Some MSU students built a cabin in the woods off the Grotto Creek trail for use this winter. It was a costruction project--windows, metal roof, wood stove, etc. They got busted last week by the USFS Law enforcement. This is bad news and a black eye for the ice climbing community, especially during the sensitive travel plan process. We've been going out of our way to explain the special nature of Hyalite and how we all treasure this rare resource--climable ice! While the FS realizes that this was done by a few rogue individuals, it still hampers our efforts to be seen as responsible recreationists.
Let's keep our scene tight! Be respectful to the land, each other and all users. Let's not give the FS any more reasons to view climbers with suspicion.
The following paragraph was from an email forwarded to me. The names and source are anonymous, but they still convey the seriousness of the situation.
"XX and I caught 5 individuals in this cabin early Sunday morning, the same cabin that YY reported finding this summer. The cabin had more improvements to it (i.e. insulation, caulking, etc.). We can't say too much more about it at this point other than two of them will be going before the U.S. Magistrate in Missoula this coming Thursday. We are presently dealing w/ the U.S. Attorney's Office on the case. Two others in the group were fined for marijuana possession. All five of them were ice climbers."
On a separate note, there were two climbers missing on Saturday eve and Gallatin County SAR got called out. While 7 folks wandered around Hyalite drainage all night at -25F looking for them, they were cozy in the cabin. I can't blame them really. They were late getting down, there were no more cars, it was cold and their ride left prematurely to sound the "missing climbers" alarm.
Let's take care of ourselves out there. It's a small world and we all need a hand sometimes.
[img]http://montanaice.com/forums/user_images/HyaliteCabin.jpg[/img]
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Illegal Cabin
Illegal Cabin
Illegal Cabin