Electric Peak, Yellowstone National Park, Montana/Wyoming

The reward is not always the destination but often the journey.

This is Electric Peak in the Northern part of Yellowstone National Park. It is not the highest peak in either Montana or Wyoming, nor is it the highest peak in Yellowstone, but it is the highest spot in the Gallatin Mountains at 10,992 ft. The Gallatins are a small range, a subset of the Northern Rockies and have some of the greatest wildlife, rivers, and mountains anywhere. They are less frequently visited and in 5 days in the area we saw only 4 other campers (all in the same group).

Three of us (Scott, Jason and myself) set up basecamp the night before in the meadow just to the South of the peak. The summit was about 10 miles from our basecamp and was, except for the last 1/2 mile, a strenuous hike along graded trails. The last 1/2 mile involves a fair amount of scrambling and hand over hand climbing. The trail dissapears and you need to just trust that anything headed up has to be right. And oh, yea, did I mention that you may have to contend with a Grizz along the way? Or a mating bull moose? Due to some leg/foot problems only two of made it to the summit (Jason had to turn back a little early). Seems to be about par for the course when talking to others who have attempted to summit the peak...about 50% make it all the way. The view is amazing and we were lucky that the weather was pristine. Never once did the little hairs ont he back of the neck raise up.

Having now done several of the "official" state highpoints I have to say that Electric Peak rates as one of my favorite summits. Enjoy the Whealers, Elberts and Guadalupe Peaks (others that are strenuous and don't require rigging/technical skill to climb) but when you want a challenge, take on Electric Peak. The view, the wildlife, the surrounding opportunities for adventure and hiking, the history, the mix of scrambling, non-technical climbing, and hiking, all make for a stellar climb.

Remeber in summiting peaks like Electric, as with any outdoor activity: Take only pictures and leave only footprints.

For a general look at highpointing (attempting to summit each state's highest point) see: americasroof.com and visit the "State Summit Guide" or go to highpointers.org for more on the club.

For an interesting, more scholarly article on highpointing, including a classification system of difficulties and a look at reasons that highpointing should be encouraged see: http://www4.wittenberg.edu/academics/hfs/tmartin/highpointing/hparticle.html