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| Hiking | 16.79 Miles |
4,578 AEG |
| | Hiking | 16.79 Miles | 9 Hrs 14 Mns | | 2.02 mph |
| 4,578 ft AEG | 55 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This was a very enjoyable peak and hike. The views from the summit were terrific, the trails generally great and the historic lookout interesting. We arrived at the Tom Beale Park trailhead the night before and got the only campsite with a picnic table, so we were happy. Camping is permitted at this trailhead and there is a very primitive vault toilet there as well. There are some signs in the area warning hunters to be able to tell the difference between grizzlys and black bears that got our attention a little, but the only wildlife we saw around the trailhead were the semi tame deer that were walking within a couple feet of us and generally just hanging out with us for most of the night. We took the Tom Beale trail #7 to the Wind Lakes Trail #24 and then on to Friday Pass and the Grave Peak Trail to the summit.
The Tom Beale Creek Trail was in great shape, but the several creek crossings slowed us down some. There is no way to hike this trail and stay dry unless you are willing to pop the boots off at each crossing, which is what we did. From Tom Beal Creek we made the turn onto the Wind Lakes Trail 24, where we began to make our climb that would pretty much last until the summit. At the second and probably the most scenic of the Wind Lakes, we started to make our climb towards Friday Pass. The pass area was very scenic and it is here that we ran across our first snow of the day. The snow would end up stopping us outright as we were making our traverse along the Grave Peak Trail. We simply encountered a snow field that was too deep and too steep to traverse safely, so we had to backtrack a little and then take an off trail route to bypass the field. The trail along here was a little maddening, as it made you drop down a few hundred feet only to climb back up to the ridgeline we would take to Grave. We had to bypass a few more steep snow fields along the final ridge to the peak, but it was not too difficult and by this point in the hike there was no way we were turning around.
The Grave Peak summit ended up being a really amazing area to hang out on. The lookout is rich in history. It is one of only a few remaining D-6 Cupola style lookouts in the northern region of the country and it was constructed in 1924. Adding to the interest and historical value of the summit was the fact that the author of the book, A River Runs Through It (a local from the area) served on the peak as a lookout in 1919. Apart from the great views, we had a blast hanging out in the very well preserved lookout. In particular, the loft was really cool. One could open the huge heavy shutters and catch some almost surreal views of the many surrounding lakes. This area has the largest concentration of lakes in the Powell ranger district. After our fun on the summit, it was time to head back. We returned the way we came and other than the fact that I seemed to be suffering from some severely fatigued legs on the hike out, it went smoothly and uneventful.
Originally we had planned to stay another night at the Tom Beale Park Trailhead and hike to the warm springs or Walton Lake the next day, but I got an itch and decided I was good on the Bitterroots for this year, so we packed up the forerunner and headed to the Bob Marshall Wilderness for the next leg of our hiking/backpacking tour of Idaho and Montana. |
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