Advertisement
Published: September 30th 2008
Edit Blog Post
Well, the summer is over. It's hard to believe since we never really felt like it got started! We can't complain too much - we've still got to do lots of great things these last few months, but I think there were maybe two weeks so far this year where I haven't had to wear a jumper! It's not right!
So to update on the last few months, here are our highlights:
McGilivray Slabs Our first multi-pitch climb. Jamie was so hyped up, I was so nervous, but we made it to the top! All four pitches! Exciting enough for it to have its very own blog.
Ha Ling Peak So this mountain totally kicked our ass, but we learnt a lot from it. It was 10 pitches, ranging from 5.5 to 5.6, but for some reason it seemed a lot scarier than it should have been. It was one of our first multi-pitch climbs with trad gear, which did seem to increase the fear quotient (particular when a piece of gear came out, flying down the rope and hitting me on the knuckle). It also rained when were were about half-way
up, making the rock quite slippery, and in the end we decided to rapell down. Still didn't get home until 11.30pm, making it a very long day. But we did learn a lot, including:
1. Always start the climb earlier than you think you need to.
2. Trad climbs are harder than sport in terms of route finding - no tell-tale bolts to give the route away.
3. ALWAYS take the topo with you. Don't think the written guide will be enough - pictures will save you
ages of wandering around wondering where your climb starts.
4. NEVER take video of Donna while she's having a panic attack and rapelling 60m down a mountain.
5. Tim Hortons is still open at 11.30 at night!!
Mum's visit We were lucky enough to have mum come for another visit this summer, so we spent two weekends travelling around the Rockies and trying to fit in as much as possible. Definite highlights - mum finally meeting her mountie, and our canoe trip on Morraine Lake.
Grassi Lakes We took a few trips to Canmore, and this was one of the
best places to climb. Stunning scenery and climbs ranging from 5.5 to 5.11+. Enough to keep both of us happy and challenged. I have a feeling that this might be the place where I finally start to lead climb - I've bought my quick draws in preparation...
Kayaking Maligne Lake Coronet Creek is easily one of the most beautiful places in Jasper. Waking up after a night of bear-free sleep and seeing the mountains was awesome.
Morro Peak We had a go at the Guides Route on Morro Peak at the beginning of September. The weather was pretty good (i.e. not snowing) and we had a car, saving us the 20km bike ride to the trail head. The clmb was fantastic - 7 pitches ranging from 5.5 to 5.7. The rock was loose in places, making it a bit unsettling, but we both agreed on our favourite pitch - 5.7, climbing on an arete. There was a feeling of exposure and the climb was really interesting. I felt like a rock star!
Indian Ridge This is a nice scramble on the ridge behind Whistler's Mountain. We rode
our bikes up to the tram, so by the time we got there, I was already exhausted! Because it was summer we had a long wait for the tram, which gave us time to rest and get ready for the scramble. The views were amazing. We hiked up to the summit of Whistler's, with 360 degree views of the mountains, including Mt Robson. After the summit, you hike down to an alpine meadow, before starting the approach to Indian Ridge. The approach to the ridge was very cool and interesting (and very steep!) , but right before the ridge-line was a huge cornice of snow and ice. We weren't sure about how stable it would be and had to turn back. A bit disappointing, but the views were still fantastic. And I've never seen a cornice up close before!
Zara and Simon's visit Zara and I used to work together back in the UK, and then earlier this year she moved to Vancouver. On the long weekend in August, Zara and Simon came and spent a few days in Jasper and we had a ball - we were almost tempted to move straight to Vancouver! We
hiked up the Sulphur Skyline Trail, and then spent ages soaking at the Miette Hotsprings. Then on Sunday we took them climbing at Morro Peak - they're now totally psyched up for a go on The Chief in Squamish!
Sunrise at Pyramid Lake If there was a contest between Coronet Creek and Pyramid Lake as the most beautiful spot in Jasper, Pyramid might win. Mostly because it's so accessible, and every time I've been out there it's different. I've seen grizzly bears, giant bull elk, ospreys and heard wolves calling to each other in the woods. When the sun comes over the mountains, the lake turns a golden colour and the water is so smooth and glassy, that Pyramid Mountain is perfectly reflected. And when you stand on the bridge to Pyramid Island, you can really feel the awesome expanse of the lake. This would have to be my favourite spot in Jasper.
Old Man This summer's nemesis. We tried twice on this one earlier in the summer, and both times became hideously lost. Wandering around in the bush, climbing over fallen trees until eventually we either a) run out of water
or b) become totally exhausted and demoralised. Fun huh? The other day Jamie was at work and talking to a friend and it turned out we've been on the wrong trail. So we gave it another shot, and lo and behold, made it to the summit! It was the best possible day for it, with snow on the ridge and the surrounding peaks. Blue skies and sunshine just emphasised the beauty of it, it was perfect. And we appreciated it all the more for our two failed attempts.
Edith Cavell A few weekends ago, we went to check out Edith Cavell. Jamie and I have a dream of climbing the east ridge, but we're not quite ready yet. So went to have a look (and maybe a bit of a dream). It really is an awesome mountain, and the angel glacier is very cool to see. Throughout the afternoon we could hear avalanches on the glacier, and even got to see a smallish one. It looked small, but the sound was impressive! As the ice and rock falls, it echoes around the valley in surround sound...very cool. The Path of the Glacier is a nice easy
hike, and at Cavell Pond you can see small icebergs that have calved off one of the glaciers. There are also some really interesting ice caves at the bottom of the glacier. We had a bit of an explore - one of the caves goes really far back into the mountain. Jamie was interested in exploring a bit deeper, but I've seen enough X-files episodes to know what goes on in the back of ice caves, so we gave that one a miss.
The Tonquin Valley trail head also has impressive views of Cavell Lake and Edith Cavell - postcard perfect pictures.
Lakes Annette and Edith On those (sadly few) hot summer days, Jamie and I would ride our bikes down to the Lakes for a BBQ. Make up a batch of Thai Pork burgers, take a few beers and finish it all off with Smores...it really doesn't get any better than that!
So that's our summer. It's sad that it's coming to and end, but we can already feel the snow in the air, and we're gearing up for another winter in Jasper. Snowboarding (my goal is to make it
down a run without falling on my ass), ice climbing, cross country skiing, and ice skating - a whole new set of adventures.
We also have a trip to the UK coming up in Oct/Nov, so we're really looking forward to catching up with family and friends in England and Ireland. It's going to be another busy year I think!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.159s; Tpl: 0.017s; cc: 12; qc: 50; dbt: 0.069s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb