Hilary and I just got back from a weekend trip to Yellowstone. Cold weather finally hit Montana and everything was looking rather wintery.
Our first evening we ended walking around Norris Geyser Basin as darkness set in. In the low light the rising steam from the geothermal features combined with the barren landscape made for a surreal experience.
On Tuesday my friend Steve and I did a 5-pitch climb up the Original Route on the Drip Buttress in Blodgett Canyon. It is 3 pitches of 5.9 followed by two of 5.8. We had some awesome weather for October in Montana, sunny all day and the windiest part was at the base of the climb.
It was definitely a long day, taking us about 3 hours to walk off the route once we had finished climbing and get back to the car. I am really sore now but it was well worth it.
From Wikipedia
Stevensville is officially recognized as the first permanent settlement in the state of Montana. Forty-eight years before Montana became the nation’s 41st state, Stevensville was settled by Jesuit Missionaries at the request of the Bitter Root Salish Indians.
A few more pictures of Asheville that I took one evening over the summer.
From Static Peak at 11,303 ft, about 10 miles of hiking to Death Canyon Trailhead at 6800 ft. Load up the car, down highway 287 to Jackson, west over Jackson Pass, north through Idaho to West Yellowstone, through Gallatin Canyon to Bozeman, drop off Busy, 200 more miles west down I-90 to Missoula, Montana. It was a long day.
Our last day was the most epic. After eating breakfast and packing up, we hiked out of Alaska Basin, and alongside the base of Buck Mountain. After cutting around Buck Mountain the trail takes you up some really steep mountainside with some amazing views until you are within a couple hundred feet of Static Peak.
Busy and I made a short excursion to the top of Static Peak and were rewarded with some really nice views of the Grand Teton, Jackson Hole, and the scenery we had been hiking through for the last day or so.
A few more pictures from the evening of our first day in Death Canyon.
Just got back from an uber-crunk 2 night backpacking trip in the Tetons.
These pictures are all from the first day. We started a little south of the Grand at Death Canyon Trailhead, and hiked about 8 miles or so past Phelps Lake, up into the Canyon, where we camped.
Both these bands absolutely killed it. They brought the rock with a furious intensity that your average hipster simply cannot comprehend.
On a political/ethical side note: The Fiery Furnaces want you to know the importance of health care reform in the United States that includes a government provided public option.
Perhaps you think it is reprehensible that someone might die, or their child or spouse, because they cannot afford health insurance and the standard of care that comes with it. If so, I encourage you to take a few minutes to contact the politicians who make decisions in your name. Urge them to support legislation that includes an affordable public option to help increase the quality of life for all Americans.
Contact Your Representatives in the House
