Granite Peak

So two weeks ago he ventured to the granite peak of Slieve Binnian, the third-highest of the Mourne Mountains in County Down - one more roll of the dice in an attempt to reignite his passion.

I had never been so glad to see a picnic table, much less a shock of wildflowers and the actually stunning Granite Peak, easy to identify by the lookout on top.

At an elevation of 12,808 feet, Granite Peak is Montana’s highest point and is considered one of the most difficult in the United States to summit because of the long hike to get to its base, a plateau known as Froze to Death.

“Granite Peak is one of the few mountains I’ve climbed multiple times,” Lemke added.

The wind, the difficulty of flying rescues on Granite Peak and limited helicopter availability due to a fire north of Bozeman required rescuers to wait until Sunday.