Icon: a person or thing widely admired especially for having great influence or significance in a particular sphere
There is no shortage of iconic peaks along the Rocky Mountain Front. Ear Mountain, Heart Butte, Chief Mountain, Steamboat, and Sawtooth Ridge are some of my favorites. Sawtooth might be the most recognizable because of its unique shape and location. It is visible to west-bound travelers on both Highway 200 and I-15 (best viewed in morning light). Plus, nothing says “I’m iconic” more than being featured on a beer label. Next time you’re in the beer isle check out the artsy illustration of Sawtooth Ridge on Bayern’s Pilsner Lager.
Two things.
I’ve climbed the north tooth of Sawtooth Ridge a couple times, each time approaching from the north (see previous post). However, I’ve never climbed the slightly higher south tooth. Early last Saturday morning (7/29/23) I made the 100-mile drive from Helena to the Sun River Canyon west of Augusta with two goals in mind – I wanted to try a different route up to the north tooth, and I wanted to see if I could climb the intimidating south tooth.
Straight-forward.
Starting at the Sun Canyon Lodge, I hiked up Home Gulch along a well-travelled trail for 4 miles, taking a left turn (off-trail) soon after passing through a grassy area named Agropyron Flats. I crossed a dry stream bed, and then climbed a steep 1.5-mile ridge to the top of the north tooth (see maps in photo tour). The ridge was challenging (2,500 feet of gain), but the footing was good and the bush-whacking was very reasonable. There is a tricky scramble up the last 50 yards to reach the summit. Although it wasn’t as interesting as the route I had taken on my two previous trips, it was safer and easier (5.5 miles with ~3,500 ft. of gain from the lodge). It was sunny and calm, and there was no haze – a perfect day to be on the north tooth.
No news is good news.
After spending about 45 minutes taking drone photos, enjoying the views, and psyching myself up to tackle the south tooth, I started the sketchy half-mile traverse along the ridge, not certain that I would be able to find a way to the top once I got there. I carefully made my way below the middle tooth (along the gum line) to a comfortable flat area below the south tooth. I took a break there, reminding myself that I never want to be ‘that guy’ – the one on the nightly news who had to be rescued from a place he couldn’t climb down from. After some scrambling and exploring, I carefully followed a narrow ledge around to a place where I could safely climb up – and more importantly, get back down. Once on top, I saw the summit cairn, about 20 yards away and several feet higher than my location. I could also see that I would have to crawl across a short knife-edge ridge and then climb another steep rock face to get there. After another short conversation with myself, I decided that I’d taken enough risks for one day, and started climbing down.
For what it’s worth.
For those who are up to the task, I highly recommend the north tooth. However, getting onto the south tooth involves significantly more effort and risk – plus the views from the south tooth aren’t as good as those from the north tooth. Another consideration with the south tooth is getting back down to the trail. Do you go back the same way, traversing the sketchy ridge, or do you hike/slide down the scree-filled basin? Neither are easy options. I decided to hike/slide down the basin (see photo tour). It was not pleasant but I made it down, glad to be back on a trail for the last 4 miles of my adventure. The trip, which ended up being 13.5 miles with 4,300 feet of elevation, took exactly 10 hours. I celebrated accomplishing my two goals (and not becoming a news story) with a tasty tangerine ale at the lodge.
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Below: This map marks hikes that have been featured on bigskywalker.com so far, including several in Glacier Park – Select full screen to expand, zoom in for more detail, or click on a marker for a link to the post.
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