Hyalite Canyon Ice Climbing Trip

Date: January 13-14, 2018

Participants: Forest Dean and Tom Herwerden

This trip was only listed about 12 days before it actually happened but nevertheless several individuals expressed interest in going.  However, things came up and as it turned out, just the two of us went.  Everyone else missed out!  Tom and I had a great time.  We arrived at the Grotto Falls Trailhead about 11:00 on Saturday morning and then hiked a short distance up canyon with the intent of heading for the Mummy 2 area.  However, when we started up the trail to Mummy, we immediately found the Amphitheater climbs were wide open so we just decided to start climbing!  Fat Chance Left/Right(WI3/4), Thin Chance (WI4) and then Switchback Falls (WI 2-3) entertained us for the rest of the afternoon.  We headed back into town about 5:00 then rendezvoused again at 7:30 on Sunday morning.  Not wanting to get back to Missoula too late we just did a couple of hours of climbing on Genesis 2 (WI 3/4-) and then called it quits.  Climbing these main formations close to the trailhead in Hyalite is most always a social scene.  While we didn’t have any of you fellow Rocky Mountaineers along, we did climb with and around a bunch of other great folks from all over the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies.  Great fun!  Hope you can join us next month!  Forest Dean