The Mountain King

The last day my group spent in Fleecer Montana we decided to go on a hike up Fleecer mountain.  The mountain peak is just over 9000 feet and towers above the countryside below.  Fifteen of us decided to trek our way to the top in cold rainy conditions even though we knew the the view at the top we be less than desirable   Despite the situation, there were many breathtaking vistas and the foggy background made for an eerie setting.

The hike to the summit took about 2 hours from the are where we parked our trucks about half way up the mountain.  Much of the hike was through beautiful fields of tall blowing grass.  It reminded me of the the scene in Gladiator of the wheat fields outside Maximus's home.

The temperature from the bottom of the mountain at the ranger station was drastically from that at the peak of the mountain.  At around nine o'clock in the morning when we left it was around 50 degrees.  By the time we reached the summit around noon, the temperature was below twenty.  After we got out of the fields the trail became more narrow as we entered a rocky wooded area.  We began to see snow at this point which made getting up the slopes somewhat harder.

 The top of the mountain reminded me of something from an alien world. The entire terrain was rocks, devoid of any grass or other vegetation.  Though there was no view to speak of because of the clouds, the conditions made for an awesome experience.  We did however find one lone tree that managed to survive in the cold rocky waste.  The little guy was fighting for dear life to survive the blowing wind and snow all around.  At the peak was an old dug out which housed a box filled with memorabilia from past hikers along with a signature book.  We all signed then headed back down the mountain.