Granite Peak attempt
Car camping on West Rosebud Crrek

My quest to conquer the highest point of yet another state ended short. Time, snow, cold, and prudence combined to effect my decision to turn around a mere one mile from the summit of this daunting monolith.

Rebekka and I left Colorado Springs on Saturday, September 10th with a week alloted to climbing the high point of Montana and to running the Montana Marathon. After grappling with a flat tire in Castle Rock we landed in Sheridan, Wyoming our first night. Next day after a leisurely sojourn through the Big Horn Mountains, where we hiked a couple of nice trails to a lovely waterfall and to the famous Medicine Wheel, we made our way to the trailhead for Granite Peak, some three miles below Mystic Lake, 20 miles down a gravel road.

Lower trail to Mystic Lake
We had been hearing ominous grinding noises from the front of my valiant Honda for about a hundred miles, but I chalked it up to be merely brakes. I already knew that my rotor was in need of turning. When we stopped to car camp and I saw the front wheel--the hub cap appeared to have been ripped off the front wheel--I became alarmed. The bolts remained, of course, and the section of the hub cap attached to the bolts. I thought maybe the wheel was going to come off next. Some five months after I bought this high mileage vehicle I did have the rear wheel collapse. Well, we would just have to deal with this problem following our climb.
Snow begins
More Snow
Now--this is SNOW!!
The saddle where the route to Granite parts from the Phantom Creel Trail
Bekka peaks out of our tent near tree line
Dawn breaks on chilly Froze to Death Plateau
Steve on Froze to Death Plateau
Steve's battered and bruised runner's toe suffers the further ignominy of frostnip
Granite Peak in all its frozen glory
Parting shot of Granite Peak as the gray cloud rolls over the summit
Mystic Lake
Mystic Lake on the hike out

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