Beartooth Etching - a photo on Flickriver

Beartooth Etching

            2019-09-02, Day 1

Lake Mary sits on a high shelf above the valley floor and Rock Creek, which is mostly out of view beneath the eroded cliffs. Opposite the lake and up the valley waits the north face of Mount Lockhart (11,644 ft; 3,550 m) with its steep near-vertical couloir, Beartooth Wilderness, Montana.

To look down on Lake Mary from this vantage point, we left the trail at Crow Lake to the north, and found a route south bushwhacking through the forest up the drainage. Mushrooms of the Boletus genus were everywhere, but I didn't recognize the exact species so we did not indulge. Some seemed to be porcini, and perhaps they were, though lighter in color than those I am used to seeing in the Southern Rockies. 

Eventually, we emerged into a tumble of talus, sparse trees, and tundra vegetation, and climbed to this pass. The route required slow navigation up a 35˚ slope, with somewhat frequent pausing to breathe. I came to appreciate how much work trail builders do when it comes to keeping one's ankles straight during the ascent. Interestingly, we saw not a single person the entire first day of the adventure.

The forest on the left of the frame looks somewhat scrubby from this vantage, but when we entered we discovered ancient Limber Pines (Pinus flexilis) and an almost park-like open understory with deep soft duff and wizened, twisted individuals surrounding us. It was most enjoyable walking on the springy duff after spending a good deal of time on talus, always wondering whether the rocks might roll on the next step.

Taken in: United States / Montana / Red Lodge (show map)

Taken on: September 2, 2019

Tags:

Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness

Beartooth Wilderness

Landscape

Limber Pine

Montana

Mount Lockhart

Northern Rockies

Pinus flexilis

Rocky Mountains

afternoon

afternoon light

alpine

clouds

forest

high country

high elevation

mountains

shadows

subalpine

wilderness

Red Lodge

United States of America

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Camera: Nikon D750, f/11.0, 1/40 sec, 35mm, ISO 160 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D750
Lens:	24.0-120.0 mm f/4.0
Aperture:	f/11.0
Exposure Time:	0.025 sec (1/40)
Focal Length:	35mm
ISO:	160
Exposure Bias:	-2/3 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Scene Capture Type:	Landscape
Color Space:	Uncalibrated
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 8.4 (Macintosh)
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