Father/Daughter - Standhope Peak

For this year's father/daughter backpacking trip I chose Baptie Lake in the Pioneer mountains.  Other than spending time with Taylor, my goal would be to climb Standhope Peak at 11,878 feet, a peak that has been on my list since her brother and I did not climb it in 2007. 

As we were in the midst of fire season, the smoke was thick as we entered Copper Basin.  Taylor couldn't recall her only time in Copper Basin (2009) and the lack of views did not help jog her memory. 

There was one vehicle at the Broad Canyon trail head when we arrived at 2:30.  Hopefully, they wouldn't be camped at Baptie Lake.

Taking off

I was rocking my sweet, new Biofire hat as we cruised up the initial 3 miles of relatively flat trail .  The smoke definitely limited the views, but we had plenty to chat about, and the time went quickly.

Taylor on the crux of the hike

Standhope is the center peak

The last couple of miles switch backed up some steep sections before ending at Baptie Lake, at a little over 10,000 feet.  With no one else at the lake, we pitched our tent overlooking the valley below and set up our kitchen at the same campsite I used in 2007.

After cocktails and dinner, we hit the sack as it was just getting dark.  Though there was a well used fire ring at the campsite, the fire restrictions put a kibosh on that idea.

The next morning was started with coffee, hot chocolate, bacon and eggs prior to starting our journey to Standhope.  We took the well used trail to Goat Lake at 10,400 feet before climbing the saddle between Goat and Betty Lake.

Standhope Peak Saturday morning.

Recess Peak over Goat Lake

Goat/Betty saddle

This saddle was as far as her brother and I had gotten back in 2007.  The excessive heat and the great fishing in Goat Lake back then convinced Dylan that we should abort our attempt at summitting Standhope.

With a cool wind blowing this morning, heat would not be an issue.  We took it one bite at a time, stopping to rest at every change in rock band colors and in a short time I heard Taylor whoop with excitement as she reached the summit.  A few seconds later I joined her on top.

Looking down at Goat Lake and Broad Canyon

Almost there

Summit Splattski!

 I'd like to say the views were outstanding, but the smoke muted the scenery.  Oh well, what are you going to do? After all, it is fire season.

Angel Lake

After a leisurely lunch, we started back down.  We skirted the couple of loose, sketchy sections up top and made it quickly back to the saddle without incident.

During the course of the afternoon, we heard constant rockfall coming from the slump on Altair Peak across the Betty Lake valley.  I was waiting (hoping?) for a complete collapse, but it did not occur.  We were glad we were not camping at Betty Lake, as the constant rockfall would have been a bit too eerie.

Crater like slump on Altair Peak

With the now cold wind blowing that evening, we didn't dawdle too long after dinner before retiring to the tent.  That night we were treated to a little wind, a little rain, and then a lot of wind!  At some point, we heard a loud snap and then the tent was flapping crazily only 6" above our faces.  I thought the sound was due to the cross-member pole snapping out of place.  It wasn't until the morning that Taylor pointed out we had a small sunroof in the rain fly.  A major pole had snapped, but the tent remained standing.

Though the wind had damaged the tent, the bonus was that we now had outstanding views - no smoke!  After a quick breakfast in the still blowing wind, we packed up and headed out dreaming of hamburgers.

A look back at Standhope

Four hours later we were at the Sawtooth Brewery in Ketchum enjoying some fabulous cheeseburgers! 

Another excellent time with my lovely daughter, Taylor.  I wonder where we'll go next year...

Stats:
Distance: 13 miles
Elevation Gain: 4200 feet