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Dale and I take a little weight off by "Glacading" the snowy slopes. There would be enough climbing to do later, so we thoroughly enjoyed this bit, despite getting completely soaked. This was certainly the highlight of my own descent. As Steve rightly pointed out as at the top, the difficult part was yet to come. So I was going to enjoy this - every foot was one less to climb. |
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At the foot of the Glacier, we step out into a boulder field once again. We need to cross the ridge ahead to retrace our root back to base camp, pick up the gear we left, and make the final descent.
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It was a wonder we got past some of these obstacles in the dark. We certainly couldn't have done it without a guide. Craig definitely knew his stuff. |
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Crossing the Apline meadows |
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Again on the slope down Craig was a great help. After a grueling descent through the heat and rough terrain of the avalanche chutes, without even realizing it, I was getting seriously dehydrated. A climb like this was not to be undertaken with out experienced colleagues, and preferably a guide who knows the mountain, and knows how the recognize the symptoms before they become a problem. After a ten-minute break, half a liter of water and some salty potato chips, I was good to go. |
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A beautiful sight: the cool running water we’d been able to hear cascading through the trees, tantalizing us as we struggled down the hot, dusty dry slopes. One last stretch across the fallen cedar, quick dunk in the river and we were back, safe and sound. Just a couple of hours drive and we’d be back to the outside world. |
"I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits, unless I spend four hours a day at least - and it
is commonly more than that - sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely
free from all worldly engagements." - Henry David Thoreau
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