Otokomi Mountain
October 12, 2019
Mountain height: 2419 m
Elevation gain: 1035 m
Ascent time: 4:35
Descent time: 3:00
Solo scramble and snowshoe.
If, at 8 am on October 12, 2019, someone had asked me asked to list what
I thought would be some of the least thrilling mountains to climb in
treasure-filled Glacier National Park, Montana, Otokomi Mountain would probably be near
the top of that list – it’s front range, not particular big and hardly striking
or distinctive in any way (kinda’ like The Onion of the Wapta). Asked the same
question at 4 pm, October 12, 2019 my response would be not only is Otokomi
absent from that list, but would actually appear on my list of favourite
ascents in the Rockies (Canadian or American), period!
In all fairness, my enjoyment of this mountain was in part due to the
amazing weather conditions and the recent heavy snowfall that rendered the
ascent a gold mine of crazy winter-like scenery. And given that winter trips in
Glacier are uncommon, due to lack of access, this day turned about to be a totally
unexpected surprise.
The trip started with a 2 km jaunt up Rose Creek and while pleasant, this
approach certainly didn’t hold a candle to that up Baring Creek, during an attempt
of Goat Mountain a week earlier. It was also a very noisy approach, as a decent
sized bear had clearly used the trail within the previous 24 hours and I was
intent in not meeting him or her!
After leaving the trail, an easy bushwhack (so easy in fact, I wouldn’t
even characterize in as a “bushwhack”) led to the main ascent slope, advertised
as an unpleasant scree and rubble slog by Blake Passmore. Here, I really lucked
out with the new snow. It created a carpet of perfect step-kicking conditions
above the rock that was simply a pleasure to ascend.
Gaining elevation, I soon
forgot about the correct route up. Ahead lie a significant rock band teeming
with icicles and I was definitely going to check this out. All I can say is WOW! Huge icicles dripping down the colourful rock and all
in perfect weather condition – who could ask for anything more?! A long
exploration of the area followed and then the challenge of finding a way up. I
did come across a very tempting gully, lined with icicles. However, I couldn’t
see the entire route up, the gully was very icy and much of the route was
threatened by icicle-fall – yes there is such a thing! I had crampons, an ice
axe and a helmet, but still erred on the side of caution here, not feeling any
need to have a 3 metre long dagger of ice embedded in my skull! Instead I went
farther left and found a good, semi-exposed scramble route to the top of the
rock band. I did decide at that point to look for an easier route on the way down.
The ridge above was unfortunately devoid of any of the impressive
icicles, however, it was littered with fantastic rock. I don’t know why I’m
always amazed when encountering colourful rock in Glacier, but I’m always amazed
when encountering colourful rock in Glacier! As slow as my progress was for the
icicle section, it was even slower for the ridge, taking one detour after
another to see the wild rock. In addition, the more far-reaching views of the
surrounding mountains and St. Mary Lake had now graduated to magnificent,
further impeding any sense of urgency to make it to the summit.
The final section of the ascent did dip slightly below the level of
astounding, though the snowy landscape was certainly impressive in its own
right. I also finally got to put on the snowshoes I had dragged up the mountain.
My summit celebration was short-lived upon realizing that the large cairn that
marked the highest point of Otokomi was not the actual summit. That slightly
lower point lay a few hundred metres north and was marked by an unremarkable
two rock cairn. Nevertheless , the traverse over there featured improving views
of Going-to-the-Sun Mountain and was worth the extra effort. The overall views from the highest point were outstanding.
I
thought the descent would be super fast and initially is it was,
making great time, snowshoeing down the upper slopes. Two factors
conspired to
ensure the remainder would be anything be expedient: 1. The snow had
softened
considerably during the day, no longer providing the secure and
reliable footing
I experienced on ascent; 2. The easier descent route boasted even
better icicle
scenery than the route up. More detours and re-ascending terrain to get
a better
look at the spectacle was warranted, to take it all in. I did finally
manage to drag away away from the icicle section, only to find another
great spectacle of red argillite lower down.
My 7.5+ hour round-trip time may set the record for the slowest ascent
and descent of Otokomi Mountain, but those hours were some of the most
enjoyable I've ever spent on a mountain on either side of the border.
Three cheers for Otokomi!!!
The drive along Going-to-the-Sun road was interrupted by a herd of 50
or so elk crossing the road. Here are a small portion of them.
Otokomi Mountain (left) and Singleshot Mountain (right)
Much of the route up Otokomi becomes visible from the Rose Creek trail
Paw print from my hiking companion
The Sun lights up Little Chief Mountain and a burned out tree
Goat Ridge and a random chunk of red argiliite
Looking over to the Red Eagle/Mahtotopa/Little Chief traverse
Looking ahead to the lower slopes of Otokomi. The snow here provided great footing.
Improving views of the St. Mary Lake area. The tracks right in front
are mine, but a little farther on they are bear tracks again - this
guy/girl gets around!
Approaching Icicle Rock Band
A little taste of what is to come
Goat Mountain has several highpoints (outliers), in addition to the main summit
There's the summit block of Goat
Two of the outliers. We attempted to ascend the ridge, going right to left
The start of the steep gully I wanted to ascend
Higher up, the gully splits. I wanted to take the right fork but it was icy and would require going right under the ice daggers at the right
Instead, I followed the sheep tracks on the left up ledges to easier terrain
Icicle heaven
Above the icicle section the terrain gets more colourful
....and then back to icicles
...and of course a combination of icicles and colourful rock
For much of the lower section, this was the only view, but what a view it is!
Easier terrain above the Icicle Rock Band
Here comes the crazy colourful rock
Detouring below the ridge to check out the colours
Back on the ridge
One of my favourite sections was this lichen-splashed, white/beige rock. The rock at the lower right is giving the "#1" sign. I couldn't agree more!
This worm-like burned tree also grabbed my attention
Crazy things you don't see everyday in the mountains
Back to the great view to the southwest
More of the beautiful white/beige rock
....and then some orangey stuff
Continuing on
Detoured here to look at the gray/green rock and the east side of Singleshot Mountain
Back on the ridge again
Approaching another favourite section of shockingly colourful rock
Nice contrast with the snow and blue sky
Singleshot Mountain
To the southeast sit Divide Mountain (left) and Curly Bear Mountain, with White Calf Mountain and Kupunkamit Mountain behind
The route to the summit looks like it may require snowshoes
Good thing I have them! Easy to see where I switched to snowshoes.
To the right of Little Chief lie Citadel Mountain and Mount Jackson
The ascent is pleasantly interrupted by rows of dead trees
Mount Siyeh (left ) and Cracker Peak
Matahpi (right) and an outlier of Goat
Pano near the summit
Goat Lake below Goat Mountain
Big false summit cairn at the highest point
And big views! GTTS Mountain finally makes an appearance, just poking over Goat Mountain
Goat Lake
Pollock Mountain (right) peeks over the ridge
The route to East Flattop Mountain goes to the minor highpoint in the middle first
The 2 rock cairn at the slightly lower, official summit
View to the southeast
Gable Mountain looks cool from here, but is amazing from Yellow Mountain
The hump in the middle is the summit of East Flattop Mountain and Singleshot is to the right
I bet this ridge holds amazing cornices in winter and spring
Distant Blackfoot Mountain, just right of centre
Goat Lake is easy to see....
...but Otokomi Lake blends well into the surroundings
Piegan and Pollack in the background
I think the little peak at the right is GR088024, part of ridge connecting Mount Wynn to Siyeh
Back down the tree rows
The east face of Singleshot Mountain is very impressive
So is all the colourful rock on the mountain
That's only about half of St. Mary Lake - it's a big lake!
Round 2 of icicle heaven
This was definitely the coolest section of icicles
Views of Divide Mountain improved throughout the descent
Back to the random chunk of red argillite, looking much better in full sunlight
Spent a good ten minutes checking it out
Back to the main hiking trail, where much of the snow and evidence of the bear's presence are gone
Curly Bear Mountain looks very inviting
Love that the colour of the fence and roof perfectly match the red argillite on the mountain
Divide doing its Mount Fuji impression
Looking back to Otokomi - what a mountain!
Ended the day with a pleasant, but windy visit to the St. Mary Lake boat launch
The End
