Western Righteousness

On Sunday I was sitting on the couch quietly watching football.  The dog was lying on the couch next to me oblivious to the world, which is her normal afternoon routine.  I myself was nodding-off when DING DONG, doorbell rings.  Dog hops off with her all-in-one growl-bark-howl-whimper and I go have a look-see at the door.  Open up, and it was a Muslim man, probably from the India-Pakistan-Afghanistan region and he gives me pamphlet, says “Peace be with you” and walks away, presumably to the next door.  I have a look at it and it was, quite simply, a pamphlet which stated that Islam is a religion of tolerance and peace and that many Muslims have misinterpreted what the Qur’an says which has led, in part, to our current religious confrontations. 

Is the West so xenophobic that a minority group has resorted to distributing pamphlets about itself so that others would not discriminate against them?  Whatever happened to the “multi-cultural” Canada?  I realize that as the brainchild of Trudeau, it, as well as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, were put in place for other ulterior political motives but, I truly am dismayed by what this poor guy had to do on a Sunday afternoon.  For him to do this, he and others feel that they are misunderstood and I’ll bet real money that he has been subject to discrimination, segregation, racism, bigotry and probably physical abuse by those who, not only don’t understand, but don’t want to understand.  

We strive to ensure this attitude is vanguished in far off places like Afghanistan but are not even able to combat it effectively in our own backyard.  Some “righteous” society we are.

“Prejudice, not being founded on reason, cannot be removed by argument” – Samuel Johnson. 

 It must be taught.

Mmmm… Lamb…

So yesterday I had it in my head to made cannolis.  Don’t ask me where it came from, but I just had the urge.  The only catch was that, hey, I don’t got no cannoli moulds.  So, I search the kitchen and try to find an alternative.  I briefly thought of using the rolling pin but quickly realized that first, I need it to roll out the cannolis and second, it probably would be a bad idea to dunk a wooden rolling pin into hot oil to cook the cannolis.  So, off we go to a local cooking store to get some.

Before hand, we had a lunch date with L and C at The LIght of India.  L, for her part,  has moved on to some shit-hole in the middle of Manitoba and makes no qualms about describing it that way while her bud C, was just out for some indian food.  We stuffed ourselves, talked politics, philosophy and trips (I know, I’m so lame now) and then parted company.  Thoroughly stuffed with food, C and I walk to the cooking store.  Oh, the irony…

The salesperson took a while to track down cannoli moulds.  While she was looking, C set off to increase our credit card debt (she is a woman afterall) and found a tajine.  After a discussion about what size to get (notice I wasn’t resisting the concept) we settle on the size for 6.  The box says it is big enough to cook a meal for 6, but really, I think 4, tops.  Bring it home, read the instructions, boiled milk in it like the box said to, and today we used it.  Came up with this:

Really, its easy as pie to use.  Fry meat in spices and onion, add water, cook for 60 minutes, garnish and serve.  We cooked lamb in onions and prunes and spiced it with  harissa-type spicing which I made that morning.  The focaccia recipe was shamelessly adapted from tinman’s recipe and turned out quite well.  As he’s a long-time friend, I’m sure he won’t mind that little bit of copyright infringement.

 

 

It was really, really good.

Duck, duck, and more duck

I like duck confit.  I’ve made cassoulet with duck confit as well as paté, terrine, and other awesome treats.  I’ve made it in the past for folks and I’m always asked about the recipe.  Buying it in the store is always expensive and in my opinion, not worth the cost.  This is really fun to make and you get so much more than just duck.  So, if you ever wanted to know, here’s how you make it.  It’s actually really easy, a.k.a., fire and forget (almost).

Ingredients

Duck

Duck Fat – available at any butcher shop

Sea Salt

Olive Oil

Herbs and spices

De-boned

In the past, I’ve normally bought pieces of duck breast and leg. But this time, I couldn’t find enough so I bought a whole duck.  So, I had to first de-bone it. Having never done this to a duck, I was hoping that it was similar to chicken, and it is.  Simply split the meat down the back and then using a de-boning or peering knife, slowing detach the muscles from the skeleton, slowly working to the chest and towards the extremities.  Not as hard as it sounds.  It took me about 45 minutes to de-bone.

Now for the fun part.  Put the duck in large container and cover in sea salt on both sides.  The more salt the better, really! I stuck it in a Pyrex.  Cover, put in the fridge for about 24 hours.  This process dehydrates the duck and gets it ready to absorb the flavours and fats in the preserving process.  After this is done, brush the salt off the duck and put it into a clean oven pot.  Don’t rinse it off because it will just rehydrate it and you don’t want that, yet.  I like using a Creuset, myself.  Add any spice and flavours you like.  I usually just pull stuff out of the pantry and fridge which I think goes well with duck.  This time, I used cracked pepper, fresh ground cloves and cardamom, tarragon, and basil.  Now, cover the duck completely with fat and oil.  It sounds gross but is essential for the process.  Remember that you dehydrated the duck and the meat will now absorb the oil and preserve it.  Finally, put it in the oven for 10-12 hours at 180F (82C).  I usually stick it in overnight.

Salted

After 36 hours you’ll have 3 things:

1)            Wonderful duck confit which only get better with time – stick it in jars, cover it in the still warm fat and put it in the fridge.  I’ve kept it for up to 2 months this way and I’m sure it would last longer.

2)            Clear duck fat which absorbed the flavours of the spice.  This is a great addition for soups, stews and sauces – and fried eggs.

3)            Gelatinous, salty, fatty, dark goo on the bottom of your pot.  Again, great to add flavour in other recipes.  Just stick your finger in it while it’s still warm – just awesome!

36 hours later

For those of who like your taters, try this – slice ‘em and stick ‘em on the bottom of your pot before the duck.  So, they cook in 12 hours of fatty, gelatinous, salty, glory!  Had them with eggs and bacon that morning.  Oh my!

BEST TATERS EVER!

Rockies – The End

After Mt Victoria, we slowly made our way north towards Jasper. On our way there, we passed through the Columbia Icefield which always makes my heart flutter. Just seeing Mts. Athabasca, Andromeda, Snowdome, and Kitchener from the highway (all over 11,000 ft) as well other prominent peaks sends me into a mountaineering daydreaming mode. In fact, one of my pet projects is a June ski accent of some of those peaks via the Athabasca Glacier – hopefully in a few years (any potential partners out there?)

Athabasca (L) and Andromeda (R)

 

We stopped and took pictures again and were eyeing Mt Wilcox (behind the Icefields Center) as a possible scramble. I had Athabasca on our tic list as a possibility but it would be an involved climb and we were both pretty tired. At this point I had lost about 10-12 lbs and was not eating well enough to regain enough strength to attempt it. Besides, why eat when I can climb?! Well, because I needed to keep up my strength and I was now feeling the effects. We continued our drive and passed a few other ridges which seemed skiable in winter.

 

At Jasper, we both knew that

Mt Edith Cavell wouldn’t be possible simply because we were both tired. I enquired about conditions anyway on the off chance but we opted instead to hike to Cavell Pond, which is a really easy hike. At the base of the mountain we had a look at the East Ridge route which is the classic line that most parties take (III, 5.3, 1200m). It is a striking line that just begs to be climbed. Even C confessed that she wanted to climb it as soon as she saw it. So we agreed that the next time we’re in the area in late July –mid August, we’ll have a go at it. After evaluating the hanging seracs at the foot of the glacier, we wandered through the talus to two ice caves and explored them a bit. They were about 4 m high and extended about 20 m deep. Man I wish I had my ice tools and crampons. It would have been fun to boulder the caves!

 

That morning, we also decided to visit Spirit Island, which sits halfway up Maligne Lake. The pictures of the valley were very picturesque and we figured that it would something relaxing to do. So, we paid for the guided boat tour and went on the 90 min excursion. It was pleasant but would have been better had we had sun. As it stood, we had a nice picturesque cloudy sky. So we took a few pictures but really, we don’t think it was worth the price we paid.

Spirit Island

 

After that was done, we slowly made our way into the prairies to explore Dinosaur Provincial Park. As we had already visited Drumheller a few years before, we figured it would be not only a nice way to end the trip but also something completely different. We reserved the campground and then purchased tickets for a guided hike to an excavation site where palaeontologists figure about 300 animals died in a flash flood. At $8 a ticket, we couldn’t go wrong. We weren’t disappointed. The tour lasted about 2 hrs and the first 45 min was a hike with stops along the way to explain different features. Once at the fossil area she revealed the excavation site. WOW! So many bones! She then explained how to identify bones that were exposed and just laying around and once she showed us those, we realized that they were everywhere! Really, everyone was scurrying around taking pictures of bones and bones fragments laying in the rock and dirt. So many that we were nearly tripping over them! Best $8 I ever spent.

 

And that was it. We went to Calgary, stayed in a hotel, went out to Jaroblue for super and the next day had a very uneventful flight home.

 

I already miss the Rockies and want to go back. Time to daydream again…

Rockies – Mount Victoria

THE most photographed mountain in Rockies has to be the one at the back of Lake Louise. Any person who first visits the Rockies is taken aback by the impressive views up the plain of six glaciers. Accompanied by mounts Fairview, Aberdeen, Lefroy, Whyte, Niblock and St-Piran, the giant in the back is Mount Victoria. Standing at 11,364 ft / 3464 m, it truly dominates the skyline.

 

Originally, C and I hoped to climb Grassi Ridge on Wiwaxy Peak. The weather had cleared up, sun was called for the following week and we absolutely love the Lake O’Hara area. It is truly a special place. A valley surrounded by alpine cirques, on a clear day every direction you look gives you stunning views. There are only two reasonable places (in price and/or approach) to stay while at Lake O’Hara, either the “backcountry” camping – which is rather plush for backcountry with toilets, a sink, and running water or the ACC Elizabeth Parker hut. Both were booked solid. I tried several times hoping for last minute cancellations. While doing laundry at the Banff town site, I suggested to C that because the weather looked promising we could go up to the Abbott Pass hut and attempt Mount Victoria. The approach to the Abbott Pass hut is only 4 hrs, but no one has anything good to say about the approach or descent. It starts pleasantly enough, lulls you into a false sense of security as you approach via a delightful trail laid in by hand by Lawrence Grassi himself. Then, at the 2 hr mark, you see it. The scramble up 35 degrees of unrelenting talus, scree and dirt. If you think its fun going up, you should try coming down! That is REAL fun! C and I did this 2 years ago. So when I suggested it (on the off chance) she glowered at me and gave me the “I’m doing this for you” look. After a few vain other attempts to get lodging at the 2 other locations, she finally said yes.

 

G & K approaching the hut

So, a few days later, off we went. When we arrived at the parking lot waiting for the bus, we met up with another couple, G and K, who were also sporting mountain axes. So I enquired as to whether they were also heading up to the pass and they were. Great! Another couple to share our upcoming misery with. So we hike together but since they had arrived a day earlier and were not yet acclimatized, they stopped often. That was OK by us as we were in no rush. We passed the series of lakes and alpine plateaus and finally donned helmets as we approached the giant limestone cliffs surrounding the pass. C and I, having already been up this way, pulled out our hiking poles and our axes, which really help getting purchase in the stones. And up we went. Following the yellow/blue markers painted on the rocks, we slowly ascended. It didn’t seem as long this time, maybe because we knew what was expected. Also, last time there were stove-sized rocks which occasionally tumbled down the sides. We didn’t have those this time so our nervousness was far less. About 4 hrs after leaving the parking lot, we reached the pass and were rewarded with the same beautiful vistas as last time. G and K finally made it was well, we cooked up some soup, then had supper. C and K were too tired to try for Mount Victoria so G and I decided that we would give it a go. We hiked up for 45 min that evening to the base of the last buttress just to route-find our way in the daylight. G started to get lightheaded so we turned back at 10,000 ft (3000 m). I figure 0 to 10,000 ft in 24 hrs was enough for anyone.

The evening before on 4th class terrain

 

 

I set my alarm for 4:30 and we went to bed. The raging windstorm outside woke me up at around midnight as I heard the scree being blown around and a few larger rocks hitting the sidewalls of the hut. By the time I got out of bed at 4;30 the wind had died down, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was cold and crisp. Perfect conditions. Everything was frozen (which lessens rock and ice fall as well as avalanches) and there were no storms which is highly unusual for the area. The only concern would be the sun warming the snow and ice throughout the day. I went through my routine of putting on the various layers and equipment and applied a healthy dose of sunscreen everywhere, including inside my nostrils. Yeah, you laugh … but if you think a sunburned back hurts, wait until you burn the inside of your nostrils or your gum-line. That, my friends, is real sunburn pain. So, off we went.

Geared up at 5 am

 

 

A 5 am start is early but not too bad. Since we climbed to 10,000 ft the day before, we did the first scramble portion to just under 11,000 ft (3353 m) in about an hr. The portion we climbed the day earlier went in 30 min partially due to the fact that the dirt was frozen and as such, easier to gain purchase on. The 3^rd class scramble gave way to a healthy dose of 4^th class with exposure (about 3000 ft / 900 m worth) but we both felt confident on it and so went unroped. Finally gaining the ridge-line we started the traverse. From this point on, the climb was largely a ridge line traverse. On the B.C. (west) side, a 4000 ft / 1200 m sheer drop to the valley floor was broken only by the col to Mount Huber, a “subsidiary” 11,000 ft mountain adjoining Mt Victoria. The east side (Alberta / Lake Louise) gave us a 2,000 ft 60 degree ice slope followed by a 1,000 ft drop to the Plain of the Six Glaciers. So exposure was wild considering that some sections of the ridge were no more than 1 meter across. There was one section that I was worried about, the Sickle, but in the end there were 3 “sporty” areas.

 

 

Climbing into the Sickle with one tool - very awkward

 

The Sickle is a 30 m section of ridge which becomes a snow walk across a 50 cm wide section of ice/snow. It is considered the

 

 

crux of the climb and the sporty part is actually entering the Sickle. We arrived there and G suddenly felt the full brunt of the exposure. Truth be told, I felt quite exposed and I just pushed those thoughts out of my mind. We roped up for this. Being more experienced, I down-climbed the first 10 m on about 45 degree ice/hard snow and once I gained the snow ridge proper felt very comfortable. I placed one ice screw and one snow picket for protection for G. Once I got to the other side, I used an easy hip belay off an equalized anchor using a rock horn and my ice axe. Once across we unroped and continued on our way.

 

Sidebar – Now, before some of you wary climbers begin chastising me about using a hip belay, look at the link I provided. Now notice the biner clipped to the strong point of the harness and the rope passing through it. Now notice to catch a climber you have to bring the free-end of the rope across your body. The trick is also to pass the rope around your harness (not your back) and under the gear loops. This creates stability, friction, and saves the skin on your back should the climber fall. Also, ensure that the rope is travelling in the right direction around your body – pass it the wrong way and you could spin around in a fall and loose the belay. I have no doubt that it would hold a fall, though if you’re not wearing gloves you’ll loose your skin on your hands. Believe it or not, I have lowered C down a sheer ice face using this technique and you’d be amazed at the amount of friction the biner provides – so much friction that I nearly burned-out my shoulders belaying G with this technique. But the best part about the hip belay is that it’s fast. No fiddling with belay devices or extra biners. And you can pull in a lot more rope very quickly. In the mountains speed, or rather not wasting your time, can be safer.

 

Walking the DRY ridgeline

On my way up to Abbott Pass, I ran into a guide who told me about a crevasse that was hard to see. I soon found out why. Descending into the second snow ramp I only noticed the crevasse when I was standing on top of it! As we were already unroped when we noticed we quickly walked off while probing and had a look. Not big at all, I probed and the ice bridge was at least 1 m thick and hard. Good. But it might be a problem coming back. We continued. We then had to surmount the last buttress. It was mostly 3^rd class scrambling but to get to that section we had to get past a short (<5 m?) section of maybe low 5^th. As we were standing on an ice slope taking off crampons was not an option so we simply stowed our ice axes and climbed the section in crampons. Again, feeling confident we were unroped for this. Once past this obstacle we continued. At this point, G’s greater fitness showed itself (he runs marathons) as he beat trail to the summit while I lagged behind. He made the summit first. Good for him. It took us 3.5 hrs from the hut.

 

On the summit

 

The ridgeline we climbed

 

I’m always amazed at how short the euphoria of summiting lasts – about 2-3 breaths. We took a 10 min break, I scoffed down another Clif Bar and took the compulsory summit photos. From the summit we could see as far as the Selkirks, the Columbia icefield far to the North and Mount Columbia itself, as well as the Goodsirs, the Skoki area and other prominent peaks. Being worried about sun effect on the ice and snow, we soon started back. The upper layer of ice had softened to wet snow we only strapped on crampons twice on the way back – once to cross a snow ramp and the other time for the Sickle. G was surprised by how much the sun had soften the surfaces. We had a strong sun that day and at 11,000 ft there is significantly less atmosphere so the sun has more effect. The ice bridge over the crevasse was still frozen solid but the sides were a bit mushy. The Sickle had softened nicely so no rope was needed. At one point we were slightly off route and

 

 

rappelled 30 m to the main ridge instead of back-tracking. Several rappel stations indicated that we weren’t the first to commit this error. As G rappelled first he crashed through chandeliered ice

on the way down – I think it was one of the highlights of his day. At last we reached the initial buttress and so started our 500 m or so descent through 3^rd and 4^th class terrain back to the hut. We made it back to the hut in 2:45, so our total time was 6 ¼ hrs.

 

 

Exiting the Sickle on our descent. Gives a good idea of the exposure.

 

At the hut G and K went back down the pass to meet the bus out. C and I had an early supper and I was then so hungry that I scrounged around the hut and found an unopened box of noodles left behind by someone else. They were quickly cooked and went down quick. Usually I pack in too much food but this time I packed in not enough. Lesson learned. We left the next morning at 6 am. We were hoping to make the 9:30 bus out and we did with time to spare. It was a long descent on scree rollers and we scree-skiied (slid down on our feet) part of the way. Took some great photos of Lake O’Hara, got on the bus and then once off, drove our way back to the Lake Louise campsite. We bought tons of food and ate most of it. I gave myself a 1^st degree burn on my thumb after trying to turn sausages over an open flame using a fork. Yeah, I drank a bit – I EARNED it.

 

 

 

Rockies – Iceline

One hike that C had always wanted to do was the Iceline trail. My research into Yoho led me to conclude that, weather permitting, we could attempt The President which lies at the end of the Iceline trail with Little Yoho Valley is at its base. Total hike to the campground is 10.7 km. Our plan was to take a full day to hike in, camp two nights, attempt the The President and then hike out via Yoho valley.

 

Considering both camping and the mountain, we brought a substantial amount of gear. We needed camping gear for two, food for two, clothing for two and enough for 3 days. All-in-all, C had about 35-40 lbs on her back and I had somewhere between 55-60 lbs. Did I mention that Iceline ascends for the first 3.5 km? About 800m. So yeah, it was a grunt of a 5 hr hike.

Hiking in

 

To our advantage we had a sun-filled day. No clouds. We left the parking area at around 8:30 and off we went. On our way up to the summit of Iceline summit (5.7km mark) many parties past us. We just took our damn time. Lots of pics. We passed a few glaciers (or remnants thereof), had sweeping views of the Yoho valley and the Wapta/Waputik icefields and of many peaks. Just breathtaking. By far one of the most stunning hikes I have ever completed.

 

After 4 hrs, though, we were happy to see forest again. Our shoulders started to ache and we were getting tired. After 5 hrs we reached the campground – which was on the opposite side of the fast flowing, hip-high alpine stream. After 10 mins of backtracking, we reached the campground. Tent went up, supper cooked, we ate and then I set off on an exploratory hike of The President. Got some info from the folks staying at the ACC Stanley Mitchell Hut in the area and made my way up to the foot of the glacier. Incidentally, I did try to reserve some space at the hut for us but it was booked solid.

Takkakaw Falls & the Wapta Icefield

 

The maroon and orange swirling rock on the approach to the mountain was very pretty indeed. Loose, manky, crumbly rock, poor to hike and scramble on, but pretty nonetheless. Notice the common theme here. Rock in the Rockies is poor, loose and crumbly. After an hour, including the chatting time with folks on the way, I was at the foot of the glacier. I could clearly see the route up the right side, the snow-bridge crossing the ‘schrund, and the relatively easy scramble (on poor, loose, manky rock) up the summit. Excited at such an easy approach and relatively easy-looking climb, I eagerly return to camp and gave my report to C. She was happy that I was happy. I set the alarm for 4:30 am and off to bed we went.

 

Filtering water

At 3 am I awoke to flashes outside the tent. At first I though it was some dude walking around with a headlamp but the light wasn’t right. I poked my head out of the tent and noticed that the flashes were coming from the sky. The sky itself was clear but there was obviously a storm somewhere on the icefield. The winds were blowing towards the mountain so I lay there in my sack praying that the winds would change or that the storm would swing north or south of the peak. My alarm sounded at 4:30 am and by five we were out the (tent) door. There was some electrical activity in the air but no rain. After 10 mins of walking it rained. Then The President started attracting all sorts of lightning. Seeing numerous strikes on the summit within 2 mins, we called it and went back to the tent. I lay awake and waited out the storm and then at 6 when the rain subsided we slowly packed our stuff and made our way to the glacier to have a look-see. The glacier now had running water from the rain, fresh rockfall on the right side and a very sagging snow-bridge. We embarked the glacier anyway and walked around but after an hour C called it. There was obviously no freeze during the night, none was expected that night and there was a clear rockfall hazard and crossing the ‘schrund had now become dangerous. Oh well. We took some pics of some surprisingly deep crevasses near the edge of the glacier and walked back to camp.

 

On the glacier

We returned to camp, packed out things and left at around 2 pm. We were back at the car at 5 m, thoroughly exhausted, but happy nonetheless. Iceline is a beautiful hike and I highly recommend it. Just be sure it is a clear day.

Rockies – Eiffel Lake

Moraine Lake has to be one of the most stunning views anywhere in the Rockies. Once featured on the back of the old $20 bill (for those of you who remember those) in real life the view is like no other. Water more turquoise than any – and I mean any – sea, 10,000 to 11,000 ft peaks in the background all capped by glaciers. A few years ago we scrambled up Mount Temple and were rewarded with fantastic views of the lake. This time we opted to hike to Eiffel Lake (6m one-way). Originally, we wanted to go to Wenkchemna Pass at the back end of the valley but with our upcoming Iceline trail hike, we decided to shorten this.

 

The only kicker with hiking up through Larch Valley in the Valley of the Ten Peaks is that the area is filled with buffaloberries. This means that when they are ripe, bears flock to the area and gorge themselves. So, as an added precaution, Parks Canada has legislated that during bear feeding period people must travel in groups of four. To boot, this happened to be such a period. If you get caught hiking in a group less than 4, expect a $5,000 fine, each. So we arrived at 8:30 and quickly linked up with another couple from Maryland. And off we hiked.

 

Eiffel Lake & Deltaform in the background. Supercouloir is the thin snow & ice route up the middle of the mountain.

As it was an absolutely clear day the hike was just beautiful. After the many switchbacks up to Larch Valley, we branched left towards Eiffel Lake. We soon broke into alpine terrain and had fantastic view of Mounts Fay, Little, Bolwen, Tonsa, Perren, Allen, Tuzo, Deltaform, Neptuak and Wenkchmna (the 10 peaks).

 

Deltaform was particularly impressive. A mountain who’s collection of rock is probably one of the most rank in the Rockies, it also harbours one of the most impressive alpine climbs in the Rockies, the Supercouloir. Rated at IV, 5.8/5.9, 1600m, with ice and snow, it took Jeff Lowe 26+ hrs to complete. The last two pitches took 8 hrs where he had to chop ice and hand holds into the ice and precariously stand on each. Subject to massive amounts of ice and rock fall, the route is also known as the shooting-gallery. I don’t have the cojones (or death wish) to try such a feat.

 

Anyway, we, one the other hand, stopped for a lovely lunch at Eiffel Lake and soaked in the views. We had a leisurely lunch, chatted a bit, and the wandered back to the parking lot.

 

Mount Wenkchemna

In the end, we had a great day with fine company and went to bed well rested and happy.

 

 

Rockies – Stanley Glacier

After Ha Ling, we needed a break. So why not 10 km hike into the alpine to view alpine meadows, loads of scree filled alluvial fans and a glacier? Just 4km into Kootenay National Park, this hike was well worth it.

 

Being a slow day we arrived at 9am. It appears that these late starts are early for others as there were only a smattering of other folks on the trail. We’ve noticed that most folks arrive between 10:30 and 11 am (even at Lake Louise) so if you want to arrive at a place and get a parking spot, be there before then. Anyway, 30 seconds into the trail, I notice some bear scat (poop). It was at least day-old so I wasn’t too worried. It was full of buffaloberries so this guy was chowing down on them. For your info, when bears attempt to put on weight prior to hibernation, they eat between 100,000 to 200,000 berries a day. That is equivalent to 40 Big Macs a day (100,000 berries) plus 25 ice-cream Sundays (200,000 berries). So, point noted.

 

Old forest burn

The hike takes you through 40 year-old forest burn and it is interesting to see how the shrubs ands other small plants have taken to the ground. As we progressed higher into the sub-alpine forest, small clearings developed and we wandered back into old growth forest. At this point, C had a feeling that she was being watched and when she looked left, there was the black bear, about 200-300 m off, on his hind haunches taking a look at us. We stopped, and looked back. I spoke to it so it knew that we spotted it. After a few seconds the bear decided that we were not interesting and moved to another bush. There was, however, a lone hiker, B from Texas, who we passed earlier so we decided to wait up for him. He caught up, we showed him the bear, he was really excited, I explained why we shouldn’t hang around much longer, so we carried on.

 

A little while longer we cleared the vegetation and started hiking in the alpine. Pikas and alpine chipmunks scurried around us hoping for some sort of offering. Though cute, human food really does harm them and when hand fed too often, they often don’t develop the necessary fat layer to survive winter. So we wandered on. At the alluvial fan, the hiking turn into a beaten track through scree and we proceeded up the fan and onto a treed plateau. This would be a great spot for camping. High in the alpine, the old trees were not flagged and so do not get hit by rock fall, icefall or avalanches (which are not only a winter phenomenon in the Rockies). A glacial runoff stream flows through it and it was sheltered from the wind. The views of the Stanley Glacier and Stanley Peak were stunning. We had a leisurely lunch and then headed back down. Our only regret is that it was cloudy.

 

Stanley Glacier

All in all, it was a good day, we enjoyed ourselves and heck, I now know of another easily accessible peak to explore and climb.

Rockies – Ha Ling

Months before the trip, I have been researching things to climb. In the end I wanted two things – an 11,000 ft peak (3353m) and a multi-pitch rock route. For the rock route, two stuck out: the first was Grassi Ridge on Wiwaxy Peak in Lake O’Hara and the second was the Northwest Ridge of Ha Ling in Canmore (although it actually faces south). As the weather was crapping out in Lake O’Hara (no change there) we decided to try our luck on Ha Ling.

 

Ha Ling

Climbing Ha Ling was, well, an experience. From the approach (we got off route), to route finding without a topo (we only had pics of every pitch I found online) to the distinct lake of gear placements and protection (albeit on quite easy climbing) and of course, the standard Rockies hazard of rockfall, we were centrally focused on the 300m or so that the face offers. Although the hardest pitch goes at around 5.6, I linked it with the previous pitch for a very run-out 45 m pitch (only 2-3 placements). Some pitches, of course, had poor (psycho pro) to no protection to offer while others had a smattering of bolts or old pitons. If not for the bolted anchors, I would have given this climb and X rating (fatal if you fall). Because of the bolted anchors, an R/X is, I believe, appropriate. Not difficult, really, just headspace is required on this climb.

 

The info on the approach stated that we had to stick to the right in the scree field to gain the beaten track. We soon lost the beaten track because we weren’t far enough to the right. After carefully traversing across the 35 degree slope on scree just large enough to roll under your feet, we gained the beaten track and cruised up to the start. Probably lost about 30 min there. The first two pitches were 4^th class which we simul-climbed, followed by pitches 3 & 4 which are the hardest at around 5.6. I combined these together and placed maybe 3 pieces total on 45 m which was safer than pitching it out (smaller fall factor). Teeth-grinding fun. At this point we gained a pitch with 4 or 5 pitons which follows a fun rib of rock. After a short section of 3^rd class we swung past the overhang (of sorts) and then followed an obvious and fun corner for 30-35m where I was able to place 5 pieces of protection (wohoo!). This led to some gulleys of easy 5^th / hard 4^th followed by a scramble top-out. All notes we found said it was a 12 pitch climb. We did it in 9. Luckily for us, we were the first team on the rock so we largely avoided the rockfall danger. We heard some pieces whip past us but I’m sure the party several pitches below were subject to a shooting gallery. The rock is loose – typical of the Rockeis. We did everything we could to not knock off any rocks but we wound up sending a few flying down below.

 

Climbing the face

It was blustery and cold on the summit and the walk-off took about 2 hrs. By the time we reached the car we were absolutely beat. Though the climb is a classic line and is worth at least 1 out of 3 stars, I don’t think I would climb this again. Not quite worth the effort. But we did it.

Rockies – The first few days

 

 

Without much fanfare but with a lot of anticipation, we were off.

 

 

 We arrived in Calgary on August 15^th and quickly found our baggage, hopped into the rental and drove to Canmore. It felt good again to bask in the valley. Mounts Lawrence Grassi and Rundle were so close. Lady MacDonald was across the highway. After eating a classy Mexican meal, we bought some provisions and drove to Lake Louise. Ah, Lake Louise … rain. No change there. Go figure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

C approaching Mt St-Piran

 

 

 

 

Our first objective was an acclimatization hike, Mount St-Piran, that C has wanted to do for the past two years. So, the next morning we were off. Departing the parking lot at around 8:30, we ascended what Alan Kane describes in his guidebook Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies as an easy scramble. More like a stiff hike. Very stiff hike. Following paths towards the Little Beehive behind the Fairmount Hotel, we soon broke out into the clearing approaching Mount St-Piran. The sun shone and all was well. Stripping layers we slowed down somewhat to allow our unacclimatized bodies grow accustomed to the altitude. Topping out at 2649m / 8690 ft, it was a good way to start the trip. But, as anyone who has been to Lake Louise knows, it rains on average 3 of 4 days. This doesn’t mean that it pours every day but you can usually expect some form of precipitation. Of course, when clouds do soak-in, they stay for days. That day was no different. Near the summit, a cloud bank rolled in, condensed and well, it started to rain.

 

  Approaching the summit

Those who have climbed / hiked with me know that I don’t always like to make things easy. This was no different. Alan Kane speaks of a descent gulley on the southern flank of the mountain and I was convinced that we should go look for it, to change things up a bit. Why use the well worn trail when we can go exploring! No cairns, no trail, no beaten path – nothing. We did find it; the usual scree and dirt gulley which plunged towards Lake Agnes and the teahouse. Of course, we had to descend through a rock band (ah ha! – there’s the scrambling!) Eventually we found the hiking trail around the lake and made our way back down to the parking lot. Our reward was an awesome vegetarian pizza with a glass of wine and the usual views of the Lake Louise group of peaks. In the sun of course.

Go figure.

 

 

 

The classic view of Lake Louise