The route; uphill for the entire 5km to the peak - no respite from gravity. This is a view of the main route that parallels, and then mimics, the avalanche chute remnant. Absolute difficulty to climb the snowy chute so I managed to find footholds along the edges and scramble along rock outcrops through the difficult narrows and steep places. And then...and then.....it began - the rocky scree-turned-bedrock slope that edged toward 80 degrees of angle. Intense.
Here is a better, and more just, explanation of the slope. This is just before the "steep" part that cost me a few years of life I am sure.
Walking on more suitable ground - above the steep part I now could take the time to stop, rest and realize the immensity of this range. This is June, please remember, as you stare past me into the background.
I almost turned around, but I pressed on. And I made it. Moments later the wind, snowfall and darkness came in and pushed me back downslope.
But I first stopped for some summit pictures...
A startling whistle caught my ear and I immediately set upon finding the 'Murray Ridge Marmot' (as I named it...). We had a brief conversation on the peak, and we then both went our ways.
The downhill trek was an adventure of glissading, falling and two moments where I had to plead with my muscles and nerves to hold on for just a few more steps to safety. Four hours up, one hour down - to the victor comes the spoils, and in my case it was a lone warm bottle of Nelson microbrew.
Then, after a nights sleep in Mackenzie, belly sated with pizza and rest, I set upon hike number two. I found a large, pronounced rock outcrop along the highway home and decided to stop. And I climbed. And it was good.
The view from the top...
Alpine meadow flower...
Me scrambling up the lower section. It became a tad rediculous near the mid section of this hike and I, with great happiness, found a more subtle route down!
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