Residing at the Many Glacier Hotel for the summer, it's virtually impossible for employees to resist climbing Altyn Peak (7,947 ft). The mountain is often closed for "resource protection". During the summer of 2008 it was closed until July 3rd to preserve bighorn sheep mating and birthing habitat, and by the middle of August its slopes were again closed to allow bears to forage for ripe berries. The first day the mountain opened, 21 Many Glacier employees climbed it over the course of what was a hot and sunny day. Needless to say, we had been waiting for that day to come for quite sometime! My friends Chris and Zach, along with myself, were the last employees to make it to the top. This photograph was taken around 6:30 pm.

7/3/08