| Ref: Bob
Spirko's Road not taken |
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Snow Peak. |
| Scramble: RT 6.0; 3.5 up. A
rewarding trip considering the uncertainty of snow coverage. The trail
to Burstall Pass
is a popular outing even at this time of the year. It is compacted
nicely all the way to the pass where it suddenly becomes less
consolidated for anyone continuing on. From there the windblown
southern ascent slope offered decent travelling. Snow pockets were
mostly firm or no more than knee deep. Visibility going up was next to
nil at times but did not hinder the straightforward plod to the false
summit. A little further, I stood on a high point, in total white out.
The ridge diped and I couln't see it climb to a higher prominence; I
wondered "is this it?". The absence of a cairn made me suspicious so
down the ridge I went, blindly and somewhat uncertain! Shortly
thereafter, I got a glimpse of the ridge ahead and the summit cairn. At
the top I did not get to see the beautiful surrounding mountains,
instead I was delighted by impressive cloud formations. I started back
down quickly and took the only official break of this trip in the
trees, just below the pass. I enjoyed the scenery on the
way back
but made good time, eager to meet up with Fab and the hounds. Thanks
again for taking such good care of the doggies...., and me! |
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Gravel flats. |
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Commonwealth Peak. |
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Robertson Glacier. |
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The trail heads in
the forest towards the upper flats. |
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The upper flats
before the short ascent to Burstall Pass. |
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The snow on the
trail is fairly compacted. |
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Snow Peak on the way
to the pass. |
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Magnificent trio:
Birdwood, Pig's Tail and Commonwealth (left to right). |
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Losing visibility
with height gain. |
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Looking back at
Burstall Pass from the ascent slope. |
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The summit cairns. |
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Awesome cloud
formation. |
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The connecting ridge
to the false summit. |
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Lower down on the
ascent slope visibility returns. |
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The approach. |
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Well marked trail
through the gravel flats. |
| Back
to home page |
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