA | 43 We set out on a sunny morning in June, vastly ill-prepared and way too early in the season. By the time we hit the plateau, we were scaling 15-foot snowdris as we eked our way toward the saddle between Tempest and Granite Peaks. It was disheartening to turn back at the base of the climb, but despite our spontaneity, we were everything but reckless. Seven years later, I was back on the mountain, much beer prepared, and in August when the bulk of the snow had melted. A high-pointing friend from Texas joined me as we put another check on his bucket list of ascents. My second ascent came in 2020, the year society shut down, but the mountains remained unchanged. Lightweight gear and a summer of training made the ascent physically easy yet mentally the hardest, knowing my wife and young son were back home. APPROACH, CLIMB, SUMMIT S MT Scott Sery is a writer living in Billings with his wife and son. Whenever possible, he's out rock and ice climbing, caving, backpacking, hunting, fishing, and loving Montana. Gotta keep it fun for your summit photo! I led a team of four, including myself. ey weren't inexperienced, but they were not mountaineers by any stretch of the imagination. As we moved up the mountain, nagging fear mounted. e climb wasn't hard, but it felt more difficult than my previous climb. I was overcome by the exposed ledges, loose rocks, and sheer size of the mountain and began to doubt my abilities. To combat the fear, I set tiny goals… get to the next rock… climb over that small boulder… round the next bend… keep moving forward and upward. is small-step persistence and devout dedication to conquering the mountain drove us forward and paid off dearly. Granite Peak isn't necessarily a hard climb; it's oen the approach that will get you. While there are many routes for reaching Granite Peak's summit, the most common starting point is the West Rosebud Trailhead, also called Mystic Lake Trailhead, around 7,000 feet in elevation. It's all uphill from there. e scenery is breathtaking. You quickly reach Mystic Lake and gaze upon the iconic reservoir, the deepest lake in the Beartooths. From there, the switchbacks from hell, 26 in total, increase your altitude by over 3,000 feet over the course of three miles. You're only halfway there. Four and a half miles of slow, steady, uphill walking along the top of Froze-to-Death Plateau leaves you wondering if you're going in the right direction. Eleven miles in, you set up camp far above the tree line at the base of Tempest, on what feels and looks like a different planet. If you have made it this far without succumbing to the altitude, fatigue, or being driven back by summer thunderstorms, you're in an excellent position to get to the top. An early start ensures a summit before the aernoon weather hastens the descent. Curious visitors will often come into your camp. TRIP DAY

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