Little Matahpi
Throughout much
of the ascent of SPP we had been staring lustfully (“longingly” would be a
better adverb, but I never get to say “lustfully”!) at an impressive
northeastern outlier of Matahpi Peak. Long before reaching the summit of SPP, an
attempt of the outlier (I’ll call it Little Matahpi) had been put on the
docket. First, getting back to the pass.
Except for a
minor moment of panic at the exposed section (me, not Mark), the descent went
very well and soon we were ascending the outlier. Although generally steeper
than SPP, Little Matahpi acquiesced willingly. A veritable staircase of rock
ran right up the peak. Vertiginous views down the stunningly vertical east face
were a thing of awe and beauty.
Another
gratifying summit stay ensued, at which time a potential third stop for the day was
suddenly revealed – the tarn below Mount Siyeh. Once back down to the main
trail we followed it out for a short distance and then took a more direct route
to the body of water. Admiring the crystal-clear waters reflecting a beautiful blue/green
hue was cause for another short break. We then hiked past two more scenic tarns
and finally back to the main trail and out to the road.
As usual,
Glacier National Peak, Montana delivers in spades – two awesome summits,
breath-taking, colourful views, and beautiful lakes. Always a treat and a privilege to visit the best
national park south of the border.
The descent off SPP begins
Same as above
Back at another feature that would have been challenging to downclimb. But it's gorgeous to look at.
Same as above
Going past some oxidized rock
Short breather, now we are back on easy terrain
Little Matahpi not looking so Little
Back near Siyeh Pass and reliving the same views, now that the Sun is in a better position
Same as above
Same as above
Mark on the lower slopes of LM
Approaching the distinctive band of igneous rock that runs through many of the mountains in the park
Same as above, with more
The view to the east gets even better later in the day
Hard to see Mark when the background is that good
Piegan, Pollock, and Bishop's Cap again
The tarn below Siyeh looked dull in the morning light, but now looks very inviting
Close-up
A section of white quartzite rock
Mark rests on a slab of rock overlooking the east face
Nice vantage point for me too
At the summit of LM
Matahpi Peak is so striking from this angle
My thumbs were supposed to be up for LM too!
Bearhat Mountain - the peak that started our love affair with Glacier National Park, 17 years earlier
Mount Jackson - one of the six 10,000 foot mountains in GNP
Descending
The Siyeh Pass trail below and SPP looking fine
Impossible not to be trigger happy here with the camera!
Same as above
SPP
Close-up. We did see a few people going up the ridge as we descended.
Clouds above Otokomi West
Descending lightly treed terrain to get to the tarn below Siyeh
Matahpi Peak
Mark works his way down to the tarn. Piegan Mountain in the background.
I stayed higher and more to the east to get a more birdseye view of the tarn
There is it
The east shoreline
Crystal clear water
Throw in a chunk of red argillite to spruce it up
Mark stands on another chunk of the red rock
Looks like we could have descended to the tarn via the steep scree gully at the left
Super tempting to wade into the water here, but neither of us did
There are some wildflowers here afterall
So clear!
Leaving the big tarn and heading for smaller ones
Fairly fresh bear print
Bears prints always make the animal appear to be drunk when walking!
Hiking past the second tarn
Looking back to the second
A stream leads to the third
The third tarn has many interesting colours along the shoreline
Siyeh towers above the tarn
Rock hopping
Hiking back to the trail
The trail
Quick visit to another small tarn before hiking back to the start
The creek near Siyeh Bend is a great place to cool off at the end of the trip
Interesting water flow
Same as above.
Fantastic day out!
The End
LOG