East Glacier - Two Medicine

Last weekend I was camping with the family in the Two Medicine area around East Glaciers. I was dreaming of the day when I can get back out scrambling and enjoyed looking at the peaks. When I got home I had to pull out "A Climber's Guide to Glacier National Park" by J. Gordon Edwards and check out the routes on the peaks I was scoping.

From 2010_07 East Glacier Trip

Sinopah Mountain (8271ft) is the most prominant peak to the right and according to the guidebook is class 3 with a 5 mile to the summit.  Apparently, it's an easy 7 to 8 hour day.  Personally, I liked the peak to the middle, Painted Tepee (7650ft).  While not as high, it is said to have a great view of the Two Medicine area and a good way to look at some of the other peaks.
In particular Flinsch Peak which has a scree/Matterhorn look to it.  I grabbed this image from summitpost.org

Has anyone done some climbing/scrambling in the area?  What would you like to climb in East Glacier?

Drywood: North & South

On Monday I managed to get out to the Drywood with my brother for a quick climb.  With both of us with young families, it's been a challenge to get out, so this was a nice treat.  We decided to bring our bikes to make the approach quicker and plus, the ride out is always a nice treat.

From 2010_07 Drywood

The Cliff face was nice and dry, with no evidence of snow.  Not sure how many people have been out lately, the trail was overgrown and we took a wrong turn more than once.

From 2010_07 Drywood

Once at the Lower Tier, we started with Thumbalina (5.7) for a warm-up, which was anything but.  Rock was still pretty cold, so numb fingers seemed to be the theme of the day.  Rock was solid and bolts/anchors all looked good.  We continued to Tweedle-Dum (5.10a) and Jack and the Beanstalk (5.10a).  The rock was characteristically sharp and sticky with the bro getting a few scraps on this legs.  We decided to cut the day short as the grey clouds didn't look promising.  We were right and it started to rain just a we hit the treeline.

From 2010_07 Drywood

From 2010_07 Drywood

With the rain coming down, we were back at the truck by 2:30.  We grabbed a "beverage" and a sandwich and then sat back and watched the rain dissipate and sunshine return.  "Huh, now what" was the question asked.  We decided to hit the South Fork of the Drywood and do some biking.  You can do that in the rain and it makes it just that much more interesting.

From 2010_07 Drywood

We got our biking gear ready and hit the trail.  I'd like to note the difference in weather when we left and in this next picture.

From 2010_07 Drywood

We didn't make it to Bovin Lake, but after an hour of biking in and 15min out it was a hoot!  I'd recommend the climbing/biking combo to anyone.  In fact, I was thinking if I had brought my kayak and could have made the day the "triple threat".

From 2010_07 Drywood

Cheers!