Tom’s given me inspiration to get this trip report up :) The Chinese Wall in the Bob Marshall is probably the most iconic landscape in the Complex and it is very cool. What’s cooler yet, is hiking up top (off trail)!
This was my second attempt; first trip got scuttled when we hadn’t even gotten on the Wall and bumped square into two separate wildfires.
There were five of us that gave this a go- Dave C, Kevin, John N, Tom M and myself. Our plan was to hike via trails to the northern terminus of the Wall, find a way up and hike it to it’s southern terminus and find a way off and finish it off with more trail hiking.
We started at Benchmark, early evening- hoping to get a ways down the trail allowing us to get on top sometime the following day. We made pretty good time and got in about 11 miles (near Indian Point) before setting up camp.
We were up and at ’em early and headed for Larch Hill Pass. The going is all up, but we were making decent time and finally got our first glimpse of the Wall.
a short break in the shade
we slipped through a pass that drops you into the Moose Ck drainage (this close to where the fires were burning the year prior) and gives you a pretty good glimpse of a good chunk of the Wall
Unfortunately a bunch of the climbing we did evaporates as we drop into Moose Ck. But the vies are stunning and the wildflowers were blooming.
We were closing in on Larch Hill Pass and started looking at a possible route up. We found a saddle that looked promising, steep, but doable.
Getting there
Miller time; well not really as we had a long ways to go :)
As my grandfather used to say “I wonder what the poor people are doing?”
It was just as I envisioned it- beautiful views up top and easy going, well for about a mile or so and then we promptly cliffed out and had to get off the Wall and find another place to get up.
We had to lose about 2,000′ we fought so hard to get and make a 3-ish mile detour before getting up top again, but we did.
Damn nice views and easy going (again)
Unfortunately we go clipped out yet again- like a big gap in someone’s teeth; down (way down) again and then back up. We were really trying hard to make it to a small tarn near Cliff Mountain- our only source of water on top.
made it!
We ate supper, watered up good and then hiked back out of the tarn to make camp.
We were up early again as we still had a ton of country to cover if we were to make it out this day.
Sphinx Peak
We had to make another detour and find another way up.
Someone else knew about this route too (top, center)
On top yet again!
Flathead Alps behind me
More Wall
We were cooking right along and you’ll never guess, we got clipped out again. This one was a bit more “touchy” or as Tom would say “saucy”
Definitely out of my comfort zone here.
And off we go, yet again!
We were nearing the southern terminus now and had to find a way down to the trail.
Pay dirt!
While we were excited about hitting the trail, we still had a long 15-ish miles to go and it was getting hot. Somehow we made it back to Benchmark, a little delirious, but made it. A couple of cold IPA’s shook me out of it and we made our way to the Buckhorn Bar for big burgers- well earned :)
