Climbing ‘The Salamander’

Bending along the curves of the Going-To-The-Sun Road, the Garden Wall stretches across the continental divide overhead with an imposing presence. Along the great divide lie prominent peaks such as Mount Gould, The Bishop’s Cap, and the seldom-visited spire of Point 8650.

This unnamed point is recognized as an eye-catching array of steep gray rock rising above the Sun Road north of Mount Gould. Striking as it is, the peak is often overlooked and isn’t registered as one of the Glacier Mountaineering Society’s 234 summits in the park, thus flying under many mountaineers’ radars.

The craggy summit had attracted me for years, yet remained elusive, and an attempt had never been made to climb the multi-summited pinnacle. Discussing plans for the first Glacier alpine climb of the summer, veteran climber Adam Clark mentioned the unnamed peak had attracted his attention for years, yet he had never ventured to its base either. 

We affectionately began referring to the summit as The Salamander in regard to the Salamander Glacier that flanks its eastern face.

Fast forward to the middle of June, our feet were crunching along in the twilight, packs bulging with snow and rock climbing gear, our sights set on finally exploring The Salamander.

We passed the muted Granite Park chalet and began upwards towards the Grinnell Glacier overlook before heading cross-country below the Garden Wall, eyes locked on the distant spire. Crossing several consolidated snowfields en route to the base with ease, we eventually stashed bear spray and crampons around 7,800 feet before climbing skywards.

With over 800 feet between us and the summit, we scanned the various buttresses making up the complicated peak and began picking our way through fourth-class terrain. 

Taking the first roped-up lead of the day, Clark began stemming through dense red rock where he was able to place ample quality protection in the event of a fall. 

From the belay, the dignified summits of Logan Pass lie in the distance, seemingly indifferent to the turmoil of a bustling Going-To-The-Sun Road below them. 

Scrambling through a lesser-quality band of yellow rock situated us below the steepening headwall, we presumed would be the most difficult climbing of the day. The next rope length was filled with countless hand jams and more well-protected climbing. 

With the summit in view, Clark led another wonderful pitch of climbing, where he was able to jam his way to the base of an ominous set of overhangs that safeguarded the summit. 

Thrashing my way through a difficult stemming sequence deposited me onto a ledge where a piton placement pinged its way into a shallow crack before a short traverse was taken to avoid a steep overhang. 

From here, a steep off-width crack was dispatched before another steep bulge forced me sideways once again. Setting up a belay, the thrashing winds overhead assured me the summit was near. 

A gutsy follow by Clark, and we were off once again. Thankfully, the next pitch was straightforward and had us within striking range of the summit. Coiling the rope, we picked our way through easy scrambling terrain to reach the summit ridge. A ridge traverse and short downclimb followed before we stood atop The Salamander, where a largely erected summit cairn awaited our arrival. 

Finding an old-fashioned summit register, we carefully opened the relic and anxiously unfolded the memorandum. 

To our amazement, only a single page of the register had been filled out, only five other parties had journaled their ascent, dating back to the team that left the register in 1987, with the most recent ascent being 31 years prior in 1994. Signing our names, we carefully replaced the treasured fragment of Glacier climbing history back atop the monumental cairn. 

Hours flew by in an instant as we now sat atop the great summit that had captivated us for many years. Mount Gould, Grinnell Glacier, and the Many Glacier valley mesmerized our imaginations from above. 

The central summit of The Salamander proved a fantastic viewpoint for viewing nearly every summit of the park. Admiring nature’s beauty, we watched the sun slowly dip towards the horizon, eventually deciding to retrace our steps and begin descending.  

Picking our way through fourth and fifth class scrambling terrain, we descended back to our stashed gear sans rappels. Crossing under the garden wall anew, we eventually reached the Grinnell Glacier viewpoint and found ourselves marching along the highline trail. The evening sun now cast a fiery alpenglow along the garden wall, allowing us to rejoice at our dreams fulfilled from the steps of the chalet.