MT COWEN - NE ARETE / AUG 2004

Alot of water has passed under the bridge between my first visit to the Beartooths in 1979 until my return again in 2004. This time the plan was in keeping with the times and considerably less ambitious. Not that we still don't push it a little bit. In this case the plan called for a solo ascent of the classic NE Arete of Mt Cowen in the western Beartooths. The Mt Cowen region is an ioslated group of dramatic peaks easily seen from the road on your way south to Yellowstone from Livingston on Rt 89. Coming on the heels of a week of bad weather, there was snow everywhere this last week of August. The route is rated 5.6, depending how direct a line you wish to take on the arete. My concern was whether is was climbable at all. Eric Scranton and I had been chased from the Cascades by the same storm that pummeled the Wind River Range and Tetons. Our week came and went without any good weather to take to the backcountry.

Of course the weather stablized as soon as Eric went back to work. So, off I went from his new found home in Bozeman and was at the trailhead in no time at all. The next morning, the usual suspects came and went at the trailhead. It was a Saturday after all. By 2ish the black was back and I was still a 1 mile short of Elbow Lake. But, while it cooled considerably and the wind picked up a bunch, the net result was a few drops of rain and a cloud cover that wouldn't lift. Next morning two parties headed off to the arete but could not find it in the heavy cloud cover. I took a casual breakfast and then headed up to recognoiter the route sometime around 9am. By then the skies were clearing and the scene was dramatic. The upper lake(tarn really) is most beautiful and the dreaded Beartooth scree was nowhere to be found. The walk to the saddle overlooking the north side of the peak was as delightful an approach as I have done in a long time. From what I could see the approach seemed obvious enough and one could drop off the saddle in a number of places. Returning to camp I organized my very small rack and hung out while all the weekend warriors slowly made their way back to civilization leaving me the sole occupant at the lake. Excellent.

I left at first light and was back at the saddle in a little over an hour. Finding the gully that leads up to the notch in the ridge that gives access to the arete was pretty straightforward. I made one false start but that became obvious almost immediately. Once on the arete the climbing was easy and enjoyable. Intially the arete is blocky and wide. As you get higher the terrain steepens somewhat and the arete narrows. At the crux, I roped up anticipating the need for a self belay. But after traversing out left into the short corner, it seemed unnecessary so I continued on in that fashion the rest of the way. I was on top by 11 on a perfect day, with just a puffy cloud here and there. I could see far away to the east and south the big peaks from our 79 trip.

While the climb was aesthetic in every sense of the word, the descent was not. More of the typical choss pile and endless scree. Once down at the lake though, the terrain improved markedly and the stroll down thru the meadows while steep was most enjoyable. A large helping of three cheese garlic mashed potatoes(instant) with bacon bits and beef jerky was dispatched with ease. The hike out was not. The next morning was hot and once the 500 feet of gain back to the divide between Elbow and Sage Creek drainage to the south was reached, I got the full dose of hard pack trail and direct sun. My increasingly arthritic ankles were none too happy to have that 7 plus miles over with. That night I was back in Bozeman with Bobbie and Eric, the next day I was on my way to Denver. The 2004 trip was over.