Great Cairn Mountaineering Trip July 24-31, 1999 Trip Summary

conditions ...

The weather and the snow conditions limited our climbing, although we did get out on some attempts and Bryan and Vince got up Alpina Dome. Some days were rainy, which is to be expected at least a few days out of a week in the Selkirks. The winter had been unusually heavy and had even extended into July. On July 4 the Sunwapta summit on the road between Banff and Jasper had been closed for an hour or two by snow and plows had been out in Banff. Later in July snow was falling in Calgary, although it may not have been sticking to anything. Up higher in the alpine this accumulation of snow meant soft, wet surface layers and slow traveling. Most routes near Great Cairn are snow routes.

arriving (most of us, anyway) ...

Everyone arrived Fri night at the Kinbasket Lake "resort" and stayed there so that we could be prepared to fly to hut Sat morning. As usual some people arrived quite late. One person was refused entry to Canada because he had a DUI conviction 15+ years ago. It turns out that one can be "rehabilitated" by paying about $200 to the authorities but he had not done this and they would not permit him to handle it on the spot. (Crossing the border, for non-terrorists anyway, seems to be getting to be more of a hassle than it once was and I will need to post a page about this for future trips.)

Saturday we flew in, even though it was not particularly nice. There was a steady drizzle but nothing that Dave (of Alpine Helicopters) couldn't fly in. We had to shuttle a vehicle up to the Swan Creek trailhead where we would end up. The shuttle drivers barely returned to Gold River bridge in time for the flight.

We found the hut in somewhat poor condition with moldy foamies and tons of mouse droppings so we had to spend some time getting everything cleaned out and straightened up. With a bit of work it became a comfortable and cozy base for the week. It is supposed to sleep six but that would be quite crowded. We had two in a tent and three inside. Some larger guided groups apparently have everyone sleep in tents and use the hut for a community area.

exploring the area a bit ...

Bryan and I went off to explore the tip of the Sir Sandford glacier Sunday. We climbed part way up the right margin but did not continue all the way through the icefall since it got to be either difficult or totally impassible. While going to or from the glacier we spotted a pair of something, probably bear, crossing a snowfield up high on the Palisade ridge. After crossing they were dead ended and we watched them return back across the snow. Walter and Vince went for a hike up the Haworth glacier drainage. Just some initial exploration of the immediate area while we waited for better weather.

an attempt on Silvertip Mountain ...

The first somewhat nice day, Monday, we all decided to attempt Silvertip Mountain as a group. I don't remember what time we began but not early enough. Our first setback was the crossing of the Silvertip stream. This is necessary for a number of routes but we had not figured out the best approach yet. Linda splashed through in her boots but later admitted that her feet had been cold later on the glacier. I went up to where it forks and hoped to cross the Haworth branch but could not find anything promising up there and had to come back down. Most of us ended up wading and carrying our boots. (We later discovered that well waterproofed leather boots don't absorb much water, so that quickly dumping the water out on the other side and having dry socks worked best.)

We continued up to the edge of the glacier where we stopped to eat and rope up. Either Bryan or Vince broke the trail across the glacier, which went slowly due to both frequent discussions about the route and the soft snow. A few steeper places in particular were quite tiring with deep soft and wet snow. Finally we gained the ridge which overlooks the Haworth drainage. There was one steep section of snow which we belayed and we were on the crest of the ridge. But it was getting late and we decided we had better turn back. We descended the slopes down to the Haworth drainage, with one or two rappels followed by lots of glissading down the snowfields.

An ascent of Alpina Dome ...

Tuesday was quite nice. I decided to spend the day resting by the hut with Linda and Walter, who also took a day off. Walter hiked around the immediate area a bit. Bryan and Vince decided to try to ascend the Sir Sandford glacier and succeeded in doing so. From the top of the icefall they continued up the glacier, were able to reach the summit of Alpina Dome, and returned down the Haworth glacier.

An attempt at Little Blackfriar Peak ...

Wednesday was beautiful again. This time Bryan stayed near the hut for a rest while Vince, Walter and myself attempted Little Blackfriar peak. This is a rock route in the Adamant range. Once again we braved the stream crossing and climbed up onto the margin of the Silvertip glacier. Rather than cross it we continued climbing along the edge until we could get up onto the ridge of Little Blackfriar. Gaining the ridge, and climbing the lower parts of it, required some very exposed but easy (4th class) climbing. We had to rope up for quite a bit of this and progress was slow. Prior to reaching the steeper 5th class portion of the ridge we encountered a corniced section which looked tricky and it was clear there wasn't much interest in continuing. So we enjoyed the incredible views in every direction and began the return.

the Critter Rescue team ...

Meanwhile, back at the hut, the "critter rescue squad" had a busy day. The chipmunks around the hut would often try to sit on the edge of the washbasins full of dirty dishes and dip their heads down into the water for something. Once in a while one would slip and go for a swim. It seems that on Wednesday one fell not into the shallow dish basin but the deep and ugly "slop bucket". No way was he scurrying out of that one. Lucky (as he was later named) required assistance and Bryan and Linda managed to get him out of the slop bucket and revive him. Bryan claims he did the medic work while Linda directed. It sounds like it was close for a while but he did recover, and we could see him scurrying around the rest of the week. He was easily distinguished by his oily, matted fur.

Bryan also let a trapped mouse out of the outhouse bucket, all in the same day. A true friend of the local inhabitants, always ready to come to their aid.

The end of the week ...

I can't recall anyone attempting too much Thursday. The weather may have been less than ideal, and we were all a bit anxious for the full day of mountain travel to Fairy Meadow Friday. We all wanted to be well rested for that, and we wanted to have everything at the hut in good order and all our gear packed before retiring Thursday night.

The hike out ...

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