Petty Mountain - September 17, 2022

Participants: Gail & Dell Meuchel, Mark Albrecht, Candy Hartman, Cathy & Jim Semmelroth

We knew we had a lucky day when two cars from different directions arrived within seconds of each other at the Printers Creek trailhead on the west side of Petty Mountain. There were a few sections on the three mile dirt road to the trailhead which would give pause to a driver in a vehicle without high clearance. Two dogs and six humans started up the trail a little before 9 AM and hit the top at noon. The peak was less than 4.5 hours from Missoula by car and boot. The trailhead is at 4685′ and the peak just short of 7300′. The trail was a little more than 11 miles round trip with a gain of about 2600′.

The first mile is on an old logging road, then it sticks to the ridgeline heading up to the intersection with trail #8 with a last mile across open meadows to Petty Mountain. The trail up the ridge is steep at times and a couple miles of it had quite a bit of deadfall across the trail. The peak is the site of an old lookout tower and the concrete pads are still there. It was a beautiful clear day relative to the previous weeks but still enough smoke in the air to shroud the Rattlesnakes and the Bitterroots in haze. The company was delightful, the conversation sparkling, and the beer at the end refreshing. Thanks for a great day y’all.

Jim Semmelroth