Mt Headley (5)

A few more photos taken from the top of Mt Headley. In the fifth one, you can see the lookout cabin that still stands atop Priscilla Peak, about six air miles to the southeast.

Scene to the northwest with the tall peaks of the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness in the background:

An un-named peak in the roadless area to the south:

Mt Headley (4)

Mt Headley was the site of one of Montana’s 639 lookout towers that were built after the huge fire of 1910 that burned three million acres of forest in Washington, Idaho and Montana and which killed 87 people including 78 firefighters. The lookout cabin, built in 1928, was located just behind this sign at the very peak and there is still some debris from it remaining just below the sign. It was a cupola design cabin somewhat similar to the one that still stands on Priscilla Peak.

Now, views from the top.

Mt Headley (3)

The last mile or so of trail 528 to the top of Mt Headley is a little steeper than the rest and there were still patches of snow across it, but the anticipation of breaking out on top made that part of the hike quite easy.

The “water” referenced by this sign may be only a mile away, but at the rate at which the trail to it descended suggests a very tough hike back up!

When a trail looks this way, you realize that the top is not all that far away.

The snowbanks were not very deep, but the breeze blowing across them was very refreshing in mid-July!

Finally, from a saddle .3 miles below, the first glimpse of the top of the mountain.

From the saddle the cliffs to the northeast are in full view and worth a couple of shots.

This signage is at the saddle, which is also the junction with trail 433 which winds down 1,200 feet below the cliffs, then back up to Marmot Peak and from there on down Sundance Ridge to Priscilla Peak and then on down to Thompson River. That entire trail will be a two or three day trip we plan on taking next year but the first part, to Marmot Peak, is still in my plans for later this summer.

Next post will include some of the views from the top.

Mt Headley (2)

For the next mile or so trail 528 pretty much follows a ridge line and in the open places between the trees there are nice views on both sides, the cliffs that are on the west side of Carbine Lake to the south and the area around Image Lake to the north.