The First Boulders of Spring

This winter was the longest time I have spent without climbing on real rocks in years. The skiing was so good I convinced myself all the climbable granite would be snowed in and damp. We didn't even make the treck to the climbing gym in Missoula more then a couple times a month. Now with the days lengthening and the rocks drying off I've been feeling the itch again.

Saturday, with high temps predicted far into the mountains, we packed up the crash pads and headed out to some sunny south facing boulders just past the saloon in Lost Horse canyon. The steep featured granite was not impressed with our skiing fitness and we flailed a bit. It felt remarkably refreshing to struggle with a bit of stone again and I'm really looking forward to making regular visits to lost horse.

Groping Polished Granite

 We found a few steep endurance problems that will make great training and some polished cracks and aretes I look forward to working. Conditions were spring like in the best possible way: cool but not cold with plenty of sun. We found no ticks despite the guidebooks warnings.

In Montana Every Climber gets their own Drainage...

...or so a local told us. It is true that since moving here we can't seem to go for a short hike without discovering a new one of these:

Which are two miles up a valley with a good trail along the stream near the base and an alternate approach to the top via logging roads and trails:

While scouting ski touring spots (ie post holing through snow not deep enough to keep your ski bases off the rocks) we also stumbled upon a nice alpine lake surrounded by boulders that should be a fun summer destination: