Vista Peak

     So ants-in-her-pants-Lucy-dog and I headed out on another perfect fall day.  I needed to do something new, I had to be back by dinner, and it should be something that takes advantage of the mountains before snow comes.  I'm not in tip-top shape but I'm trying to increase my vertical and back-to-back days in prep for ski-season which I hope starts any minute now, like tomorrow.  I looked at a map and Vista was the highest, closest, and un-bagged for me.  In addition, I had been eyeing it's slopes as a possible ski run for some time and had read about one ski report on it here.  I would go up Mt Baldy in Eagle River, follow the ridge to Blacktail Ptarmigan Rocks, possibly tag Round Top on the ridge back to the summit of Vista.
     Again the weather was great.  It cooled enough at night to freeze the muddy trails but the temps weren't harsh on the body.  A crusty dusting of snow was left over on the Northern aspects and shadows which made me thankful I wore my thicker smartwools.  I ran the flats and mild inclines, hiked the steeper and slippery slopes.  I hadn't been to Blacktail Ptarmigan or beyond in about 2 years so the new-ish scenery was nice.  We saw an already white ptarmigan up on there with just a few hints of gray in it.  I then traversed the ridge and decided to focus on Vista rather than Round Top.  The ridge afforded views of a drainage I had not yet seen, the one north of Little Peters Creek but South of Peters Creek proper.

     The white, shadowed valley below was littered with sheep/goat trails, but I saw none.  About 300 feet below Vista's summit I saw a single bear track.  I always find it odd why they come up so high: seemingly un-traversable cliffs to the north, mostly rock and no vegetation all around, not crossing to another drainage, perhaps the views?  I would think I would have seen something back here like a black bear or sheep or goat.  Anyway, the summit was a short and easy scramble.  Despite being in my light running clothes the wind was calm enough to allow for a rest and take in the views and scope the line which looked good aside from funneling into a terrain trap.

     We descended down and along the ridge out.  I was too fatigued to tag Round Top, however it would have been the icing on the cake if there were more gas in my tank (ER's afternoon linkup of Baldy-Blacktail-Rountop-Vista and out, akin to the front-range loop of Flattop-Peak 2-Peak 3-Flaketop and out.  I took the creek between Blacktail and Rountop down and traversed below the Blacktails.  I found pristine ice already choking out the creek in that drainage.  I wish my phone hadn't died because creeks in winter/frozen are a favorite of mine.  The rest was uneventful.  I did see the local coyote and a pond I didn't know was there.
     Lucy-dog struggled on the way up and in, concerning for what winter holds for her.  She did fine on the way down and out though.  She loves the open tundra, the closest thing to what I would think of as a pasture, and reflective of the herding dog in her.