Idaho County High Point Trip Report
Date: August 22, 2001
Author: Bob Packard
Followed the Jones- Martin route out as I had a bad feeling about the Soda Creek drainage trail.
Climbed UN 9459 (in MT) on way. Went over Bare Peak (a non-summit in MT) as they must have,
then tackled the 6 pinnacles on the east-west ridge.
Numbering them 1 to 6, E to W, # 2 and #4 are higher than point 9439 and constitute UN 9450 in MT.
Now #5 and #6 are almost exactly the same height, but I think #5 is still in MT. Now #6 has big metal pole
and is on the north-south ridge and should be on the MT-ID line and the hp of Idaho, ID. I did all 6. There
where cairns on #2 and #4, probably by Jones-Martin. At #6 I left register and put in it the Martin "sign"
which I found there.
I went directly off UN 9439 into Soda Creek to look for the trail. THERE IS NO TRAIL. If there was one,
nature has reclaimed it. Rangers had said that it hadn't been maintained in many years, but you'd think some
vestige would be detectable. Oh, I think I saw a couple of spots where a trail MIGHT have gone at one
time, but you would not notice it unless you were looking for it. At any rate, the crisscrossed downfall made
for horribly slow going and when I got to 6200 feet I grunted back up to the ridge I had gone out on, getting
to ridge at 8340 saddle (saw female and kid mountain goats) climbing over UN 8660 (near spot elevation
8611) and back to camper at 6080. Tough day.
Trip Statistics: 14.25 hours, 14 miles, 7600 feet elevation gain.