It’s just a rock climb, right? That’s how it started out, anyway.

In 2015, Hayden Kennedy and I planned a 10-day trip to Mt. Hooker with the goal of establishing an independent route up the large and imposing northeast face. We reeled in Jesse Huey and Mike Pennings, and in August the four of us set out for adventure. This was my third trip to Mt. Hooker, and I was super excited to share all my knowledge with three amazing friends. 

That year, Hayden and I spent a total of six days climbing ground up, establishing seven entirely new pitches, and making it just over halfway up the 2,000’ wall (see AAJ 2016). With little time left, we were not able to take our line direct to the summit and we opted for a heavy traverse right to link up with Hook, Line, and Sinker (V 5.12, see AAJ 2015), a route Josh Wharton and I had established the previous year.  Hayden and I called our route Gamblin’ in the Winds, but it was obvious the full line had yet to be completed—we vowed to return and add the direct finish.

Exhausted by three seasons in a row of ground-up efforts on the mountain, I opted to take a season off and did not return in 2016. That summer, Hayden fell in love with a Bozeman girl named Inge Perkins and the year flew by. Things progressed, and in 2017 I got word from HK that he was moving to Bozeman to be with Inge. I was beyond excited—one of my best climbing partners would be living just a few doors down from me.

In October 2017, Hayden and Inge headed into the backcountry with the objective of skiing off the top of Imp Peak, a majestic mountain 14 miles up the Taylor Fork drainage in the Madison Range. That day tragedy struck, and Inge was buried in an avalanche. Hayden was partially buried and managed to dig himself out, but Inge’s avalanche beacon was switched off, and he was unable to find her after hours and hours of relentless digging. 

I believe Hayden’s soul left him that day at the scene of the accident, and his shell returned to Bozeman, where he ended up committing suicide that night. It was a day I will never forget, and I can’t express the sorrow I felt.

Gambling in the Winds, the project that Hayden and I had started together, now took on a whole new meaning. It became a focal point of sorrow and grief. Jesse, who was also close with Hayden, and I decided that it was our collective duty to see the line finished in honor of our dear friend.

In late summer of 2018, a large group came out to Mt. Hooker—Jesse and Maury Birdwell, myself and Jason Thompson, Hayden’s parents Michael and Julie Kennedy, and Hayden’s friends Steve Dilk and his wife, Julia Monroe. The goal that summer was to spend time in a place Hayden loved, and to channel our grief into finishing the route. But the entire trip was plagued by terrible weather, with full alpine conditions making climbing nearly impos

sible. Jason and I spent a week fixing lines up the original seven pitches, but by the end of the trip we hadn’t progressed any farther. Soul-crushing defeat joined the party of heavy emotions. Jesse and Maury were a few days behind us, and with the use of our fixed ropes they were able to push the route another pitch and a half higher, but soon time was up for the season.

With a strong push from my wife, Kimberly, we decided that 2019 was going to be a family trip into the Winds. She and the kids had heard enough about the beautiful Hooker cirque, and they wanted in on the action. At 8 and 10 years old, my kids Eli and Mya had finally reached the age where they could handle the long approach. 

I let go of my ego and my personal desire to complete the route and relinquished the direct finish to Jesse and Maury. It was such a refreshing feeling to plan this trip, as I had no huge goals other than to enjoy the place with my family and establish camp for the arrival of Jesse and Maury.

With the help of horse packers, we spent 10 days back there away from the world. I showed them all the secret spots, we caught fish, battled swarms of mosquitoes, ate great food, and reveled in the alpine environment. The weather was amazing—bluebird skies and warm temps, and a completely different feel from the year before. We may have even spotted Hayden and Inge soaring around as massive golden eagles.

On our last day in camp, Jesse and Maury showed up as planned. I handed them the torch and some extra supplies, and the next morning the Magro family departed for the trailhead. We had succeeded in our mission, and I could feel that the route was going to get finished. Over the next week, Jesse sent me messages from camp, updating me on their progress, and the excitement continued to build. Before long Maury and Jesse had topped out Gambling in the Winds via the direct finish; they established five new difficult pitches to reach Der Major ledge, which serves as the exit for many of the routes on the northeast face. They then freeclimbed the route from the ground over two days, with a portaledge bivy halfway up.

Though I knew Jesse and Maury would take it to the top, I already had planned for a quick return trip before the summer shut down, just in case. Now this would be a smash-and-grab mission to complete a one-day free ascent. No horses, no toiling, and no fixed lines. I invited my good friend Harrison Teuber from the Black Hills, and we planned for a four-day trip. After hiking in, we climbed the route to the top on day two, swinging leads, with the leader and follower both freeing every pitch. We had to pull the rope a few times to redpoint, but in the end the entire route took us about 10 hours. It was a moment of true bliss and provided me with a sense of closure.

Gambling in the Winds (V 5.12+) is a magnificent climb and is very sustained in the mid to upper 5.12 range, with a challenging mix of face and crack climbing on insanely good stone. It may just be a rock climb, but the route represents the team effort, friendship, and tragedy that we all shared in its establishment, and will serve as an enduring tribute to our friend Hayden for anyone who ventures out to this wild and beautiful place.

– Whit Magro