Summit and Junction of the Ridges

This isn't among the prettiest of the pictures I took the morning of my climb, but it is among the most illustrative. Here, below the summit area, the north and northwestern ridges of Pinnacle Butte NE meet at the head of the drainage that divides them. There is no climbing directly from the north ridge (where I took this picture) to the summit, so you must cross the snowbank, which was wider and less exposed than it may look from here. In drier years or late summer, though, this snowback may be gone, forcing you to cross steep, loose dirt and scree. After crossing, scramble up the rocks (Class 3 and surprisingly solid for the breccia found in this region) to approach the summit outcrops; the second major one is the highpoint. Absaroka Range, Wyoming-- July 2009