Beehive Peak | chossclimbers.com

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Summary

Javaman.

Another Labor Day upon us and another search for something newish, backcountry and canine-friendly …and suitable for a 3-day weekend from Portland. We thought about going back to the Wind Rivers again but the drive seemed a bit much for 3 days (getting old). A quick search through mountainproject’s multi-pitch options in Montana revealed a new to us Beehive Basin area outside of Big Sky (~2h drive time savings). And so went. A leisurely drive after work on Friday night and an equally leisurely continuation the next day put us at the trailhead in the late afternoon on Saturday. Quick approach to Beehive Basin and an unhurried climb on Sunday (alpine start of 10am). We climbed the Original Route, a.k.a. Javaman, (5 pitch, 5.10) and found it to be pretty nice: sustained at 5.9 with a 20 foot section of harder climbing. Good quality rock as well. Experience is marred only by the presence of the sprawling ski area visible on the horizon. One more night in camp and back home the following evening. While there’s the light and fast approach, this trip would fall under slow and gourmet – yeah, we ate and drank quite well during our two nights in the backcountry on this one.

Photos

Starting the hike up to Beehive Basin on a late afternoon (Sept. 2018).

More approach scenery (Sept. 2018).

Benny on approach. There’s always the energy left over for some vigorous stick play (Sept. 2018).

Shirley and Benny on the hike in. Beehive Peak is the pointy thing just right of center (Sept. 2018).

Late afternoon approach to Beehive Basin (Sept. 2018).

Benny in our camp in the evening (Sept. 2018).

Beehive Peak above Beehive Basin. The Original Route (a.k.a. Javaman) climbs more or less the center of this SE face (Sept. 2018).

Cooking up something gourmet (Sept. 2018).

Morning in Beehive Basin (Sept. 2018).

Benny ready to go (Sept. 2018).

Starting the approach to the route in the morning (Sept. 2018).

Small crags above camp. There’s a short 5.7 mulitpitch on that formation reportedly (Sept. 2018).

Beehive Peak. The Original Route or Javaman starts at a tiny overhang just above the ground and adjacent to the black streak on right (Sept. 2018).

A closer view (Sept. 2018).

Charging up (Sept. 2018).

Benny on the hike up (Sept. 2018).

Chilling (Sept. 2018).

Racking up for the route (Sept. 2018).

Leading pitch 1 of Javaman (Sept. 2018).

Good boy!!

Good climbing on pitch 1 ; the whole route in fact (Sept. 2018).

Shirley on pitch 1 (Sept. 2018).

Leading pitch 2: nice cracks to good slab to crux dihedral above (Sept. 2018).

Looking back at Benny from low on Javaman (Sept. 2018).

Shirley on the slab section of pitch 2 (Sept. 2018).

Looking into Beehive Basin (and our camp) from low on the route (Sept. 2018).

Shirley on the crux of the route (pitch 2; Sept. 2018).

Shirley at an uncomfortable belay atop pitch 2 of Javaman (Sept. 2018).

Shirley topping out on the pitch 3 traverse (Sept. 2018).

Views tainted by the ski resort (Sept. 2018).

Belay atop pitch 3 (Sept. 2018).

Starting up pitch 4 – quite nice (Sept. 2018).

Looking back at Shirley from the lead of pitch 4 (Sept. 2018).

Higher on pitch 4 (Sept. 2018).

The view is not pristine. Big Sky ski resort takes a little bit away unfortunately (Sept. 2018).

Shirley topping out on pitch 4 of Javaman (Sept. 2018).

Views into Beehive Basin. Our camp is just right of that larger puddle (Sept. 2018).

Shirley nearing the top of pitch 5 of Javaman (Sept. 2018).

Shirley on the summit of Beehive Peak (Sept. 2018).

A plaque and an empty summit register (Sept. 2018).

Views from the summit. One of these is probably Beehive Lake on the opposite side of the mountain to where we’re camped out (Sept. 2018).

Shirley entering the shit gully on descent (Sept. 2018).

In the shit gully (Sept. 2018).

Shirley and Benny hiking down (Sept. 2018).

Descending with Beehive in the background (Sept. 2018).

Shirley and Benny hiking down back to camp (next to that large puddle below; Sept. 2018).

Almost dinner time (Sept. 2018).

Benny nearing our camp (Sept. 2018).

Chilling back near camp after our climb (Sept. 2018).

Life is good (Sept. 2018).

Not much of a lake…more of a puddle (Sept. 2018).

Camp life (Sept. 2018).

Tent family times (Sept. 2018).

Hiking out early in the morning on day 3 (Sept. 2018).

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