Fall scrambles

Just a few hi-light photos from the latter half of the scrambling season, which stretched into mid-October before the weather turned cold and snowy.  Up until then, we had the longest Indian summer that I can remember: warm, sunny and nothing more than a light breeze!  Repeated quite a few classics.

Since Jan 2022 to Mid-October: 12 small microspike peaks in the winter, 5 hikes, and 23 peaks (and one attempt).....for a total of about 25,000 vertical metres....almost 3 Everests from sea level.😜

Haven't done that many peaks in a year since 2014 when I did 25 peaks, but 15 of those were in Vegas and most of those are 1/2 to 2/3 the elevation gain of the peaks here in the Rockies.  Previous to that, I did 44 peaks in 1995...my best year.  So not too bad for the start of my 7th decade!

Yvan having a snooze on Gibbon Pass, an easy bike/hike.

Jacked up on Cheetoos....

Vaughan on Mt. Stephen

....and from my 1st ascent of Mt. Stephen in 1993.

Cory on Mt. Rae...another repeat.

Vaughan on Mt. Borgeau....another repeat

Looking down on Banff...

Mr. Piggy strikes again!

Horn Coral

Vaughan on Northover ridge

From the top of Northover ridge, we did the 2nd ascent of Mt. Onslow in 2000, the peak on the left.  With Rick Collier and John Holmes.

Akimina ridge loop and the stunning fall colours in Waterton.

Vaughan on Mt. Blackiston

Part of the Hawkins Horseshoe ridge

Me on Blackiston.  Did this with Maria in 1997.

Old goats......of another variety

Vaughan on Mt. Lineham...which I did with Maria and Monty and Oakley the dog, in 1997.

Wilcox and Athabasca from part way up Tangle Ridge.

Glacier on the back of Tangle Ridge

Sublime early morning walk on Tangle Ridge.

Summit of Watsach Peak, near Moraine Lake

Corvus Corax flying above Aberdeen and Haddo

A Marten having a gander at the human.

Cory and Vern heading up Lapalian Pk.  Last time I saw Vern was our moonlight ascent of Temple in 2015.  His 1st 11,000ft peak.  He's since done 40 of the 52!!!

Cory modelling the latest in scrambling atire.

Cory between Purple Mound and Unity Peak.

Vern on Unity Peak.

Yup....still hauling my aging carcass up these Rocky Mountain slag heaps after all these years. A hungry squirrel got to the cake before I did. 😆
 

Mt. Athabasca!

It's about time I climbed the Mtn in the photos on our living room wall, from about 8-9 years ago! Mt. Athabasca, the peak on the LHS of the Columbia icefield. We don't much like the word epic, so I won't use it What a great way to round out the summer. Summit views bit smokey, but just gobsmacked by the glaciation that surrounded us.

Of course, we scramblers go up the backside.

From Tom Amaral's trip report a few years back: 'Ten years ago the AA glacier probably spanned the whole valley but its shrinkage (and that of other glaciers in the area) now allows intrepid scramblers to sneak up beside the icefall and sidehill in tedious scree to the summit, no glacier travel required.'

Very happy campers

Vaughan on Silverhorn

Snowdome in the background, (3,451 m) is North America’s only triple continental divide. Snow and ice from its summit can melt into any one of the 3 oceans surrounding our continent (Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic).

Mount Columbia (3,747 m), the highest peak in Alberta and second highest in the Canadian Rockies.

Ready for the summit

Saskatchewan glacier

The 3 summits of Mt. Bryce to the right and below that is Mt. Castleguard.

Crazy icefall coming off of Mt. Andromeda.

Chillin' on the summit

Looking down on Athabasca's north glacier. Icefields visitor center below, Mt. Wilcox on the RHS.

Found the minecraft ducky on the way up, along with a pair of prescription glasses. Wonder if that person found their way down....

Athabasca/Andromeda glacier

Vaughan pointing to.....

The snowcoach bus and the tourists on the Athabasca glacier/Columbia icefields.

AA glacier and Mt. Andromeda.

Home free on the snowcoach road after a 12 hour day.