On Saturday 9/8/07, my friend George Durkin and I reached the summit of Beehive Peak via the SW Couloir route. I’d been there once before but this was George’s first summit of the 2nd highest point in the Spanish Peaks area of the Madison Range (10,742 ft / 3274 m).
 
The approach is a 4 ½ mile trail, ending at a high alpine lake.  A short way into the hike – only a mile and a half from the trailhead – we ran into a good-sized black bear! (See Mauro – they really do live in this area!)  I snapped these pictures as the bear was only 50-70 yards away. Amazingly enough, only a half mile further up the trail, we saw another one! He was a little farther away climbing a hillside. It’s that time of year when their only goal is fattening up for the winter and this day, apparently, was a good day for it.
 
From the lake, it’s a 4th class / easy 5th class climb up a steep, loose couloir with better rock on the upper section. Then a final scramble puts you on the summit with great 360 views… normally. On this day, the swirling clouds below and around us made for shifting fog patterns that would obliterate everything N of the ridge in a sea of mist, then blow partially clear. A gorgeous day to be on the summit!
 
Blood glucose control was exceeding good – Doug Bursnall good, in fact. One reading of 69 mg/dl (3.8 mmol) and the rest were 80-95 mg/dl (4.4-5.3 mmol). The only exception was a 202 mg/dl (11.2 mmol) when I got home, most likely due to that unnecessary but tasty Nutrigrain bar on the drive back. I had reduced my pump’s basal rate to 50% for the ascent and raised it to 60% (of normal) for the descent. For my nibbles during the day, I bolused 1/2 to 2/3 of my usual amount. I didn’t bolus at all for my cheese sandwich, split between 2 different snack breaks. 
 
- Jeff