| Ref: Steven's
peak-bagging journey |
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At the trailhead,
the weather looks unstable... |
| Scramble:
RT 14.0; 6.0 up (includes my late day detour). When Jay suggested this
trip, I was quick to accept; I remembered reading Steven's trip report
and had already jotted the objective down! It was especially nice to
know that Ariane would be joining us just 5 months post ACL surgery. We
met at the trailhead and got under way using bikes. The forecast
was very optimistic for this region on 3 weather models, they called
for
mainly sunny to 20 % probability of rain. The overcast sky and low
clouds were an indicator of what was to come... Engaged in
conversation, we
casually biked to the park boundary and left our bikes at the closure
sign. While Fab and Jay walked
ahead, Ariane and I followed and talked about knee surgery; I'm
especially
curious since I'm lined up for an ACL reconstruction this november.
Before we knew it, we were at the bridge over Bryant Creek. We had a
quick snack before continuing on the Owl Lake Trail. At some point, we
left the trail to ascend Turner's north-west ridge; by luck,
we found a faint trail leading us to treeline.
The terrain was pleasant and somewhat sheltered but when we gained the
alpine meadows on the ridge, the wind became significant and
it started to drizzle. The summit block appeared loose and steep in
places. Ariane was
experiencing some pain in her knee; wanting to prevent injury, she
decided to hunker down in a
hollow. As we continued upward, drizzle turned to horizontal wet snow
plastering us on the one side. Carefully avoiding missteps, we made it
to the top where visibility was next to nil. The door of the
shack was unlocked, we came in for relief from the poor weather
while we grabbed a quick bite. We started our descent promptly to
rejoin with Ariane; with very little shelter and wet windy
conditions, it was tough to stay warm. Once reunited, we had a quick
break at treeline before continuing. We got into thicker shrubbery
coming down as we deviated from our line of ascent. We were happy to
step on the Owl Lake Trail and that's when it started raining harder.
We
proceeded at a fast pace to stay warm. At the bikes, I left ahead to
save time on a long uphill; I missed the turn-off and followed the
well-used trail along the park boundary. When I noticed I wasn't
reaching
the uphill, I backtracked but not far enough. Turn of events left me
continuing in the wrong direction hoping
to reach Mount Shark's ski trails or the highway. At a trail sign, I
realized
I had to turn around. Soon thereafter, I started hearing Fab's replies
to my yelling as
he came looking for me. I sure was glad to see him, I had
already contemplated what I had in my pack to start a fire... Feeling
very exhausted from the extra mileage, being wet and cold, I dug deep
to follow Fab back to the car before dark. Jay
and Ariane had left a note, they had gone to check the Spray Lakes
West Campground. We met them on the drive out. I gave them both a great
big
hug and apologized for being so distracted. Despite that incident and
the weather,
I'm happy we went to visit this area; we accomplished our goal and the
company was great! We'll be back in better
weather I'm sure! |
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Leaving the bikes behind after 6
kilometers. |
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This bridge across Bryant Creek
is a good spot for a break. |
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Leaving the Owl Lake Trail to
ascend Turner's north-west ridge. |
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An amazing blue mushroom in the
shape of an alligator's head. |
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Looking north-west. |
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Along the ridge's edge, the trees
offer some shelter from the wind. |
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A nice break before the open
terrain. |
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Still sheltered along a concave
feature. |
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The very broad alpine ridge
offers delightful hiking. |
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Looking back, it's drizzling now. |
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Ascent to the summit. |
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Drizzle turns to snow. |
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The horizontal wet snow plasters
the ground on the one side. |
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At the top with zero visibility. |
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In the telemetry shack for a
quick break. |
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Over there, somewhere, is Mount
Morrison. |
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Leaving the top. |
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Breaking out of the clouds. |
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The wet loose rock is not that
much faster coming down. |
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Reunited with Ariane. |
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It's raining as we descend to the
trail below. |
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In cruise control mode to the
bikes. |
| Back to home page |
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