Jul 28, 2021
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With: | Eric Smith |
Stillwater is the highest of three reservoirs built on the Bear River on the northeast side of the Wilderness, with a number of popular campgrounds in the surrounding Routt National Forest. We started from the Stillwater TH just below the reservoir's dam at a height already over 10,000ft, making for cool temps. The water level in the reservoir was currently quite low, as in much of the American West this summer, but that didn't seem to bother the marmots and other creatures that lived along its edges. We followed the North Derby Trail across the dam on the east side of the reservoir through damp, lush forest and past the Wilderness boundary. The forested section didn't last long as the trail quickly climbs above treeline on its way to a saddle between Flat Top and the Derby plateau to the southwest. From here, we turned northeast to follow an on-again off-again use trail along the grassy ridge leading to Flat Top's summit. We spent an hour on the trail getting to the saddle, and a second hour along the ridgeline leading to the summit. Despite haze in the valleys below, there were some great views in all directions, overlooking the Wilderness area on three sides. We found no register in the large, sloppy cairn piled up at the highpoint. There were few clouds mid-morning, and there was little need for us to hurry off. We returned via the same route, taking a little less time for the descent than we had on the way up. It wasn't yet noon when we returned to the TH.
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For more information see these SummitPost pages: Flat Top Mountain
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