Black Butte - Montana Mountain Project

My dad looking regal with Black Butte looming in the background.

During the same month as the battle of Vicksburg and the death of Stonewall Jackson in the Civil War, two prospectors stumbled upon the find of a lifetime: gold in Alder Gulch, Montana. That 1863 find kicked off a minor gold rush far from the bloody fields of the Civil War. Although in Union territory, this town at the north end of the Gravelly Mountains adopted the name "Varina" in honor of the first lady of the Confederate States of America. This was later changed to Virginia City after an objection to the name by a judge, but I think the independent spirit of the Confederacy remains in this area.

It seems that history revolved around Virginia City for 20 or so years: it became the territorial capital, a famous area in Vigilante folklore, and the first school in Montana was founded there. Today less than 200 people reside in the town that once contained thousands of miners. Travelers stop to read about some of the history on their way over the pass to Ennis, but few linger.

Leaving the road behind

To me passing through Virginia City means adventure. I will not be panning for gold anytime soon, but, every time I have driven through Virginia City it has been on the way to or from a fun weekend in the mountains. In July, Sara and I journeyed through Vigilante territory and met my parents in the middle of the Gravelly Range for one of those pleasant alpine weekends.

Since they were driving up from Flagstaff we picked a point on the map (a random bend along the Gravelly Range Road) to meet up. I hoped there was a campsite there for them because Sara and I were going to meet them the morning after they arrived and we could not coordinate further in phone-less bliss.

My parents hiking their first Montana High Point

We found them along the southern end of the Range, after the Range Road climbs up to about 9,000'. They were camped looking over green, flowery hills that stretched miles down to the ranch lands of the Centennial Valley. If you were to pick an area that exemplified Montana, this may be it. Mountains on all sides, two river basins visible, mining history to the north, and lush pasture land as far as the eye could see. For picking a spot blindly off the map we didn't do so bad!

After a quick lunch we packed up and drove north along the Range Road. This drive is spectacular. Much of the road stays well above 9,000' and rolls along the top of the ridgeline with expansive views of the Snowcrest range to the west, and the Madisons to the east. The Gravellys themselves are, for the most part, a friendlier looking range. The are less jagged than their brethren on either side and feel more accessible, yet no less adventurous.

One of the highest elevation marathons in the country (averages over 9,000') runs along this dirt road and seems like it would be fantastic. Plus they have one of the funniest taglines ever on their homepage. Fortunately for us, we were driving along the afternoon after the race and benefited from the porta-potties left out for Monday pickup.

Sara with Lion Mountain behind

We camped just near the base of Black Butte, the highest point in the range at 10,542'. As I just described, much of the Gravelly Range is rolling and friendly. Black Butte is not. Probably because the surrounding terrain appears more gently, the abrupt mass of black rock jutting out of the ground is harsh on the senses. To me it seemed like a peak that belonged in one of the neighboring ranges, but got stuck in the Gravellys.

There is an ancient legend of a clear river beneath the mountain the flows over a bed of gold and gravel. While the river of gravel can be traced along the top of the range, no river of gold has been found. Yet! Geologically speaking the mountain is volcanic and also (supposedly, just like the golden river) sits upon a couple deeply hidden geysers.

The afternoon of our arrival Sara, my parents, Zeno (our dog), and I set out for the summit. While the exposed eastern face of the peak looked ominous, I could see a faint game trail across the upper third of it, and I figured there had to be a way up since the road was so close. Sure enough we followed a meandering trail of cairns to the southeastern side of the peak. As the vegetation gave way to loose gravel a steep trail emerged that was wider and more defined than I expected.

I think Zeno likes the mountains

From there it was a steep, but straightforward way up. The trail crossed the face and dumped us onto the summit plateau. A more gradual slope took us to the top with 360 degree views of peaks and the strong smell of mountain goat.

I loved having my parents join in for a Montana Mountain Project high point. One of my hopes is to share a summit with as many different people as I can, and sharing part of this with my parents was wonderful. Then I immediately got jealous of them as the next day they explored the iconic Sphinx in the Madison range while Sara and I drove back to work. Unfair!

Black Butte also pushed me over halfway to completing the Montana Mountain Project! 33/64 Peaks done!