Stanton climb has a few challenges

Stanton Mountain.

After several nice hikes this summer — including one with an elevation gain of about 3,600 feet — I figured I was ready for a peak . I thought Stanton would be a good choice.

I reasoned that it’s near Lake McDonald, so it is close to home and its elevation is 7,750 feet, which makes it a “baby mountain” next to the likes of neighbors Mount Vaught (8,850 feet), Heavens Peak (8,987), Longfellow (8,855), Mount Brown (8,565) and Mount Cannon (8,952).

Reading several online posts also told me that unlike many mountains in the park, the rock near Stanton’s summit is pretty solid. That’s important for a novice climber who also is afraid of exposure.

My husband, Wes, has climbed it several times. He assured me I would be OK.

Here are the stats: 7.9 miles round trip, four of it by trail; just under 4,600 vertical feet; fell twice; cried once;  terrified the entire 10 minutes on the summit; swore like a sailor once.

Am I glad I did it? Definitely.

And now I don’t ever have to do it again.

The first 2.1 miles are on the Trout Lake Trail. I was feeling pretty good at that point — less than an hour  in and we had 1,800 feet under our belt.

Then Wes starting looking for a good place to head uphill. There weren’t any.

The bushwhacking was awful. Luckily, it only lasted about a half mile.  After that, we broke into more open timber.

Two words of advice — insect repellent. The mosquitoes are relentless.

The views are pretty spectacular — Lake McDonald is on one side and Trout Lake on the other. Arrow Lake also is visible above Trout Lake.

The blogs I read called for a moderate, steady pace.

Their definition of a moderate and steady pace must be a little different from mine.

It’s straight up to the first false summit. It’s a half mile and 500 feet over rocks and tundra to a second false summit. This one is kind of mean since it looks like the real thing until you crest it. The sight of the actual summit a half-mile away and 1,000 feet up will bring tears to your eyes.

That last ridge reels in pretty quickly, though, and there were only two spots that made me even remotely nervous. The first was at the second false summit — don’t look to the left. The second was right at the top. There was a cliff with a 1,500-foot dropoff about eight feet to my left. To my right, about five feet away was a steep slope and right at the top was a tall rock that short-legged me had to pick my way up.

The “baby mountain” provided some fabulous scenery. We had Lake McDonald at our feet and Mount Vaught just an arm’s length away. Mount Brown and Mount Cannon were just across the way and I think that was the Sperry Glacier. Wes pointed out the Mount Brown and Huckleberry lookouts.

Unfortunately, I was so tired, so frightened and so fixated on climbing back down over that tall rock that I couldn’t concentrate on the view.

As for the trip down — that’s where I said a few bad words.

My left hamstring and left foot cramped as I was climbing over one of the dead trees. My apologies to the family passing below on the Trout Lake Trail.

One thing that did impress us — our global positioning system put us back on the Trout Lake Trail about 50 feet from where we turned off.

Wes has decided that since I knocked that one off in just over three hours — and since I didn’t freak out at any point — that I’m now ready for Reynolds Mountain near Logan Pass.

His theory is Reynolds, while it has an elevation of 9,125 feet,  is a much easier hike. It’s about 5 1/2 miles with an elevation gain of around 2,500 feet.

He’s planning it.

I sure hope he finds somebody to go with him.

Stanton Mountain

Length: 7.9 miles round trip.

Elevation gain: 4,594 feet.

Trailhead: Trout Lake Trail. Follow Going-to-the-Sun Road past Lake McDonald Lodge. Once past the lodge, take a left on the North Shore Lake McDonald Road. Follow this road for about 3/4 of a mile as it winds around the head of the lake. A small parking lot and sign mark the trailhead. The parking lot is small (just a wide pullover on the side of the road.)

Bring: Insect repellent, lunch, plenty of water, jacket for the summit.