The Narrator 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 Leading 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.
….Places good for "N+C Hypothetical Climb Trail " will have 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 & bicycle trails, are a single dashed line. You will see both various places, on my Hypothetical Climbing Trail Topo 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 = September2006 0048 ...... ZMM Page = 203 ...... Photo simulate WayPt = N+C 13i ~7800ft = 7.45+0.3 mi fm DeWeese.)