Bozeman area, Montana
Gallatin Canyon, Red Cliff, Hyalite Canyon, Bear Canyon

In 2009, I was looking for a climbing destination that would be cool in the heat of the summer. I discovered Gallatin Canyon, near Bozeman, Montana, in a climbing magazine. There are mountains full of gneiss and limestone to be climbed there with mild, dry temperatures in the peak of the summertime.

A friend knew someone in the area, Maurice “Rick” Horn, who invited me to come climb and stay with him. However, the day I arrived, Maurice busted his knee kayaking. So I got online and managed to find 3 climbing partners for the week I was there. I climbed most of my time with Roy, who was the perfect partner. We led similar grades but he was stronger on cracks and I was stronger on face.

The approaches to the climbs in Gallatin Canyon were stout, and we picked a climb near the top, so it took aerobically-challenged me a long time to get up there. The next day we sport climbed at Red Cliff, further north in the canyon to avoid some rainy weather. Then we returned to the other side of Gallatin canyon, across the river, to climb the 4 pitch Gallatin Tower Standard Route.

I spent a short day with a partner, Joe, in Hyalite Canyon, on Practice Rock.

Then Maurice was feeling well enough to climb. We trudged up an endless steep scree slope to climb a 2 pitch 5.6 called “Fat Man’s Reunion.” Maurice, even with a busted knee, left me in the dust, huffing and puffing my way up the steep pile of rocks.

The following day Maurice and I joined Ray, another partner I found online, to climb some sport routes in Bear Canyon.

I also spent 3 days in Yellowstone National Park. It was a perfect mid-August trip, the temperatures were in the 70’s, not humid, and sunny just about every day.