It’s time for the first peak of 2026 so we set up a meeting time of 9:30 mountain time at the Manning bridge……. Why is it important to state “mountain time”? Well, the bridge sits right on the border for Mountain and Pacific times and we had folks coming from both time zones to meet up. In the bottom of the canyon any device connected to GPS constantly bounces back and forth from mountain to pacific time. Unless you have a device which is not connected to GPS it is really hard to figure out what the heck time it really is…… Check out my previous climbs of Kelly Mountain here and here.
On today’s trip we had some complicated logistics, Joe, Leslie, and Tippy came down from Lewiston while Anne, Mark, Coco and I came from the McCall area….. in the end, I jumped in with Joe, Leslie, Tippy and went to Lewiston for a visit with the folks and to pick up my van.
This hike starts out with a rolling section along the river, I was struggling with low light photography and cold hands.
After about a mile, the trail takes a left turn and boom, things warm up significantly!
I had forgotten to mention to Joe and Leslie that both Anne and Mark are training for un upcoming backcountry skiing trip to BC. They shot up the mountain like a cannon.
Soon, Mark was out of sight and Anne was not far from that.
Joe, Leslie, and I were perfectly content to ease up the mountain at conversation pace. Tippy however was going back and forth between both groups. She climbed this mountain about three times in all I suspect.
In the distance I could see that Anne was making progress reeling Mark back in but a close eye reveals that she put Coco on a harness and she was being pulled up the ridge. Crafty!
Up on the ridge is was a frosty beast.
Hoar frost had completely coated everything on the ridge and made for interesting photography.
A bokeh Patrick Butte.
Leslie makes the final push to the summit.
Joe enjoys the frosty winter wonderland.
Tippy!
Neither dog was very cooperative in the summit group shot.
Hoar frost textures on this Ponderosa.
An interesting ridge tree with Leslie photographing the back side.
After enjoying lunch on the summit, the crew heads back down.
Back at Manning Bridge it is apparent that at this location deep in the canyon there are significant times of the year where this area receives no direct sunlight. Another awesome day in paradise! I love Idaho!
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