Dr. Dirtbag

Teton time. #MountainMonday

For #MountainMonday, here is one of my favorite photos from early May 2023, after the biggest Sierra winter since 1980. This is looking up the South Fork of Big Pine Creek, on my way to ski over Southfork Pass to tag an unnamed 13er near Mather Pass.

Man, Visser, Virginia
After some cold weather and a stop in City of Rocks to spend some time with friends and climb just enough to remind myself of my own mediocrity, but not to improve, it was finally time to head to Greater Yellowstone. This term refers to the forested mountains of northwestern Wyoming, southwestern Montana, and southeastern Idaho, including the Winds, Tetons, and Absarokas, among other ranges. As usual wh
https://drdirtbag.com/2026/05/24/man-visser-virginia/
#Wyoming

Crampon tracks on snow. #footpathfriday

Jarbidge traverse
The town of Jarbidge has been in the back of my mind for a long time. It is perhaps the most isolated permanent settlement in the Lower 48, about twenty miles from the nearest pavement and two hours from the nearest gas station. In 1916 it was the site of the last stagecoach robbery in the American West, at a time when automobiles were popular, airplanes existed, and Europe was engaged in mass-scale mechanized
https://drdirtbag.com/2026/05/21/jarbidge-traverse/
#Nevada

Pinnacle
Pinnacle Peak is a Turiano peak in the middle of the Gros Ventre Range south of Jackson. Its distinctive summit knob made it a landmark for early surveyors, and a challenge for later mountaineers. While the easiest route is supposedly only 5.4, the peak's terrible rock has earned it a reputation as the most difficult Gros Ventre summit, and one of the more challenging Turiano peaks (Pilot, east of Yellowstone, is perhaps the m
https://drdirtbag.com/2026/06/01/pinnacle/
#Wyoming

McAffee
I was not entirely finished with the Rubies: I had yet to traverse the peaks between Thompson and Right Fork Lamoille Canyons, Ruby Spire and Onthank, the latter's name being tantalizingly close to Saruman's Orthanc, but no doubt having its own story; and Kings Peak in the southern range looked interesting, as did Old Man of the Mountains to the north, though the latter seems to have access issues. But I had places to be and P4ks
https://drdirtbag.com/2026/05/18/mcaffee/
#Nevada

McDougal, Triple
McDougal and Triple are two Turiano peaks in the Wyoming Range, short hikes on either side of McDougal Gap, a pass leading from the Grays River to the Green River Valley. I had originally planned to bike up the pass to climb them, but it was solidly below freezing when I woke up at the base, so I decided to drive instead. The road is well-maintained and south-facing, so it was snow-free and mostly dry despite cl
https://drdirtbag.com/2026/05/30/mcdougal-triple/
#Wyoming

Peak 9683, Indian, Observation
Observation Peak is a fairly remote P2k in the Snake River Range, the chunk of mountains mostly bounded by the Snake River south of Jackson (true to its name, it winds around a lot). I found tracks reaching it from the west via Indian Creek and the east via Dog Creek, but the former involved a lot of creek crossings, which would be difficult this time of year, and the latter was an ann
https://drdirtbag.com/2026/05/31/peak-9683-indian-observation/
#Wyoming