Forum Index > Trip Reports > Peakbagging Canada - 21 Peaks - August 17 to Sept. 2, 2017
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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostTue Sep 05, 2017 5:25 pm 
August 17 Mount Robie Reid - 6873' Steven and I decided to start with Mount Robie Reid. This impressive peak rises abruptly between Golden Ears and Judge Howay. A few reports suggested 4th class or low 5th so we brought a rope. It was oppressively hot and humid, even in the early morning. I was quickly down to just shorts, but still sweating profusely. We hoped the clouds would clear in the afternoon, but it was not to be. We followed the road down, losing a lot of elevation until we found the climbers path above Alouette Lake. We followed the path to the base of the mountain. There were some unnecessary fixed lines along the way. From the base of the mountain to the summit was roughly 6400 feet of gain, mostly in the forest. It was steep.
crossing the moat
crossing the moat
class 4 step
class 4 step
We came to some clean granite slabs and then made an ascending traverse on snowfields. The final snowfields was steep enough to get the axes out and there was a tricky moat at the top. After crossing the moat we climbed a class 4 step to reach more slabs above. We followed ledges until we found the base of the first crux gully. We free climbed some low 5th rock left of the rappel gully.
Steven leading 2nd crux
Steven leading 2nd crux
Above we found the second crux gully. Steven led this with minimal protection and then belayed me up. It was mostly 4th class. We were still in a whiteout and I was glad Steven had studied the route so well. We came to a notch and turned right following some exposed ramps around a false summit. The final ridge was very pleasant and would be even better with views. On the return we rappelled the two gullies.
Robie Reid summit
Robie Reid summit
Stave Lake below
Stave Lake below
1st rappel
1st rappel
2nd rappel
2nd rappel
August 18 Vedder Peak - 3035' I was tired and sore after Robie Reid which surprised me because it doesn’t usually happen. Steven took the day off hiking and I went to bag some easy P2k’s. I started with Vedder and then tried to do the Canadian Sumas, but the road was closed for wildfire hazard.
August 19 Microwave Ridge aka Kafir Peak - 7592' Steven’s friend Jeff invited us to join him and other friends for Birkenhead which happened to be on my to-do list. My Subaru made it to the end of the road, but overheated once along the way. It’s by far the steepest road I’ve ever taken my car on. To get to Birkenhead you have to do a steep loose exposed traverse to reach the southeast ridge of Microwave Ridge which is known locally as Kafir Peak. Once on the ridge, there’s one loose gully to climb. We hiked along the crest of the ridge passing over Kafir and then I stashed my axe and helmet near the Kafir/Birkhorn col.
steep traverse
steep traverse
Microwave Ridge
Microwave Ridge
Birkenhead Peak - 8222' Continuing to follow ridges in an S pattern we came to the small upper north facing glacier. There was some fun scrambling along these ridges. In the summit register I saw that the last person to sign was my friend Rob, a week prior. I had hoped to connect with Rob and Greg Slayden on this trip, but it didn’t work out. Birkenhead had lovely views of all the other giant peaks in the area.
Birkenhead
Birkenhead
summit
summit
Rob!
Rob!
Birkhorn and Microwave
Birkhorn and Microwave
Truax
Truax
Gandalf, Aragorn, Chism, Plutus, Cadwallader
Gandalf, Aragorn, Chism, Plutus, Cadwallader
Sampson
Sampson
Matier, Slalok, Cirque, Cayoosh
Matier, Slalok, Cirque, Cayoosh
Nequatque, Marriot
Nequatque, Marriot
Birkhorn Peak - 7336' On the way back we decided to scramble up Birkhorn which is much easier than it looks from afar. It also has the best views of Kafir Peak. On the way back over Kafir Peak I looked high and low for my axe and helmet but couldn’t find it, even after backtracking. It’s possible that the two other guys we saw up there took it.
Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Microwave from Birkhorn
Microwave from Birkhorn
Whitecap
Whitecap
Crystal
Crystal
Birkhorn summit
Birkhorn summit
Joffre, Matier, Cayoosh
Joffre, Matier, Cayoosh
August 21 Frozen Boot Peak - 8461' The previous day Steven showed me the MEC store in Vancouver and I bought a new axe and helmet. He said he needed a new helmet as well and bought a matching one. We hiked the rugged trail up to the Harrison hut, marveling at Pylon Peak along the way. It took us 5 hours to get to the hut and around 10am I carefully observed the sun, but no sign of the eclipse. Too far north. We bushwhacked up behind the hut to gain the northwest ridge of Frozen Boot. After some minor scrambling we got to the summit and our first view of the Pemberton Icecap as well as Overseer. We scrambled down the southeast ridge.
Pylon Peak and Devastation Glacier
Pylon Peak and Devastation Glacier
Julian Harrsion hut
Julian Harrsion hut
Obelia, Polychrome, Devastator, Pylon, Job, Meager
Obelia, Polychrome, Devastator, Pylon, Job, Meager
Overseer west face
Overseer west face
Frozen Boot northwest ridge
Frozen Boot northwest ridge
summit pano with Zygo
summit pano with Zygo
summit pano with Uriah's Heap and Overseer
summit pano with Uriah's Heap and Overseer
Frozen Boot summit
Frozen Boot summit
Dalgleish, Lillooet, Mu, Pilon, Magaera, Alecto
Dalgleish, Lillooet, Mu, Pilon, Magaera, Alecto
Pilon, Magaera, Alecto, Bridge
Pilon, Magaera, Alecto, Bridge
Longspur,
Longspur,
Golden Calf
Golden Calf
Elaho
Elaho
Zygo Peak - 8606' We crossed the glacier and climbed the northeast ridge of Zygo, which started with narrow snow and ended with rock. The views from this peak were much better than Frozen Boot. I was really taken with Elaho Mountain. Afterward we descended back to the glacier and headed over to the base of Madhorse Mountain where we made camp on the glacier.
Zygo approach
Zygo approach
northeast ridge
northeast ridge
a real pleasure
a real pleasure
Pemberton Icecap
Pemberton Icecap
Zygo summit
Zygo summit
Elaho
Elaho
Zygo summit pano
Zygo summit pano
crossing the Madhorse Glacier
crossing the Madhorse Glacier
camping on the icecap with Golden Calf Peak in the distance
camping on the icecap with Golden Calf Peak in the distance
Madhorse Mountain - 8238' There was still enough daylight for one more peak, so we scrambled up the west ridge of Madhorse and waited on the summit to watch the sunset. I ate dinner up there. That night we were both cold even inside the 4 season tent. I woke up shivering.
Madhorse Mountain west ridge
Madhorse Mountain west ridge
Overseer summit block
Overseer summit block
Overseer
Overseer
waited for sunset on the summit of Madhorse
waited for sunset on the summit of Madhorse
Manatee, Dugong, Serenia, Wahoo Tower, Oluk, Dolphin
Manatee, Dugong, Serenia, Wahoo Tower, Oluk, Dolphin
August 22 Overseer Mountain - 9019' We traversed around Madhorse Mountain in the early morning, being cautious to avoid crevasses. To reach the southeast ridge of Overseer we had to scramble up terrible choss with big loose boulders. The ridge itself was narrow and exposed in places. It’s probably better to gain the ridge nearer to the peak. Going up the peak, we scrambled and climbed minor cliffs in a more or less direct line.
approaching the southeast ridge
approaching the southeast ridge
terrible choss to reach the ridge
terrible choss to reach the ridge
knifey and exposed in places
knifey and exposed in places
class 4 and low 5 avoidable if you go less direct
class 4 and low 5 avoidable if you go less direct
We came to the upper shoulder and the view of the summit block rising above us was impressive. Even more awe inspiring was the expansive icecap to the south, a sea of ice and mountains rising like waves. We scrambled around the right side of the summit block, keeping it class 3.
endless mountains, overwhelming
endless mountains, overwhelming
Pemberton Icecap
Pemberton Icecap
overlooking the standard approach which we skipped
overlooking the standard approach which we skipped
Overseer summit block
Overseer summit block
Spidery Peak
Spidery Peak
Meager foreground
Meager foreground
Athelstan
Athelstan
Elaho
Elaho
dressed for success with matching colors on Overseer summit  :lol:
dressed for success with matching colors on Overseer summit lol.gif
descending choss
descending choss
sketchy class 4 section on dirty slabs with a deep moat below
sketchy class 4 section on dirty slabs with a deep moat below
descending below the west face
descending below the west face
northeast side of Frozen Boot
northeast side of Frozen Boot

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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostTue Sep 05, 2017 5:25 pm 
Spidery Peak - 8780' After Overseer we returned to the glacier and contoured around the base of the mountain to access Spidery Peak. This was a big drop with substantial gain to get up and over a large moraine wall. The south ridge of Spidery was chossy at the bottom but really nice clean granite above that. We found a register, but no pencil.
Spidery
Spidery
mostly good rock
mostly good rock
Steven on Spidery summit
Steven on Spidery summit
Spidery summit register with no pencil
Spidery summit register with no pencil
Pebble, Luxuria, Delilah, Sessel, Sampson
Pebble, Luxuria, Delilah, Sessel, Sampson
Overseer north face
Overseer north face
Spider west face
Spider west face
Uriah's Heap - 8599' On the way over to Uriah’s Heap we had improving views of Spidery and Overseer. In my opinion, these peaks look better from the north. The summit was a giant boulder. It was clear that the weather pattern was changing. Clouds were building and getting darker. We discussed our options. The original plan was 3 days, but descending steep off-trail in the rain was not a safe option. We agreed to hike out that night, no matter how long it took.
approaching Uriah's Heap
approaching Uriah's Heap
Overseer
Overseer
Spidery
Spidery
Uriah's Heap
Uriah's Heap
Uriah's Heap summit
Uriah's Heap summit
Frozen Boot and Zygo on the right
Frozen Boot and Zygo on the right
Pika Peak - 8320' We descended the edge of the glacier and then scrambled the ridge to Pika. Rain was now inevitable. I just hoped we could get below the steep brush before it hit us. We descended the long ridge north of Pika. We bushwhacked for hours in the dark. Bugs attracted by headlamp were flying up my nose and into my ears. Coming to the top of a cliff in the dark is somehow very unsettling. Steven found a way around it. We made it to the car, dry.
final glacier crossing
final glacier crossing
nearing Pika Peak
nearing Pika Peak
Pika summit
Pika summit
Athelstan, Gothrum, Icemaker, Blockhead, Spindrift
Athelstan, Gothrum, Icemaker, Blockhead, Spindrift
Meager, Plinth
Meager, Plinth
August 25 Mount Douglas - 751' This was primarily a ferry and driving day, however we stopped at Mount Douglas to stretch the legs and get a view. It was really awesome to see Mount Baker and Mount Olympus from a totally new vantage.
Baker barely visible
Baker barely visible
Olympus beyond the city of Victoria
Olympus beyond the city of Victoria
August 25-28 Mount Burman - 5755' Golden Hinde is the highest peak on Vancouver Island. It’s a huge undertaking with something like 20,000 feet of accumulative. Most parties will require 4 or 5 days. Very few are lucky enough to make the summit on a clear. Our forecast looked golden, but we knew that in this region anything could happen. The previous night after drivning from Victoria we had hiked up above Arnica Lakes to camp on the ridge. We wanted to get the initial gain done in the cooler temperatures of evening. On the morning of the 26th we hiked up over the numerous bumps along Phillips Ridge. We couldn’t tell which was highest because we were in the clouds. Not much in the way of views.
Arnica Lakes
Arnica Lakes
lower Phillips Ridge camp
lower Phillips Ridge camp
Matchlee
Matchlee
We hiked and scrambled down to the Phillips/Greig col and the down below the outlet of Carter Lake. The bushwhacking reported turned out to be a trail. Back up to get to Carter Lake and then over to upper Carter and then Schjelderup Lake. We lost the trail briefly at the 3rd lake. Finally we traversed some wet slabs with exposure to reach the north ridge of Mount Burman where we established camp.
Carter Lake
Carter Lake
Golden Hinde above Schjelderup Lake
Golden Hinde above Schjelderup Lake
Schjelderup Lake
Schjelderup Lake
The Beehinde and Golden Hinde
The Beehinde and Golden Hinde
Golden Hinde with diagonal ascent gully visible
Golden Hinde with diagonal ascent gully visible
traversing slabs to Burman Ridge camp
traversing slabs to Burman Ridge camp
::)
smile.gif
:D
biggrin.gif
Burman Ridge camp
Burman Ridge camp
The sky cleared up and we had great visibility. Golden Hinde looked very impressive. Steven said he wanted to climb the nearby Beehinde after Golden Hinde. That afternoon we scrambled up Mount Burman. Steven took a direct line with a 5th class step. I tried it out but found the crux to be wet and slimy. I told him I’d meet him further up and went to explore the ledges of the west face.
Steven took a direct 5th class route up Burman, but I traversed around it becuase it was wet in the crux
Steven took a direct 5th class route up Burman, but I traversed around it becuase it was wet in the crux
Matchlee and Ms
Matchlee and Ms
Burman
Burman
Tom Taylor, Big Interior
Tom Taylor, Big Interior
Thelwood and Mariner
Thelwood and Mariner
McBride, Morrison Spire, Limestone Cap
McBride, Morrison Spire, Limestone Cap
Burman summit pano south
Burman summit pano south
Burman summit pano north
Burman summit pano north
Steven on Burman summit
Steven on Burman summit
tomorrow
tomorrow
Golden Hinde - 7208'
video link This was it! Summit day for a peak I’ve dreamed of for years. And the weather was golden! From camp we followed the ridge down to the north and then scrambled down into Burman Chasm, then up the far side. We came to the climbers tarn and ascended the talus slope behind it, watching for the notch near the top, to the right. It was easy to find.
first light on "the hinde"
first light on "the hinde"
Burman Lake
Burman Lake
descending into Burman Chasm
descending into Burman Chasm
climbers tarn
climbers tarn
notch where the traverse starts
notch where the traverse starts
From the notch we made an ascending traverse on ledges and talus slope. Some parties have made a mistake here and climbed the wrong gully too soon. You want to traverse all the way to the far side of the slope where the gully starts with some white rock. We scrambled up and then came to the permanent snowfield of 40 to 45 degrees. Steven jumped right up on the snow and started climbing fast. He’s a snow specialist of sorts.
white rock at the base of the diagonal gully
white rock at the base of the diagonal gully
permanent snowfield
permanent snowfield
I thought I’d be smart and go up inside the right hand moat. This was great for the first half, but ended with wet exposed slabs. I climbed up and out onto the snow and finished with crampons and axe. Above the snow, to the right of a notch in the ridge, was brief 4th class and then we were both in an upper gully angling more to the right. Lot’s of loose rock required caution.
The views on the summit were really mind-blowing. This island was like the Olympic Range on steroids. All around were peaks equal to the likes of Mount Constance. One could spend a lifetime’s weekends bagging peaks on Vancouver Island. And then we realized that the big peak across the water was Mount Waddington! We hung out for awhile and took it all in before returning.
summit view north, naming nearest first and furthest last, DeVoe, Piveto, Rambler, Colonel Foster, Elkhorn, Victoria
summit view north, naming nearest first and furthest last, DeVoe, Piveto, Rambler, Colonel Foster, Elkhorn, Victoria
nice lakes
nice lakes
Steven on Golden Hinde summit
Steven on Golden Hinde summit
Haig-Brown, Cobb, Filberg
Haig-Brown, Cobb, Filberg
Mount Waddington!!!   :eek:   Holy F**k
Mount Waddington!!! eek.gif Holy F**k
The Beehinde
The Beehinde
Matchlee and the ocean
Matchlee and the ocean
Elkhorn only a few meters lower than Golden Hinde
Elkhorn only a few meters lower than Golden Hinde
Splendor and the ocean
Splendor and the ocean
Mariner
Mariner
northwest face routes below
northwest face routes below
Rosseau
Rosseau
Victoria
Victoria
Colonel Foster
Colonel Foster
Golden Hinde summit
Golden Hinde summit
downclimbing
downclimbing
climbers tarn with Burman behind
climbers tarn with Burman behind
On the descent Steven went over to climb The Beehinde. It was hot and I had an inkling that the peak would prove to be 5th class. We didn’t have a rope and Steven is more comfortable with climbing than I am. For once, a dip in Burman Lake followed up by lazing around camp sounded more appealing.
Burman Lake
Burman Lake
Phillips Ridge - 5676' We started early, hoping to get as far as Phillips Ridge before the sun was up. This was going to be a long hot day. The route was the same as the way in, but this time we could see everything. We made sure to visit all the main peaks of Phillips Ridge including the east one of nearly equal height.
Schjelderup Lake
Schjelderup Lake
The Beehinde and golden Hinde from Philips Ridge
The Beehinde and golden Hinde from Philips Ridge
Matchlee and Ms
Matchlee and Ms
Phillips summit pano
Phillips summit pano
Phillips summit pano
Phillips summit pano
Big Interior
Big Interior
Phillips main peak seen from Phillips south peak
Phillips main peak seen from Phillips south peak
Rosseau and Myra
Rosseau and Myra
Steven on Phillips south peak summit
Steven on Phillips south peak summit

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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostTue Sep 05, 2017 5:25 pm 
August 29 Our original plans for the next peaks were stymied by road closures due to wildfire risk. The alternative we chose was Quadra Island. An easy day with easy hikes to rest up sounded great. We took another ferry and started the day at Rebecca Spit. I was sitting in the car eating when I heard the unmistakable sound of whales spouting nearby. I dropped my food and ran out to the beach. Humpbacks! I was ecstatic. I tried to wake Steven from his nap, but he was groggy and hardly interested.
Rebecca Spit sunrise
Rebecca Spit sunrise
Coastal Range peaks
Coastal Range peaks
Humpbacks!   :eek:
Humpbacks! eek.gif
spout
spout
close encounter
close encounter
Mount Seymour - 2031' Our first hike was the island highpoint. We passed some small lakes and I was tempted to swim, but a local informed me that there were leeches in the water. The geology on Quadra is interesting, clearly something different in origin from the main island. We spent an hour on the summit.
dumpster diving
dumpster diving
Nugedzi Lakes have leeches
Nugedzi Lakes have leeches
Seymour summit
Seymour summit
Mount Lolo - 715' Steven picked out this peak while we were studying maps. We drove as close as possible, calling it quits when we came to private property. We bushwhacked to reach the trail system that goes to Maud Island. The trail allowed access to the south ridge. We bushacked up through terrible but brief tangles. Everything was covered with a thick layer of dried moss. We scrambled class 3 and 4, all covered with moss. It was weird.
bushwhacking
bushwhacking
no parking
no parking
class 4 moss crux
class 4 moss crux
class 2 and 3 moss
class 2 and 3 moss
Steven on Mount Lolo
Steven on Mount Lolo
Seymour Narrows
Seymour Narrows
September 1 Brandywine Mountain - 7260' I suspect the dumpster diving left a bad taste in Steven ‘s mouth. He got an invitation to go do Mount Alberta in the Rockies, so we bid farewell. Steven is a very accomplished alpinist. He’s already done over 600 peaks and 44 of 56 Canadian Rockies 11,000ers. His climbing blog is inspirational and I suggest you check it out. I continued the remainder of my Coastal Range exploration solo. Next up was Brandywine Mountain. There are two trailheads, an upper and a lower. The upper trailhead saves you 1200 feet of gain but is only accessible by Jeep. I decided to see if the Subaru could handle it. I barely made it up there, dragging the bottom of the car and bumpers over rocks several times. When I saw the other vehicles in the parking lot I had to laugh at myself. I felt a sense of perverse pride parking in the line.
:rotf:
rotf.gif
The hike to Brandywine Meadows was very short. I crossed the meadows and went up to the southeast ridge. There were some super gnarly peaks visible up there including one I had been looking forward to seeing with my own eyes. Mount Fee and Mount Cayley share the volcanic origins of Garibaldi but have eroded into grotesque spires of pyroclastic material.
Brandywine summit at left
Brandywine summit at left
Brandywine Meadows
Brandywine Meadows
Garibaldi
Garibaldi
Castle Towers, Black Tusk
Castle Towers, Black Tusk
Tricouni with Alpha, Serratus, and Tantalus behind
Tricouni with Alpha, Serratus, and Tantalus behind
Mount Fee
Mount Fee
Garibaldi
Garibaldi
Ashlu
Ashlu
Brandywine summit ahead
Brandywine summit ahead
Brandywine
Brandywine
Pyroclastic Peak and Mount Cayley
Pyroclastic Peak and Mount Cayley
Local lore, which I have not been able to verify as fact, claims that Fred Beckey as well as other serious climbers over the years have attempted to climb Vulcan’s Thumb without success. One thing is certain, it remains unclimbed. Maybe we should send the Assassin Spire team up there to get it done.
Serratus, Tantalus, Pelion, Ossa
Serratus, Tantalus, Pelion, Ossa
the southeast glacier
the southeast glacier
Brandywine summit
Brandywine summit
Weart, Wedge, James Turner
Weart, Wedge, James Turner
Cayley
Cayley
Fee
Fee
Vulcan's Thumb, Pyroclastic Peak, Cayley
Vulcan's Thumb, Pyroclastic Peak, Cayley
Vulcan's Thumb is reported to be compacted volcanic ash and pyroclast material, too steep to hold snow in winter and impossible to protect with current climbing tools
Vulcan's Thumb is reported to be compacted volcanic ash and pyroclast material, too steep to hold snow in winter and impossible to protect with current climbing tools
I continued to follow the ridge along the edge of the southeast glacier. The views on the summit were great, but I wanted a closer look at the Cayley peaks, so I continued west a bit further, eventually halted by a small glacier. I could see more of the glacier below Cayley now and I was a little closer to Vulcan’s Thumb.
Brandywine summit pano southwest
Brandywine summit pano southwest
Brandywine summit pano northeast
Brandywine summit pano northeast
Rhododendron and Ipsoot
Rhododendron and Ipsoot
gnarly
gnarly
Fee with Pelion and Ossa behind on left
Fee with Pelion and Ossa behind on left
Brandywine west face
Brandywine west face
Fee
Fee
a closer look at Caylee
a closer look at Caylee
a closer look at Vulcan's Thumb and Pyroclastic Peak
a closer look at Vulcan's Thumb and Pyroclastic Peak
Castle Towers, Black Tusk
Castle Towers, Black Tusk
On the way back, right above the parking lot, I discovered a giant patch of huckleberries. I ate so many handfuls I almost made myself sick.
almost made myself sick
almost made myself sick
the red ones tasted like fruit punch
the red ones tasted like fruit punch
September 2 Parkhurst Mountain - 8176' This was the final day of my Canada trip. The wind was going to change and smoke would soon be filling the sky. It was also my 35th birthday, so I wanted something challenging. I decided to do Wedge Mountain as a daytrip. Wedge involves serious elevation gain and most parties require 3 days. If you do the route which avoids the glacier and goes over Parkhurst Mountain, as I was planning to do, it’s a lot of extra gain. I started at 2:40am and made it to Wedgemount Lake just before dawn. I tried to rock hop the outlet of the lake, but slipped and soaked one boot. 100 feet lower I found that the river fans out and sinks below talus for an easy crossing. I contoured the south side of the lake and then went to the upper small basin where I found a small lake not shown on the map.
Wedgemount Lake predawn
Wedgemount Lake predawn
Parkhurst above the upper lake
Parkhurst above the upper lake
Rethel northeast face
Rethel northeast face
glacier feeding upper lake
glacier feeding upper lake
I had expected the next part of the route to be navigationally challenging, but it was difficult in a way that I hadn’t expected. A lack of snow left exposed steep compacted dirt with loose rocks and boulders. To get to the Parkhurst/Rethel col you are supposed ascend steep snow ledges and ramps which work through the cliffs. But just getting up onto the first ledge was really a pain. It took me 20 minutes to figure out how to climb a steep rotten gully without launching a cascade of rocks on myself. Stemming did the trick.
route crux, took me 20 minutes to climb 50 feet of this stuff
route crux, took me 20 minutes to climb 50 feet of this stuff
looking down, everything falls out
looking down, everything falls out
On the first ledge I was surprised to find that there was very little snow present. It was mostly talus. The second ledge brought me to a diagonal ramp and from there I gained the col. Rethel looked impressive from the col. Low clouds obscured most of the views of the higher peaks.
key ramp to Parkhurst/Rethel col
key ramp to Parkhurst/Rethel col
Phalanx
Phalanx
Rethel
Rethel
Rethel
Rethel
Wedgemount Lakes below
Wedgemount Lakes below
Spearhead traverse peaks
Spearhead traverse peaks
Rethel from Parkhurt
Rethel from Parkhurt
Parkhurst summit with Wedge in the clouds
Parkhurst summit with Wedge in the clouds
Weart partially cloud hidden
Weart partially cloud hidden
Wedge Mountain - 9488' I followed the northwest ridge to the summit of Parkhurst and then continued down toward the Parkhurst/Wedge saddle. When I was nearly to the saddle I saw some folks coming up from the glacier. I started talking to one of them and just about fell over when I realized it was Martin Shetter. There were two other people in the group I have also hiked with before as well as two that I’ve always wanted to hike with and one I was unfamiliar with. I couldn’t help but feel like this was some kind of birthday surprise party. I look up to this group as very experienced and it was really a pleasure to hike together on the way to the summit.
Birthday surprise!  I can't believe it.
Birthday surprise! I can't believe it.
We had to drop down again and traverse below the northwest face to reach the west ridge. The northwest face was shedding rocks and boulders at intervals and we didn’t waste any time there. A direct line to the ridge crest involved a steep snow climb. I was happy to lead it despite having only carried micro-spikes while the rest of the group had crampons. It was just soft enough to kick shallow steps. We all left our axes and traction devices at the top of the snow.
leading up hard snow with micros, everyone else had crampons
leading up hard snow with micros, everyone else had crampons
The west ridge of Wedge is a lot of loose talus. You have to be careful with your footing and that you don’t send rocks down on someone. Steven had warned me that people had died from refrigerator sized rocks moving up there. We all wore helmets. I was the first on the summit. There was still a lot of cloud coverage, but I could see a fair amount. I tried to wait for the whole group to get there, but I felt the pressure of making it all the way back to the trailhead, so after a long break I started back down.
Wedge west ridge
Wedge west ridge
more loose blocks
more loose blocks
summit in clouds
summit in clouds
35!
35!
summit pano during brief clearing
summit pano during brief clearing
James Turner
James Turner
Weart
Weart
Black Tusk with Alpha, Serratus and Tantalus behind
Black Tusk with Alpha, Serratus and Tantalus behind
Garibaldi
Garibaldi
I made fast time getting back to Parkhurst summit and took a few photos before descending to the col. I was sorely tempted to do Rethel, but daylight hours were now short and I knew that I would make much faster progress down in the forest with real daylight. Navigating over tree roots on the trail was slower work with a headlamp.
Wedge west wall below the west ridge
Wedge west wall below the west ridge
Wedge north face
Wedge north face
Weart from Parkhurst summit
Weart from Parkhurst summit
Wedge summit zoom
Wedge summit zoom
Rethel tempting me
Rethel tempting me
Wedgemount Lake outlet
Wedgemount Lake outlet
At the outlet of the lake a helicopter flew over me heading toward where I left the group. It worried me that maybe there had been an accident, but later I found out that they were all ok. I made it most of the way down before dark and only used the headlamp for the last half-hour.

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raising3hikers
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PostTue Sep 05, 2017 5:48 pm 
those are some nice looking mtns up there! thanks for sharing up.gif

Eric Eames
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Jim Dockery
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PostTue Sep 05, 2017 6:50 pm 
Way to get after it, that's a whole lotta peaks! up.gif

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RichP
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PostTue Sep 05, 2017 6:57 pm 
Excellent. cool.gif

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olderthanIusedtobe
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PostTue Sep 05, 2017 7:57 pm 
Wow, you saw a lot of amazing places up there it looks like! up.gif I know I don't know Canada very well...but I'm just at a loss trying to take it all in. If you run out of peaks in Washington to climb our neighbors to the north can keep you busy for quite a while.

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awilsondc
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PostTue Sep 05, 2017 8:23 pm 
Great stuff! I was looking forward to this report, and it did not disappoint! Great scenery. I really need to get up there to Canada. up.gif up.gif up.gif

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Fletcher
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PostTue Sep 05, 2017 8:44 pm 
rocker.gif rocker.gif rocker.gif

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Gimpilator
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PostThu Sep 07, 2017 12:40 pm 
olderthanIusedtobe wrote:
Wow, you saw a lot of amazing places up there it looks like! up.gif I know I don't know Canada very well...but I'm just at a loss trying to take it all in. If you run out of peaks in Washington to climb our neighbors to the north can keep you busy for quite a while.
The feeling of being at a loss is exactly what I experience every time I go up there. It's totally baffling how much there is to explore in the Coastal Range. It really drives home the point of how short life is.
Imagine the best of the North Cascades. Imagine what it must have been like hundreds of years ago when large glaciers still flowed down into valleys. Now add to that numerous icecaps and multiply the total land area by 100. That's the Coastal Range. A lot of peaks in remote areas have very few or no ascents and would require real expeditions. Now here is the kicker. For someone living in the Seattle area, many of the good peaks in the southern end of the range require less driving time than going to the east side of the Cascades. Something to think about.

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PostSat Sep 09, 2017 12:00 pm 
Thanks for the great trip Adam. Once the rain really starts to fall hopefully I can catch my own trip reports up. Just came back from a successful ascent of the Japanese Route on Mt. Alberta (Alpine V, 5.6).. By no doubt the biggest prize of the 11,000ers of Canadian Rockies. Will have to work on that trip report first though..

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Snidely Whiplash
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PostSat Sep 09, 2017 1:11 pm 
That is just inspirational! Wedge, Parkhurst, Rethel in a day???? I don't know how you do it, but my hat's off to you. Great views. Makes me jealous about Brandywine. We couldn't see nearly what you could due to all of the smoke. That's been the name of the game this summer I guess.

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Snowdog
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PostMon Sep 11, 2017 9:05 am 
Terrific report! I would have been with Matt, Don, Carla & co. if I hadn't just been up there a few days prior. You are so right about the Coast range- so heavily glaciated compared to our N. Cascades. So many mountains, so little time! And your pics are great too! Every.single.one. up.gif Thanks for the write up!

'we don't have time for a shortcut'
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tekewin
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PostWed Sep 13, 2017 8:04 pm 
More awesome reporting on awesome trips! Thanks for putting this together. The Overseer, what a peak! The report was so good, I am going to ask you do more reporting work. Have you ever thought about aggregating all of your nwhikers reports in some kind of index? It would be really useful to everyone that follows your adventures or wants to follow in your footsteps. Maybe an alphabetical page that links the related nkhikers forum page? Something to do if you get bored or stuck at home. Thanks again!!

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silence
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PostThu Sep 14, 2017 3:31 pm 
Wow! up.gif up.gif up.gif up.gif up.gif

PHOTOS FILMS Keep a good head and always carry a light bulb. – Bob Dylan
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Forum Index > Trip Reports > Peakbagging Canada - 21 Peaks - August 17 to Sept. 2, 2017
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