upon his departure, the mountain would crumble and be destroyed. Climbing The eastern face of the mountain rises over vertically and the easiest route on this section is rated class 4 by mountaineers. The rock is also primarily sedimentary and provides poor anchor points, which in turn is a contributing factor to the difficulty rating. Henry Stimson and two other explorers, including a Blackfeet Indian, climbed the difficult eastern face on September 8, 1892, and this is the first known ascent of the peak by white explorers. Upon the summit, Stimson's party observed ceremonial remains including bison skulls that had been left behind by Native Americans. The eastern face of the peak was not successfully climbed again until 1951. Though the summit can be gained by approaching from the west, the easiest access is from the east, and the Blackfeet tribe may issue access permits to cross reservation lands. This entire area is sacred to the Blackfeet Native Americans. National Park Service visitor centers at St. Mary, Montana and at Many Glacier have additional information available. See also Rocky Mountains Ninaki Mountain Mountains and mountain ranges of Glacier National Park (U.S.) References Mountains of Glacier National Park (U.S.) Mountains of Glacier County, Montana Religious places of the indigenous peoples of North America Sacred mountains Lewis Range Mountains of Montana