| Ref: Alan Kane's
Scrambles
in the Canadian Rockies |
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Going around
Sherbrooke Lake on a good trail. |
| Scramble RT
15.0; 7.75 up. Mount Daly was high on our list,
especially after seeing it from Mount Niles. With long warm days and no
thunderstorms in the forecast, we agreed to try it. We got an
early start and casually hiked to Niles Meadow. From there, we saw the
trail at treeline and aimed for it; we missed the start of the trail at
the small watercourse (cairn). Once at the pass, we got our first look
towards Niles Glacier and Mount Daly's rockband. The route on the ledge
looks exposed, I was curious to see it up close. After crossing Niles
Glacier, we reached the steep talus slope leading to it. I found the
ledge and the following ascent straightforward although the
blocky terrain requires careful hiking, even big
blocks moved occasionally. With a steady plod, we gained the summit
ridge. The false summit wasn't that far anymore! I continued, anxiously
anticipating the ridge to the true summit. I felt a little bit
apprehensive, doubting my headspace. After going over the corniced
peak, the connecting ridge was finally in view; it looks daunting. I
dropped my poles and started on the ridge. After a
short distance, I stopped and waited for Fab. He went ahead and helped
me along the
initial exposed sections of the ridge. It felt awkward to be
downclimbing; I grabbed the rock and focused on my steps, trying my
best to ignore the airiness. Beyond the orange colored rock and onto
the grey rock, scrambling gets much easier and less exposed. Once at
the top, I experienced a great
sense of accomplishment. We snapped many pictures and had a quick
lunch; I couldn't relax fully, thinking about the crux awaiting... To
my surprise, the difficult orange section of the ridge was
easier going back; partly because it climbs, I suppose. We didn't save
much time in
the blocky terrain but
pleasant faster trekking resumed on Niles Glacier. We picked up the
trail on the other side of the pass; it is easy to follow all the way
down to Niles Meadow. This fantastic
outing challenged us both physically and mentally! |
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One of a few log
crossings.
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This beautiful
waterfall precedes Niles Meadow. |
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Entering Niles
Meadow. |
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Heading to the pass
south of Mount Niles. |
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Hiking up to the
pass. |
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Fab stands at the
pass. |
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Nearing Niles
Glacier with Mount Daly in sight. |
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Crossing the small
glacier to reach the nunatak. |
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The ledge that leads
to the weakness in the rockband. |
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On the ledge. |
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The weakness in the
rockband. |
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Noticing cairns
above the rockband. |
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The lake in the
center feeds Takakkaw Falls. |
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Broad ridge to the
corniced false summit. |
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On the false summit. |
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The true summit is
located north of us, along an exposed ridge. |
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The initial orange
rock section is the crux. |
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On the grey rock,
scrambling is easier and less exposed. |
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The remainder of the
ridge. |
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The summit cairn is
just ahead. |
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Fab with The
Presidents on the right. |
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Mount Balfour. |
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Cathedral Mountain
(center) and The Goodsirs (right). |
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About midway on the
connecting ridge. |
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The strata changes. |
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Airy scrambling
ahead. |
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It's easier climbing
back up. |
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Looking back while
Fab scrambles up an exposed section. |
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Taking in the
scenery. |
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Sherbrooke Lake
below, a long distance away. |
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Straight down the
blocky terrain. |
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Retracing our way
through the weakness. |
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Coming down to the
ledge. |
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Crossing the ledge
again. |
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Back on Niles
Glacier. |
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Drinking lots of
water coming out of the ground. |
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Sherbrooke Lake. |
| Back to home page |
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