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View W to Ryan Peak el 8829', third highest summit in Big Hole Mountains. Photo 4/1/02 by Rick Baugher
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Big Hole Mountains
The forested mountains northeast of Idaho Falls and west of Teton Basin are generally referred to as the Big Hole Mountains. If you live in this section of eastern Idaho this is your national forest winter playground.
Countless times skiing Grand Targhee on the west slope of the Teton Range I have looked across Teton Valley to Ryan Peak el 8829' and thought 'I gotta ski that some day'. On 4/1/02, acting out my impulses, I went up Horseshoe and Bell Creek drainage to ski Ryan's NE side. Near the top of Relay Ridge, which was partly blown free and part boilerplate, managed to buck 50 mph winds to make it to the communications towers on top. The descent, while successful, could be described as 'non-elegant'.
View W to Ryan Peak el 8829', third highest summit in Big Hole Mountains. Note stunted and sheared trees of an avalanche track. The ski route was just to the right of this photo. 4/1/02.
From 6400' on Highway 31, at the last bend before Pine Creek Pass on the Bonneville County side, XC north up and down into Corral Creek drainage, then up Pleasant Hollow with its pleasant Englemann Spruce and open meadows. On Pleasant Hollow Mountain el 7906' built a small cairn. Fun telemark down and fast return made for a stellar tour.
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Summit of Pleasant Hollow Mountain. Photo by Rick Baugher, 1/2/95.
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On the summit of Pleasant Hollow Mountain el 7906' this view is NE across Teton Basin to the west slope Teton Range. Here The Grand, Middle, and South Teton align like shark's teeth, which is how the men of the Hayden Survey described them. 1/2/95.
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Kelly Mountain el 6805'. Photo Rick Baugher.
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My home away from home in the winter season is Kelly Mountain el 6805' at the western end of the Big Hole Mountains. From the Kelly Canyon Ski Area parking lot it's 3 miles to the true top, shown here. Looking SE across South Fork Snake River Canyon and Antelope Flat, many have agreed this is one of the prettiest vistas in eastern Idaho. My favorite time to be in the cocoon of the igloo is when a blizzard is raging. Yet, I will never turn my nose up to a sunny bluebird day.
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Summit Kelly Mountain el 6805', view SW toward Idaho Falls, 2/27/09. Photo Rick Baugher.
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Summit Kelly Mountain el 6805', view SW toward Idaho Falls, 2/27/09. For the past several years I have maintained a cairn on the spot of the 1947 USC&GS triangulation signal. It started out as a 2' pile of rocks. Vandals would knock it down in the summer, and each fall I'd build it up bigger and better. So, now we have a 7'-8' monument.... kinda like Jack and the beanstalk.
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