Ptarmigan Spire

Seen from the trail to Ptarmigan Tunnel, almost at the tunnel. From the tunnel, you scramble to the ridgetop and then follow a system of goat trails on the other side of the mountain wall, eventually scrambling to the saddle at the base of the peak. When I was first up there in rain and fog, with thunder near and snow on the way, I did not know the correct route from the saddle to the tunnel (instead of descending from the saddle, I continued north along the ridge, looking for a way down but always cliffing out. One can, however, negotiate steep scree and small cliff bands down the trail at Ptarmigan Lake below. Larger cliffs guard this route on both sides, so one must exercise great caution on the descent. The route begins from the ridgeline between the saddle and the cliffs in the foreground. Glacier National Park, Montana-- August 2009