A couple of Northern Idaho’s smallish summits that, in an earlier spring attempt were blocked by snow, are a bit of a long forest road drive to access. As you start to climb above 5300ft, FR301 becomes more rough than a standard SUV can handle. I parked my Honda at 47.01588, -116.06868 and walked the rest of the way up the road,

Grandmother Mountain W7I/NI-085 was the first objective and a pleasant trail hike out to the top. Unactivated with a great view, I bagged the chasers on 40m then moved on to the next.

Backtracking along the trail I came to an overgrown but established sidetrail heading east that seemed to head right below the summit I was aiming for, Mark’s Butte W7I/NI-092. After following this one for awhile, which was no breeze, I decided it was time to start heading straight up the hill. The saddle chute was pretty snowy and from what I could see, up the side was the best option.

This was a mistake. Incredibly steep with loose footing, it was a sketchy ascent that included several slips and a couple of near falls. As I got closer to the top, I soon realized I was in a pickle.

The snow cornice above me was significant. It stretched about as far to the climber’s left as I could see, with a steep snow field below. Directly above was a no-go and going back down was, in my mind, not an option. It appeared as though this field of snow continued to far out to climber’s right as well, but the thick vegetation only gave me about 50 meters of sight.

This was a shitty spot to be in. I’ve been in some not-so-great situations in the outdoors and this felt like it could get real bad, real quick. So much so that I messaged my wife via the InReach with my location and said I was okay, but if you don’t hear from me in a few hours this is probably where I’ll be.

Sitting down to take a beat, drink some water and eat a cliffbar, I worked through my options. Up and to the left would most likely end in a fall that would probably kill me. Back down might be the same, but the fall risk a little less due to the lack of snow. To the right was the known unknown—it might still end poorly, but there was a chance I could find a way.

The mountain gods gave me a nod because after a hundred meters or so the snow thinned out and I could see daylight above. Several more minutes of struggling but with renewed enthusiasm, I broke through to once of the nicest summit clearings in all of northern Idaho.

In the above photos, I’m up on top of Mark’s Butte looking down over the cornice. Turns out, this entire area just below and to the east of Mark’s is named Freezeout Ridge—we seems a little too on the nose.

I made a relatively quick activation of this guy but all I really wanted to was to get on the road back home. The climb down off of the west side of Mark’s quickly became crazy thick and a tough go. This day wasn’t going to let me off the hook easy.

I finally busted back out into the road and the rest is history. If I were to attempt Mark’s again, I would go at it from the road which is directly north. Surely there’s an easier way up.

Summit: W7I/NI-274 “Hill 3860”
Miles: 3.42
Gain: 687ft
QSOs: 6
Points: 1

For April 4th the weather was prime, though I should’ve started earlier in the morning when it was colder—more on that later. The turn off for the FS roads/trails was completely snowed in (see photo), so I parked off of the hwy a hundred yards up at a better pull around.

Gate for the road up was locked and I’m not sure if it’s seasonal or if it’s just perma-locked. The snow was relatively deep at a good 4-8″ for a majority of the hike. Luckily, I was staying on top of the crust as I didn’t bring snowshoes or even more regrettably, gaiters. The path up is a forest road, making it easy to follow and I assume that holds true in the summer. As I gained altitude and the road became more exposed, the post-holing started.

At some point I could tell that I was just below the activation zone but my planned route had another half mile or so to go. The post-holing was becoming obnoxious so the decision was made to just ascend through the trees straight up the hill. Lots of animal sign up there.

The AZ was relatively clear and made for a nice place to set up an antenna and operate. Not much of a view but I was happy to have some sunshine and a little bare ground.

Band conditions seemed sub-optimal so after making six contacts and not hearing much else, it was time to head back.

At this point the temps had warmed and the sun was high. While 80% of my steps on the way up stayed on top of the firm snow crust, now 80% of my steps were breaking through and I was sinking ankle-to-knee deep. That was tough going and I badly wished I had brought my gaiters. A lesson learned.