August 2015
This is when the MMA announcers talk about going into the ‘championship rounds’. If you plan on going the distance in these rounds then you had better make sure that you have the fitness for it.
Anything that is not forbidden is mandatory.
– T.H. White, The Once and Future King
It’s been a good few years since round three. And actually I’m not sure if the years were really good, but there sure have been a kindly good number of them. Even more years have passed since round one. Thirteen if you have been counting. A lot of personal changes with all of us have happened since then. Hell, some of our little band weren’t even climbers when Bill and I first tried it that stormy day so many years ago. But without a doubt the most significant change is age. I worked out like a man possessed to get in shape for this trip. And I’ve tried to recount that story elsewhere. The training all went well at the start, but sort of fizzled out by the end. I can’t really comment on what the others did. So the adage about old age and treachery may actually be applicable here.
I’m not as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was
– Toby Keith
Renee had her own set of wacky adventures regarding a last minute passport snafu but was finally able to finagle a last minute flight to Edmonton where I met her and Kevin at the airport. It was like putting together a puzzle but we managed to cram all of our gear into Kevin’s trusty Honda civic. The lawn chairs and the cooler didn’t make the cut. The person riding in the back seat had a cozy little nest, that’s for sure. We pointed the car west and headed out on the Yellowhead to Jasper. We were excited, but at the same time apprehensive about both the weather, and our fitness. We actually got some fair amount of rain on the drive in. Bill, just back from Iceland, had driven up from Vancouver earlier in the day and was waiting for us in the campground. We set up camp and Kevin took on the role of kitchen mechanic and cooked us up a mess of tasty pasta that we wolfed down in short order. Then we deliberated. The forecast was calling for good weather the following day; Sunday, and on Monday. But mountain weather as you know can be so fickle. Our dilemma was that we were all a bit shagged from our recent travels and we had next to zero acclimatization, all of us coming in from mostly sea level. Would it be prudent to try and haul ass up a 3,300 metre mountain the next day? Or do we wait a day with the promise of a good weather day on the Monday? We all weighed in on the situation. There is some offbeat and arcane form of internal calculus climbers have. We used some of that in conjunction with about 105 years of combined climbing experience and in the end we decided to go for it in the morning. With that sorted out we loaded our packs and rolled out early.
Alarms were set for 0300 and that came far too prematurely. Kevin admitted to not actually sleeping much at all. We choked down some oatmeal or grungeola and were soon on the road. Our preparations the night before served us well, as we were able to basically hit the ground running once we reached the parking lot. I was surprised by the number of vehicles there, and at the same time somewhat dismayed with the prospect of it being a crowded route today. It was around 0400 when we started up the trail by head-torch. It never ceases to be a grind up to the col; it seems to get worse each time, and this was my sixth trip up there. Slogging up moraines, steep snow, and scree. To our surprise however we couldn’t see anyone ahead of us. Just below the col though, we were passed by a fast moving and competent looking solo climber.
Approaching the col
This was hard work, and most of us were hurting already; physically and/or mentally. Some of us were starting to have unvoiced and even voiced thoughts about stopping and turning back at the col; but once we arrived there the thought of all that work just to get to that point seemed to erase that notion pretty damn quick. Even though it was still a very long ways off, we had all caught the scent of the summit at this point and the game was on. We had a brief snack with the nearly full moon setting behind the ridge to the west and the rising sun at our backs. The solo climber rapidly outpaced us and had soon vanished in the enormity and complexity of the ridge above us. We continued up over ground that was familiar to most of us, and we never saw him again. The climbing was generally third class with one stiff fourth or low fifth class section through a gully. The very spot we had been defeated back in 2008. Above this section we headed up some reasonably steep snow, requiring us to unleash the ice axes and kick steps. The snow was in perfect condition for doing this mind you, and there was no need for crampons at all. That was another kilo each that we could have left on the ground; but you never know; if it had been icy we would have needed them.
Topping out on the lower ridge
Looking at the upper ridge
Above the snow there was another hundred metres or so of enjoyable and mostly third class rock until we reached the bench where the ridge levels out somewhat. In 2002 this bench had been mostly snow covered; now it was mostly rock. At present we could now see the entire upper ridge above us glowing orange in the early morning sun. It is tremendously foreshortened so it looked godawful steep and very daunting indeed. But thankfully it was pretty much free of snow. So where in 2002, Bill and I had roped up, there was no such need at this time and we were able to ‘third class’ up the lower part of the upper ridge. The rock was mostly solid blocky quartzite although there were loose sections and continuous care had to be taken to test holds. But still, some of the best rock in the range. We knew that it was an exceptional treat to be climbing on it; especially in such dry and warm conditions.
The chimney pitch
The first real ‘difficulty’ was a little chimney of sorts that was maybe 5.3, but we all were able to easily dispatch it un-roped. As bad-luck would have it just as Renee was exiting the chimney the ice axe loop on her pack broke and the axe fell to the base of that section. Luckily it did not bounce off of the precipitous north side. There were two solid pins where we were at the top of the chimney, so we quickly rigged a rappel and Kevin descended and retrieved the axe. He re-climbed the pitch whilst we hauled and re-coiled the rope. A pointedly worded e-mail will be sent to the pack manufacturer I’m sure. Above this there was a steep and pretty stiff fourth class section that deposited us at the base of the ‘tower’. This is where we decided to pull out the ropes and gear and also where a fast party of four caught up with us. Because of their speed we let them pass us, but they also took the opportunity and made the prudent choice to rope up here. They seemed like they had a couple of fairly competent climbers in their group, and were equipped much lighter than we were. If conditions had been much different or happened to rapidly change they might have been in for a spot of bother though.
The crux pitch
We climbed as two ropes of two, with Renee and Bill on one rope, and Kevin and me on the other. There was no stopping Renee and she did not hesitate to rack up and take the lead. Our plan was for each team to simul-climb and that is what we did. The first ten metres or so had some challenging moves, especially doing them in mountain boots. Once Renee had put in three or so pieces, Bill started out behind her. I offered Kevin the lead and he accepted, and started out a few metres to the right of Bill just after he set off. This was a great pitch. It had steep solid rock and fantastic exposure, but it ended all too soon unfortunately. This was the type of pitch that you wanted to go on forever. Atop the pillar the angle eased slightly but we remained roped together. We did coil the ropes to shorten the distance between us however. There was still a surprising amount of elevation to gain and the rock quality had changed noticeably to loose and exposed class four. We could now see the summit snowfields, and although we still had considerable ground to cover, we also knew that there were no obstacles to prevent us from summiting, which we did at about 1330 hrs.
Good times
Although there were a fair number of clouds by now, they were high and the views were magnificent in all directions. By this point we had some time to discuss our various descent options; of which there were really only two (unless someone had secretly packed some paragliders). These being, descend via our ascent route or by the west ridge. The challenges to the East Ridge would involve a significant amount of tricky down-climbing steep and loose class four, as well as at least three rappel sections, and some down-climbing of steep snow. With a group of four as we were this would take a considerable amount of time to accomplish, with a definite amount of rock fall risk. The other option involved descending the West Ridge. This is a non-technical descent but involves a huge amount of loose scree and many kilometers of hiking through one of the most Grizzly bear inhabited areas of the Banff-Jasper National Park. It does involve a certain degree of route finding as well. I had actually ascended and descended this route with the Desert Mountaineer way, way back in 1988. But of course as good as my memory is, it’s awful short, and was of no use to us in this situation.
We chose the latter option and weren’t planning to linger on the summit but to get outta Dodge; even so we were there twenty minutes or thereabouts, eating, drinking, making adjustments to clothing and taking photos.
What happened next is interesting and where the wheels came off the cart, but only a bit. You see, there were these four jamokes that were just getting ready to top out on the summit after coming up the west ridge route. We asked them for beta on the descent which they gladly provided. Just follow this ridge you are on and go left at the end of it and down to the lake; or words to that effect. We did that, although it seemed to conflict both with what we had as a route description and with common sense. After descending a fair ways we realised that we were in a bit of a jackpot, or soon would be, and this was more or less a ‘south’ rib that ended in steep loose cliff bands and likely a whole world of hurt if we were to continue. Upon reflecting upon our situation and re-reading the description we had, Bill scouted out a possible traverse to the west ridge proper. After a few minutes we got the thumbs up from him and began to move. What followed was about 45 minutes of character building side-hill gouging across a very loose scree field until we were deposited on the west ridge. The aforementioned jamokes had begun their descent by this time, were also knocking some loose stuff in the direction of Renee and Kevin, but they made the traverse unscathed by rock fall. We were all pretty pissed. Partly at the jamokes and their bad directions, partly at ourselves for following their directions in the first place instead of our gut feel (and route description) but mostly at the jamokes…just because. We kept our cool as they passed us. Doing that was the hardest part of the climb for me.
At least we were now back on route but facing endless scree. I was out in lead trying to keep an eye on these clowns, who were in front of us by now, when I heard Kevin scream ‘rock, rock!’ I had to look up to assess the situation and what I saw was not good. There was a microwave size rock (that for some reason has become a common term for sizing falling rocks by the way) cartwheeling this way and that but mostly this, and mostly in my direction. I had to make a mad sideways dash to the right to avoid being nailed by that sucker which probably would have ended my days or at least have left me seriously fucked up. In doing so however I rammed my right knee hard against another rock that left me sore for days afterwards.
By and by and after almost three kilometers of descending the ridge, the four of us made it to the meadows in one piece. Except for one of Bills boots, which made it there in two pieces. His sole had delaminated. (This is decidedly better than having your soul delaminate) Fortunately I always have the handyman’s secret weapon… a supply of duct tape and gaffers tape wrapped around a water bottle. We were able to affect some hasty emergency repairs, which amazingly lasted him for the march out. And it was a march. Nine long kilometers from the meadows to the trailhead. The meadows and forest were very pretty I’m sure, but we were just too dog-tired to appreciate any of it. As mentioned before this is also prime Grizzly territory. We tried to keep together in a tight group as much as possible but it was difficult. Even though we were all moving slowly we were all moving at our own personal slow. Before we rounded corners in the trail or crested hills we would clap our hands and were singing songs, to alert any ursines that were out and about, of our approach. We had bear spray back in the car; but because of weight would not have taken it on the climb in any event. The only encounter we had was with a big pile of bear poop on the trail. After some tortuous hours we finally hit the road at the Tonquin Valley loop trailhead; where indeed we saw the sign advising of trail restrictions due to Grizzly activity.
Start of the long march out
If you recall however, we actually had started in the morning at the parking lot by Angel Lake and we were now down by Cavell Lake. Our cars were two or three kilometers up-road. Bill and Kevin graciously offered to hike up to the cars while Renee and the mosquitoes and I guarded the packs. Seventeen plus hours was a long day in the mountains.
As we waited, there was a brief and interesting encounter with a girl in a bikini and pick-up truck that I can’t quite find the best way to articulate. So I’ll just leave it at that.
We made the quick drive back to the campground where awaiting us was our dear friend KK who had come up to hang out with us for a few days. We scarfed down some hot grub he prepared and had a tasty adult beverage. I tell you…It sure felt good to prone the body that night. We were all pretty flogged from our big day so we spent the next few days licking our wounds and plotting our next moves. KK and Renee got a nice road ride in up Mt Robson way. Because not only did he bring beer and amazing coffee, he brought a couple of bikes as well! We also languished a bit in Jasper spending our hard earned toad-skins drinking coffee at Coco’s and at our obligatory stop in the Athabaska Hotel for beer and pool. Now of course if we had been actually thinking… we could have put these ‘rest-days’ to good use and sussed out the approach to the North Face route, instead of squandering them on cheap thrills in town.
The final little adventure on this trip came when we were leaving our campground on the last day headed south to Lake Louise. The car battery was dead… presumably from us watching too many climbing videos the night before…
Daybreak to back break for a God-given dollar, said Billy. I love this life. You love this life, son? I love this life. You do love this life don’t you? Cause by God I love it. Just love it.
– Billy Parham, Cities of the Plain
For those interested in the climbing gear required…
We took lightweight alpine ice axes and used them. We took heavy crampons and did not use them. (Although as mentioned this would depend upon conditions. If the snow sections had have been icy they would have been absolutely necessary.) Each team had a small rack of gear including some wired nuts, a few cams, a few tri-cams, and a couple of hexes. This was rounded out by some alpine draws. We also carried some bail slings and rappel rings although as you have read we did not have occasion or need to use them. For ropes we had a set of Mammut 7.5mm Dry Half/Twin ropes. What we did was to use one of these ropes doubled for each team. Helmets of course were mandatory, and the usual array of personal gear and clothing suitable for an alpine environment, along with a very meager first aid kit. We all wore standard issue mountain boots. I took about 2.5 litres of fluid; (water in a bladder and cytomax in a Nalgene bottle.) Fortunately we found a safe location on the ascent and one on the descent to top up our water bottles with snowmelt, so we did not risk dehydration. Based on the two well situated opportunities to refill, I would probably consider only taking 1.5 litres if I had to do it all over.
I wore thin softshell climbing pants. On top I had a long sleeve Capilene shirt, and a superlight Windstopper vest. At belays and on the summit I put on a Patagonia R5 fleece. Additionally I had gloves, a Patagonia Nanopuff jacket and a lightweight Marmot Precip jacket. This all stayed in the Patagonia 35L Ascentionist pack I was using along with the excess food I had brought along. Gear, food, and clothing that were not used probably totaled close to 4 lbs. Ouch!
If you are thinking about going there…
There is no exaggeration in claiming that this is indeed one of the ‘classic’ and most sought-after climbs in the Canadian Rockies. But do not let its modest grade III 5.3 rating lure you into a false sense of security. This is a big climb; almost 1,200 meters worth of climbing; and close to 400 meters of elevation gain on the approach alone. There is always going to be some snow or ice encountered on the route; weather conditions often conspire to thwart any suitors, and remember the ever present Grizzly bears. Many routes in the Rockies are horribly sandbagged, and climbers can be in for a big surprise or world of hurt. This one is however honest to gosh 5.3. If you are climbing anything harder than that then you are off-route my friend. That being said… One last point; according to park rangers, this route is the scene of the most rescues in the area.
All you need to do now is the North Face to get the Hat Trick…
– K.D.
So there you have it people… a climb, over thirteen years in the making. Done and dusted.
Lansing, Michigan Sep 2015
Credits….
Coffee:
La Marvilla by Mauricio Rosales Vasquez – Huehuetenango, expertly camp stove pour-over brewed by KK
Phil & Sebastian Roasters, Freewheels, supplied by Coco’s
Beer:
Bearhill Brewing Company – Session IPA, and 6060 Stout
Food:
Cookies – baked by D.S.
Cake- baked by D.B.
Goose Jerky – (complete with buckshot) prepared by K.D.
Soundtrack:
New Speedway Boogie, The Grateful Dead
Mein Deutsches Motorrad, Corb Lund and the Hurtin’ Albertans
Down by the Riverside, (as performed by) Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee
The Midnight Special, (as performed by) Creedence Clearwater Revival
The Wreck of the Old 97, (as performed by) Mr. Johnny Cash
The Cremation of Sam McGee, (as recited by BMc) Robert W Service
Streets of Laredo, (as performed by) Mr. Johnny Cash