High wind warnings didn't stop the Giggers from heading to Porphyry Peak so that Beth could get her last peak in the "Climb 20 Peaks in 2020" Challenge. And the weather wasn't that bad.  We did get some snow flurries, some sun, but the wind wasn't that bad; temperatures in the 30s.

We left Great Falls at 8 am, meeting Kalah at Cougar Canyon in Monarch; then after a quick stop at Silver Crest, we got to the top of Kings HIll, parked and were on trail by 9:30. We were pleasantly surprised that the trail had been broken, so the going was fairly easy.

This was a fast group, making mast time without stops to the top of Porphyry Peak for a view from the lookout tower. We did notice that new signs warning of snowshoers have been put up at the dangerous curve where the back country trail joins the alpine runs. We have often had to scurry out of the way of snowboarders in particular. And since this was opening weekend for Showdown, there were quite a few skiers and boarders on the hill.

We arrived at the top but declined going into the Top Rock warming hut due to COVID. In fact, we were surprised it was even open. We often stop for lunch either at the picnic tables (too windy today) or at the hut, but we also were way ahead of lunch time, so opted to eat in our cars on the way home.

Then we tore down the mountain, probably setting a GiG record for climbing Porphyry Peak. We arrived back in town around 1:30.

A side note: Kalah may be headed to the Middle East for a few months next year and might rent her place. Anyone interested?

Who went: Beth, Amber, Beth, Brenda, Kalah

With Shaw Butte now open to Block Management for hunting, we decided to check out area we have been interested in for some time. We did wait until regular rifle season was over to attempt it though.

We drove from Great Falls at 7:45 a.m. to Cascade Colony and checked in at the sign-in box, filling out a form for each vehihcle. Then we were up for exploring as no one had ever been up this butte before. Katie had studied it on Cal Topo and Google maps, but wanted some feedback from others on the decisions she was making.

The day started with us walking by the colony's gravel pit, where we scared a snowshoe hare, all white except brown feet. then a young man on a four-wheeler seemed to be checking us out or watching us, one of the two, during this stretch of the hike, riding straight up the butte. Then he turned around and passed us by as we climbed the steepest section. We asked him some questions about the hike, but he didn't seem to understand us. Some of us really needed to duck behind a rock as there were no trees, but we wan'ted to make sure this teenager wasn't around.

During the hike, Amber, Beth and Suzie all went ahead at times, scouting the way until we arrived at the radio and satellite towers for a bit of a break. This is the high point of the butte. We had made it. 

The day promised to be sunny but breezy, and it was, but it was so warm, we hardly noticed and shed layers quickly on the way up, but once we stopped for a snack at the towers, we were putting those layers back on to block the wind.

After arriving at the towers, we followed the service road down, facing the Rocky Mountain Front the whole way. With the blue sky and the white-capped peaks, we did a lot of oohing and ah-ing at the sights in front of us. Caribou, Steamboat, Sawtooth, Rocky Mountain and Ear Mountain peaks showed themselves off for us.

The last two miles are on a road, a bit boring, but we marveled at the huge cuts and canyons in the side of the butte as we encircled it. Beth told us about the geology of the area as we walked right through the dike that created the butte so many years ago. She also talked about Glacial Lake Great Falls and how you can see the water marks along the side of the butte to this day.

We arrived back in town around 2 p.m.
Who went: Suzie, Susan, Amber, Beth, Viki, Carol, Camille, Katie

After Susan finished her 20th peak last week, it was time to get another gal over the top: this time Beth. Luckily, the weather had been holding so we could hike rather than snowshoe, always more difficult. Beth, Susan and Amber had alreday done two high points in a day the prior week, summitting both Bompart Hill and Scratchgravel Peak South out of Helena.

We left Great Falls at 7:45 and were on trail two hours later. The amazing thing was no wind! And we were along the Rocky Mountain Front. No one could remember a breezeless day in this neck of the woods, but it was true.  It was a bit cold when we started, and the trail was icy, necessitating some off-trail walking to avoid any falls, but the hiking wasn't difficult.

The sun came out as we hit the steeper part, so we warmed up quickly as we dodged a few snow fields, walked across a small one and finally made it to the top. We were in two groups with four gals going at a faster pace and planning on doing both hikes while four were taking it more leisurely.  The fast group waiting at the top though so we could all get a group photo.  As we were posing, an airplane flew overhead; we all waved; he waved back by rocking his wings back and forth. It was very cool and brought a smile to all our faces during a depressing COVID-laden time. Another thing in the sky was an almost-full moon, hanging over Fairview mountain. It was so nice with the sun shining on us, the views into the Bob Marshall including Fairview mountain that several of us had climbed earlier this summer that it was hard to leave.

Since four of the gals had a drive and another climb, we said our goodbyes and they quickly descended, while the other group made their way slowly.  Sheila decided to go her own way to do some fishing; we had seen many people putting in their poles on the drive in, even on the ice when the weather had been so warm, so she decided to join them. We told her to be careful on the thin ice.

The one-peak climbers got back in town at just before 2 p.m.. The other group hiked Priest Butte and finished around 4:30. 

After our quick hike up McCarty Hill, a few of us decided to venture to Rattlesnake and Priest Butte - 650 feet elevation gain.  Amber had previously been there so was able to guide us along the way. We first climbed Rattlesnake Butte and learned the white crosses were put in place for three Jesuit priests who had come to Montana to set up a mission to serve the Blackfeet Indians. The three crosses are NOT the original crosses and are actually located on Rattlesnake Butte. Priest Butte is named for the Jesuit priests. Once we climbed the wooden ladder to the top of Rattlesnake Butte, the sky seemed unending...we could see for miles. After admiring the views and looking down at the features created by weathered sandstone, we meandered down and wandered over to and up Priest Butte. We learned that there had been a quarry on Priest Butte to obtain shale rock for the county courthouse. Unfortunately, the courthouse burned down at the end of the 19th century and had to be rebuilt..
 
All of us were curious about and struck by the interesting geologic features and rock types. There seemed to be two distinctly different colors of rocks. We read a little about the geology and here is what we found out. The brownish reddish rocks on top of lighter colored sandstone are part of the Virgelle formation. This darker upper layer is composed of titaniferous magnetite and it rests on sandstone, which erodes more easily and helps form the shape of the butte, hoodoos and other unique features. We noticed ripple marks, but missed the dinosaur prints that are reported to be there. The weather was sunny with very few clouds, minimal wind and very warm for this time of year!

On a side note: we were all shocked at how low Nilan Reservoir was, making it into a series of ponds, rather than one big lake.

Who went: Susan, Debra, Sheila, Katie in group one; Josy, Mary S, Beth and Amber in group 2.