Distinctly Montana Magazine

69 w w w. d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m I first heard about the Anaconda Pintler (affectionately the A-P, for short) when I accepted a job with the forest service as a wilderness ranger. At the time I did not know that much about the area except from what others told me or from looking at maps of the area. I remember my first drive into the A-P, forest service truck weaving around potholes and washboards that rat- tled your teeth. We headed into the Carpp Lake area to clear trail with crosscut saws; chainsaws are prohibited in the wilderness as well as any other motorized use. I could see Warren Peak in the distance getting closer and closer out the window of the truck and we kept stopping to take photographs. We hiked in with our saws and daypacks on a clear and crisp day. Our lunch spot was lower Carpp Lake which sits right below Warren Peak and as we walked around the lake scop- ing a good lunch rock to sit on, we could not stop saying how peaceful and beautiful it was. There were other people there enjoying the day fishing, setting up camp, or using the lake as their rest stop as they continued further into the wilderness. As a ranger one of our jobs is to talk to people about the importance of not camping by the lakes, fire pit use and other issues that come with recreating in a wilderness area. What I enjoyed was asking people why they were there. Some said it was a family tradition to camp and fish the alpine lakes in the A-P, for some it was their first time, and they were looking for some solitude, others came by horseback and were with clubs that use the A-P to be with like-minded others who want to protect this unique place. It was always apparent this place held a special place for others as it did I. The A-P is unique in that it protects a large array of glacially carved landforms. With an elevation from 5,100 feet to the highest on a mountain called West Goat Peak at 10,893 feet. The wilder- ness supports riparian forests that hold spruce, alpine larch, white bark pine and fir in the sub-alpine areas to vegetation up on the high mountain slopes. Wildlife include elk, bear, bighorn sheep, mountain goats along with one of my favorites, the Pika. It pro- tects the watershed and boosts nearby economies with tourism. The A-P takes time to get to any way you try to approach it. You can access the wilderness from US highway 93 and High- ways 1, 38 and 43. The roads are often your first adventure be- fore you even get to the trailhead. This area has always made me feel like an old-fashioned explorer. Opening a map of the area, I'll look for lakes or peaks to climb that have not seen too many ANACONDA PINTLER Wilderness The article and photos by HALLIE ZOLYNSKI

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