Storm Clouds and Rain Looking Over Fox Creek Canyon.
“I’m ready for a nap, but clouds have formed in the canyon that appear ready to drop rain. They’ve filled in the canyon so that we can’t see the bottom and can just barely see the ridge on the other side. .. I break open the packs and get the tent halves out, “
Fox Creek Meadow, overlooking Fox Creek Canyon, Gallatin National Forest, MT. Shown in the photo are the clouds I observed when I was here in Summer 06. These clouds did actually produce light rain about an hour earlier. On my visited here in Summer2002 and Summer2006, the places I explored are also marked on my previous mentioned Hypothetical Climbing Trail Map. At Way Points 215 thru 226, I observed very small trees and even lots of open places. These places are consistent with logging, and thus not candidates for Narrator's camp sites. This was in contrast to WayPts 407 thru 507, which were not very far away, but had dense forests. (Note, not all WayPt numbers in these ranges were used!) These latter forests probably look like the Narrator's forest at "flat spot, = a large knoll protruding from the side of the mountain.“. As shown on my Hypothetical Climbing Trail Map, the Narrator's camping spot (possibly at left side of above photo) would be only a bit further Southeast , at ~same altitude, and similarly away from logging, as the places I found dense mature forests. I have chosen the Narrator's hypothetical camp spot at a suitable distance between the previous N+C 17 and the base of next mornings climb to the ridge.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0063 ...... ZMM Page = 201 ...... Photo simulate area near WayPt = N+C 17cont 8845ft)

The Next Morning’s Climb Is Now Easier.
“We still have a lot of climbing to do, but on the trail we discover it’s easier than yesterday.“
Mountainside, Gallatin National Forest, MT I have "spread out" the WayPts on my Hypothetical Climbing Trail so as to fit the relative difficulty described by the Narrator as they approach and then move up to the upper part of the ridge to “the summit“ and his climax. I have included a “come back at an upward angle along to the ridge“ Map New topic: I have shown N+C WayPoint elevations according to the contour lines as labeled on my Hypothetical Climbing Trail Map. When at first I was finding the elevations for the WayPts, I mistakenly read the darker brown contours as every 100ft. I see these are every 200ft, and I may not have corrected all residual errors.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0075 ...... ZMM Page = 203 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 18 8900ft)

the Narator and Chris Experience Heavy Forest Where There Is No Brush and Few Low Branches Due To Lack of Sun.
“We’re getting to the rounded upper portion of the ridge and the slope isn’t as steep. It looks as though the pines have never been cut here. All direct light is shut out from the forest floor and there’s no underbrush at all. Just a springy floor of needles that’s open and spacious and easy hiking . . . . .. Time to get on with the Chautauqua and the second wave of crystallization, the metaphysical one. .. “
Heavily forested Mountainside seading up to a ridge, Gallatin National Forest, MT Here is another important clue on how to find the Narrator's probable route into these mountains: Look for pine forests that have not been cut for a long time prior to 1968. This should be in the Forest Service records. Also look for the absence of logging roads in general area. Stay away from the numerous logging access roads marked on the topo map. In fact one of these rough and ready logging roads was how I drove my car up to WayPt 500. Logging roads are marked with double dashed lines. Well traveled foot&bycycle trails are a single dashed line. You will see both on my Hypothetical Climbing Trail Map. Some of my photos used to illustrate this climb show relatively open forest with only small trees. This likely shows the re-growth after logging, since such photos were taken near the upper reach of a logging road. By contrast, some of these photos show wonderful high pines and dense dark forest. These were on steep slopes and a greater distance from the logging road. You may see an example of these great trees in previous photo 0070.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0048 ...... ZMM Page = 203 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 19 9050ft)

Deeper Into the Forest, the Dense Upper Branches Shut Out Sun Light. Thus Between the Trees It Is Open For Spacious Parklike Steady Climbing.
“I see a deer move about two hundred yards ahead and above us through the pines. I try to point it out to Chris, but by the time he looks it’s gone." “
Moving up along a ridge, Gallatin National Forest, MT Trail clues for field checks: Due to the dense forest canopyr and resulting openness between the trees at vision level, the Narrator can easily see a deer at 200 yards.
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(Photo = 108 0895c2 ...... ZMM Page = 207 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 20 9040ft)

The Climb Is Steep Enough To Require Special Foot Work.
“ Chris shouts, "When are we going to get to the top?" .. "Probably quite a way yet," I reply. .. "Will we see a lot?" .. "I think so. Look for blue sky between the trees. As long as we can’t see sky we know it’s a way yet. The light will come through the trees when we round the top." .. Last night’s rain has soaked this soft duff of needles sufficiently to make them good walking. Sometimes when it’s really dry on a slope like this they become slippery and you have to dig your feet into them edgewise or you’ll slide down. .. I say to Chris, "Isn’t it great when there’s no underbrush like this?" .. "Why isn’t there any?" he asks. .. "I think this area must never have been logged. When a forest is left alone like this for centuries, the trees shut out all the underbrush." .. "It’s like a park," Chris says. "You can sure see all around." His mood seems much better than yesterday. I think he’ll be a good traveler from here on. This forest silence improves anyone. .. “
Upward sloping ridge, Gallatin National Forest, MT Another trail clue: This slope is quiet and steep enough to require “dig your feet into them edgewise“ This tells us that perhaps they are following a sideways slant up the slope? Since this was not mentioned previously, it may mean this kind of steepness did not happen or is such an angle of approach not needed previously Of course the Narrator may be merely looking for a new way to tell the story. Or perhaps we should not read too much into this. Similar analysis could be applied to the Narrator's "Isn’t it great when there’s no underbrush like this?" Did this not happen previously, or we reading too much into this? Either way, these are possible field consistency check for the correct trail hypothesis.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0047 ...... ZMM Page = 213 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 21 980ft)

The Gradual Building of the Narrator’s Chautauqua Until They Will Reach a Dramatic Climax! Correspondingly Chris Will Reach the top of the Ridge and the Highest Point in His Mountain Climb
“"The sun of quality," he wrote, "does not revolve around the subjects and objects of our existence. It does not just passively illuminate them. It is not subordinate to them in any way. It has created them. They are subordinate to it! .. And at that point, when he wrote that, he knew he had reached some kind of culmination of thought he had been unconsciously striving for over a long period of time. .. "Blue sky!" shouts Chris. .. There it is, way above us, a narrow patch of blue through the trunks of the trees. .. We move faster and the patches of blue become larger and larger through the trees …. “
Getting Near the Top of Upper Cottonwood Canyon, Gallatin National Forest, MT.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0074 ...... ZMM Page = 215 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 22 9120ft)

They Break Into the Open and Make A Run For the Top of a Ridge!
“[We move faster and the patches of blue become larger and larger through the trees] and soon we see that the trees thin out to a bare spot at the summit. When the summit is about fifty yards away I say, "Let’s go!" and start to dash for it, throwing into the effort all the reserves of energy I’ve been saving. I give it everything I have, but Chris gains on me. Then he passes me, giggling. With the heavy load and high altitude we’re not setting any records but now we’re just charging up with all we have. .. Chris gets there first, while I just break out of the trees. He raises his arms and shouts, "The Winner!" .. Egotist. .. I’m breathing so hard when I arrive I can’t speak. The Top of a ridge on flank of mountain with snow. Upper Cottonwood Canyon, Gallatin National Forest, MT. If you search the internet for information re about these mountains in Gallatin National Forest you will find many sites that describe the trails to mountains that have Summer snow, such as Mt. Blackmore and Elephant Mountain. One such site said Mt. Blackmore was an old volcano. Well the rock shown in the next photo certainly looks like ancient lava!
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(Photo = Summer2006 0064 ...... ZMM Page =215 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 23 9160ft)

A Triple Climax: 1) The Narrator Has Achieved His Long Sought Key To Quality! 2) Chris, After His Long Struggle, Finally Achieves Triumph At the Ridge Top! and 3) The ZMM Narrative, correspondingly, Brings Us As Readers To a Dramatic High Point Of The Climb Narrative!
[He raises his arms and shouts, "The Winner!" .. Egotist. .. I’m breathing so hard when I arrive I can’t speak.] We just drop our packs from our shoulders and lie down against some rocks. The crust of the ground is dry from the sun, but underneath is mud from last night’s rain. Below us and miles away beyond the forested slopes and the fields beyond them is the Gallatin Valley. At one corner of the valley is Bozeman. A grasshopper jumps up from the rock and soars down and away from us over the trees. .. "We made it," Chris says. He is very happy. I am still too winded to answer. I take off my boots and socks which are soggy with sweat and set them out to dry on a rock. I stare at them meditatively as vapors from them rise up toward the sun. [End Chapter 20.]
Ridge Crest, Upper Cottonwood Canyon, Gallatin National Forest, MT According to one WebSite Mt. Blackmore is an old volcano. This is confirmed by the rock shown in this photo. It certainly looks like ancient lava! New topic: Note Narrator's location clue: Evidently they can see Bozeman from here or at least see in that direction. Yes! According to a GoogleEarth, a view of Bozeman, and the valley, is indeed possible from a ridge at flank of snow covered Mt. Blackmore. Click link next photo.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0002 ...... ZMM Page =216 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 23cont 9160ft)

The Narrator Studies the Route to the Snow. But He Is Badly Frightened By the Sounds Of a Rock Slides.
[Start Chapter 20]“ Evidently I’ve slept. The sun is hot. …. I look over the rock I’m leaning against and see Chris sound asleep on the other side. Way up above him the forest stops and barren grey rock leads into patches of snow. We can climb the back of this ridge straight up there, but it would be dangerous toward the top. I look up at the top of the mountain for a while. …. A sound of falling rock draws my attention over to one side of the mountain. Nothing moves. Completely still. .. It’s all right. You hear little rockslides like this all the time. .. Not so little sometimes, though. Avalanches start with little slides like that. If you’re above them or beside them, they’re interesting to watch. But if they’re above you...no help then. You just have to watch it come. .. “
Upper Cottonwood Canyon, Gallatin National Forest, MT. Click here for GoogleEarth View of Mt. Blackmore and ridge at its West flank. See Bozeman in distance & yel pin mark ZMM campsite. (Must first have GoogleEarth installed in your computer, link below.) Your computer will ask you to accept a download of a "..... ...277044549. kmz" file. Open in "GoogleEarth kmz(default) file", click ok. You can "fly" (mouse pull), change direction, or move higher. Great views. Try it! It is easy, comes up quickly, & lots of fun!

For the above you must have this free download installed in your computer.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0062 ...... ZMM Page = 216 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 23cont 9160ft)

The Mountains Look Peaceful, But the Narrator's Accelerating Bad Dreams and Threat of Avalanches Warn of Imminent Danger!
“As we walk along the summit toward the beginning of a ravine we hear another clattering sound of falling rock, much louder than the first one I heard just a while ago. I look up to see where it is. Still nothing. .. "What was that?" Chris asks. .. "Rockslide." .. We both stand still for a moment, listening. Chris asks, "Is there somebody up there?" .. "No, I think it’s just melting snow that’s loosening stones. When it’s really hot like this in the early part of the summer you hear a lot of small rockslides. Sometimes big ones. It’s part of the wearing down of the mountains." .. "I didn’t know mountains wore out." .. "Not wore out, wore down. They get rounded and gentle. These mountains are still unworn." .. Everywhere around us now, except above, the sides of the mountain are covered with blackish green of the forest. In the distance the forest looks like velvet. .. I say, "You look at these mountains now, and they look so permanent and peaceful, but they’re changing all the time and the changes aren’t always peaceful. Underneath us, beneath us here right now, there are forces that can tear this whole mountain apart." .. "Do they ever?" .. "Ever what?" .. "Tear the whole mountain apart?" .. "Yes," I say. Then I remember: "Not far from here there are nineteen people lying dead under millions of tons of rock. Everyone was amazed there were only nineteen." .. “
Lower End of Ridge Parallels Upper Cottonwood Canyon, Gallatin National Forest, MT.Location clue.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0069 ...... ZMM Page = 218 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 24 9120ft)

Better Not Climb to the Snow Today. They Start Their Way Down.
“Chris stares at the top of the mountain before us. "Didn’t they get any warning?" .. "I don’t know." .. "You’d think there’d be a warning." .. "Maybe there was." .. We walk to where the ridge we are on creases inward to the start of a ravine. I see that we can follow this ravine down and eventually find water in it. I start angling down now. .. Some more rocks clatter up above. Suddenly I’m frightened. .. "Chris," I say. .. "What?" .. "You know what I think?" .. "No, what?" .. "I think we’d be very smart if we let that mountaintop go for now and try it another summer." …. “
Toward a ravine on way down to, Hyalite Canyon, Gallatin National Forest, MT This was the 1959 Earthquake near Hebgen Lake and just west of Yellowstone NP. I was at this place Sept 06. Several photos will be placed in the YNP segment of my "Personal Experiences Along the ZMM Route". Note several location clues. Chris has struggled all this way. He is very close to the snow and the grandure of the very top of of the big mountain just up the slope. No wonder he will be dissapointed and resist the idea on going down!!
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(Photo = Summer2006 0034 ...... ZMM Page = 219 & 229 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 25cont 9100ft)

They Must Struggle Their Way Down Through Dense Underbrush!
“The descent is easy now but I see it will be steeper soon. It’s still open and sunny here but soon we’ll be in trees again. .. I don’t know what to make of all this weird talk at night except that it’s not good. …. Now we enter the trees again, and the sight of the mountaintop is obscured by their branches and I’m glad. …. From here on it looks like a slow descent. This slope has evidently been logged and there’s a lot of underbrush higher than our heads that makes it slow going. We’ll have to work our way around it.“
On the way down to Hyalite Creek, Gallatin National Forest, MT Note several location clues.
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(Photo = Summer2006 00147 ...... ZMM Page = 230 & 231 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 26 9800ft)

The Narrator and Chris Continue On An Extremely Difficult Way Down.
“We’re on steep mucky soil now that’s hard to keep a footing in. We grab branches and shrubs to steady ourselves. I take a step, then figure where my next step will be, then take this step, then look again. Soon the brush becomes so thick I see we will have to hack through it. I sit down while Chris gets the machete from the pack on my back. He hands it to me, then, hacking and chopping, I head into the brush. It’s slow going. Two or three branches must be cut for every step. It may go on like this for a long time. For the remainder of the afternoon we climb down over grey weathered trunks of deadfalls and angle back and forth on the steep slope.“
Moving down mucky soil in heavy underbrush, Hyalite Creek, Gallatin National Forest, MT Note several location clues.
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(Photo = Summer2006 0137 ...... ZMM Page = 230 & 231 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 27 9100ft)

The Narrator Reach a Cliff and Move Along It In Search for a Way Down.
“ We reach a cliff, angle along its edge in search of a way down, and eventually a narrow draw appears which we’re able to descend. It continues down through a rocky crevice in which there is a little rivulet. Shrubs and rocks and muck and roots of huge trees watered by the rivulet fill the crevice. Then we hear the roar of a much larger creek in the distance.“
Rocky Crevice, Just Above Hyalite Creek, Gallatin National Forest, MT Note many location clues as to where this route may have been. The narrator says they reach a cliff and it is bad enough that they must move along it in search for a way down. Although the previous WayPts I have shown on my Hypothetical Climbing Trail Map fit very well to the ZMM Narrative, many reasonable routes down to the nearest road with campers would be much easier than the one I have shown. An inexperienced person, not having a topo map, might well stumble onto a cliff. There are plenty over this way, but, the Narrator even in his emotional condition, should have been able avoid such a disaster! My Hypothetical Climbing Trail Map essentially shows a bumbling idiots way down. This does have a rugged cliff that, wherein there is a major mountain stream near enough to hear roar. This is of course upper Hyalite Creek.
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(Photo = Summer2006 00159 ...... ZMM Page = 230 & 231 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 28 8200ft)

Hyalite Creek and the Canyon Road Back To Bozeman Above the Dry Grass At Far Left.
“We cross the creek using a rope, which we leave behind, then on the road beyond find some other campers who give us a ride into town. .. In Bozeman it’s dark and late. Rather than wake up the DeWeeses and ask them to drive in, we check in at the main downtown hotel. Some tourists in the lobby stare at us. With my old Army clothes, walking stick, two-day beard and black beret I must look like some old-time Cuban revolutionary, in for a raid. .. In the hotel room we exhaustedly dump everything on the floor. I empty into a waste basket the stones picked up by my boots from the rushing water of the stream, then set the boots by a cold window to dry slowly. We collapse into the beds without a word. “(End Chapter 22.)
Hyalite Creek at a road, Gallatin National Forest, MT
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(Photo = Summer2006 0081 ...... ZMM Page = 232 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 29 6045ft)

On ~17 July 1968 the Narrator and Chris Had to Cross Raging Stream. This Photo Shows What It Might Have Looked Like! Southeast View, Upstream.
“ We cross the creek using a rope, which we leave behind, …. “
Hyalite Creek, Gallatin National Forest, MT Note several location clues. I Wonder If Any Remnant of the Rope (Or Hardware) Is Still There? By contrast with my 10 Sept photos of this stream, look how green and lush the summer Gallatin Mountains are! Also note how high the water is!!
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(Photo = 108-0862 ...... ZMM Page = 232 ...... WayPt = 199i24 ~6200ft …… Photo at WayPt = 215w)

Hyalite Creek Road Northwest View Downstream. The Road To Bozeman, Is Just Discernable Above The White Camp Trailer And At Far Right Above The Grass.
“ "
Hyalite Creek Road and Langhor Campground, Gallatin National Forest, MT By contrast with my previous 10 Sept 06 photos of this stream, look how high the water is!! Also note how green and lush the Summer Gallatin Mountains are! The Narrator’s Hotel, on Bozeman Main Street Downtown, was the Baxter Hotel, since torn down.
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(Photo = 108-0863 ...... ZMM Page = 232 ...... WayPt = 199i25 ~6230ft …… Photo at WayPt = 220x)

This Hike Trail Map Was Sent To Me By Author Robert Pirsig In Response to My Questions About Various Hiking Routes That Fit the Descriptions Given By the Narrator In the Book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (ZMM).
I have long wondered what actual mountain Climbing Route was followed by the ZMM Narrator after they left the DeWeess's at the Start of Chapter 16. This topic was included in a long series of letters between Robert Pirsig and myself in early 2007. (These are now shown in my Wiki pages. At bottom, click on "Home Page" then click on "Pirsig To From" in Left Menu.) Here is a brief synopsis: In January 07 Mr. Pirsig letter sent me this map saying "I'm attaching maps of ...... the route climbed from Cottonwood Canyon." When I pointed out that this map, shown above, did not very well fit the ZMM Narrative he stated subsequently that: "Your guess is as good as mine about the mountain route we took. I remember that the descent to the Hyalite canyon was extremely steep. Also Chris left his jacket behind. If anyone finds a brown cloth jacket with darker brown imitation leather sleeves that looks 38 years old he will have found our route. If it is still there it is probably down lower than the route you took. The ridge was dry then too.. We took our water with us. All this research into the ZMM route makes me feel prehistoric, but I suppose it helps the book move along." From this I began to see that the route actually followed by Mr. Pirsig and Chris may be considerably different from that we read into the ZMM Narrative. Mr. Pirsig says "yes" the physical scenery parts of the mountain climb Chapter 16 thru 21 are largely fictional.
You may study my "Hypothetical Climbing Trail" for the ZMM Narrative in the next three photos. Ridge between Cottonwood and Hialite Canyons, Gallatin National Forest, MT
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(Photo = ScanRobertPirsigColorMapMtClimbGalatinNF ...... ZMM Page = 227 ...... Photo at WayPt = NA)