Climbing Griffin Butte

Griffin Butte is the first prominent peak north of Mt. Baldy, the site of the Sun Valley ski resort. It's a minor peak in Idaho's Smoky Mountains, but its prominence from Highway 75 landed it on my bucket list a long time ago. It was a freakishly warm day, just as the entire winter has been. By 1 PM, the snow was turning to mush. The climb gave me a moment of alarm when a layer of deeply buried surface hoar suddenly collapsed, causing cracks in the snow surface to radiate outward from my snowshoes. I evaluated the avalanche hazard with care, and deemed it safe to proceed. The summit, while not remarkable in height, afforded outstanding views of several neighboring mountain ranges.