This
three day hike into the Bighorns would be the last of my trips to the range
during my time living in Lead, SD. Kathy & Leroy Hart and I picked a three
day weekend to give us a full middle day for the climb of Bomber, with long approach
days on either end. We were hoping this would be an easier trip than our
previous climb of Cloud Peak (Cloud Peak), which had also
included their dog Sophie. Bomber Mountain is generally considered the fourth
highest peak in the range, but is not mentioned in the Melius hiking guidebook.
However, the 1960 climbing guide by Bonney and Bonney states that the peak was
named for a 1943 B-17 crash site, and lists a class 2 walkup route via the
southwest ridge.
Cloud Peak from Bomber Mountain.
We
left Lead early in the morning on the 3rd and drove to the trailhead
at Hunters Corral. Low clouds would roll through Florence Pass at the head of
the canyon all day. The road was closed at the trailhead due to soft surface conditions.
That gave us a three mile hike on drivable terrain to reach Soldier Park. Here
we encountered one boggy area that we assumed was the reason for the road
closure.
The Powell Cirque from Medicine Cabin Park.
Beyond
Soldier Park the road was much rougher with nonstop boulders. The Cloud Peak
Wilderness boundary was well marked, and there was a picnic table and campsite
there. We saw two other well marked trail intersections in Trail Park, but I
got confused at a small opening just before the Park.
Medicine Cabin Park.
As
we got into Medicine Cabin Park the second bridge over North Clear Creek was
out, but we found a handy log to cross on. We passed up one exposed campsite in
a flowery meadow. Instead, we hiked another mile (for a total of 9 miles for
the day) to the upper end of Medicine Cabin Park where a side trail crosses
North Clear Creek on a bridge. We had the primo campsite is one of the most
scenic spots in the range, unbothered by hay fever or mosquitos. Medicine Cabin
Park is right on the edge of the alpine zone, with cascades tumbling down sheer
cliffs on three sides, and spectacular views into the cirques feeding into the
park. I’d passed through the park on my 1986 backpacking circuit with Craig (1986 Bighorns Loop) , and would do so
again in 1999 with Jean (1999 Bighorns Loop). For all of us it was
our favorite valley in the range. In 1986 Craig and I had hurried down the
trail so Craig could get back to Lead in time for Kathy and Leroy’s wedding. So,
it seemed fitting that I was here again with them, and with the time to savor
the setting. Sophie patrolled the campsite keeping us safe from raiding
squirrels.
We
cooked up a great dinner, and even treated ourselves to a campfire. At dinner
the clouds cleared, and we thought ourselves safe from the typical evening
rains. But soon a brief shower moved in driving us to the tents.
Black Tooth and Woolsey from Bomber Mountain.
Sunday
morning dawned with a clear blue sky. The trail to Florence Lake was a series
of switchbacks, then became a route hacked through the granite. As we reached
Florence Lake at around 11,000’ a light rain began. I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue, knowing the conditions above could
be much worse. But the Harts seemed game to on, so up the southwest ridge we
went. The start of the climb was the steepest part. Near the first bench around
11,800’ the rain stopped, and we reached the lower limit of what had been last
night’s snow. Older snow was abundant near the start of the second step at
around 12,000’. We soon learned to use the harder old snow for walking to avoid
the typical Bighorns boulders. The were a lot of false peaks along the ridge,
but otherwise it was an easy trip up a long ramp. I got quite a bit ahead, and
briefly turned back from the summit, just as the Harts and Sophie arrived. At
the summit, Cloud Peak seemed close by. This was the location for the classic
“Death March #3 overlooking Death March #1” framed photo that the Harts later gave
to me.
With the Harts on the summit of Bomber Mountain.
After
turning a perfect blue for our climb, the sky was now gray, and the wind was
picking up. So, we left quickly to find the remains of the crashed bomber. Our
ascent route had been via the ramp to the southeast of the Golden Lakes. For
the return we would use the ramp on the opposite side of the lakes to reach the
bomber. We did our best to stay on the snowfields, and aimed for a large
snowfield on the south side of a 12,400’ subpeak. Leroy had been to the bomber
before, so he led us to a point below an 11,680’ peak northwest of Florence
Lake.
The
wreck is strewn about the base of another snow field. Much of it had been hauled
away for souvenirs and other pieces had been moved around. But there are a few
large pieces remaining, and the destruction gives you the feeling of the power
of the impact.
At the bomber crash site.
According
to Wikipedia the B-17 disappeared on a flight from Oregon to Nebraska. Two
searches for the plane in 1943 and 1944 were unsuccessful. In 1945 two cowboys
spotted the wreckage, and later the bodies of the crew members were recovered.
In 1946 the previously unnamed ridge was christened Bomber Mountain by the
Forest Service. In 1990 a book about the crash was published.
The
descent back down from the bomber was a little tricky, especially for a tired
crew. Florence Lake is rimmed by cliffs, complicating the route finding. We
followed the main draw down, skirted some cliffs and followed snow fields to
another set of cliffs. There is a black dike above the lake, and it appeared
that the best route was above the dike. From there it was back down the trail
to our camp in Medicine Cabin Park. I would end my Bighorns peak bagging career
with one 13’er (two ascents of Cloud Peak), four 12’ers (Bomber,
Penrose/12,664’, Bighorn, and Darton 2X), 11,565’ on the way to Mather Peak,
three 10’ers around the Hazletons, and 9,610’ Sheep Mountain near Powder River Pass.
The hike out the next day was uneventful, though we did see many more people. At the trailhead the person at the information booth told me that a forest trail crew was planning to go into the area that week.
