Granite Peak Disappears

Shortly after returning to our high camp on a snowfield at the base of Granite Peak, Montana, we turned around and could no longer see the mountain! My climbing partner and I had ended our summit attempt when I had a feeling bad weather was coming. Both he and another group thought I was mistaken about an approaching storm, but this photo is partial proof I was not. The storm came in so fast that it would have been extremely difficult and dangerous traversing the SW Couloir, which we had been climbing at the time we turned around, but then the storm ended up lasting for 1-2 days. It was a frustrating decision to turn around only 550' elevation from the summit, but it was not a difficult decision to make. Photo taken on August 31, 2009.