After a scramble when I think back to it, I only have fragments. I think it might be because of the effort expended or maybe the adrenaline prevents a smooth cognitive flow. Whatever it is – what follows resembles a poem but is really the way I remember the Mt. Nestor scramble.
Sean and I left Calgary around 8am for a late start up Mt. Rae on a sunny July Saturday morning.
I did this one on my own while skipping out on work on a beautiful Friday! There really isn’t a choice between work or scrambling, especially on a day like today.
Sean and I did this scramble on a perfect scrambling day. The sun was out for some of the time, it snowed a bit, rained a bit and generally just did the mountain weather thing.
Finally, in 2003 we managed to get our luck together! We planned a full 5 night canoe trip to take full advantage of the loop – planning to camp at some gorgeous sites we’d hurried past three years previous in our race against the conditions and the clock.
Hanneke and I always look forward to the days that we get together in the hills. This one was a double bonus because we shipped the kids off on Friday night and attended a Christmas party!
There are no major difficulties on this moderate scramble – there is a good trail up the spine and to the summit.
Mount Allan is probably one of the closest you can get to a scramble and still call it a hike! I’ve done this one twice now – and loved it both times.
In order to salvage the day, we hiked along Whaleback Mountain, descending its eastern nose before looping back to the Stanley Mitchell hut on the main approach trail.
Mount Sparrowhawk was my first mountain ‘nemesis’. It’s funny looking back, because now I realize it’s only a fairly easy hike that can be done in under 5 hours round trip.
Hanneke, Jeff, Reanne and I did Read’s Tower in August 2002. The weather was supposed to be really bad but we decided that since we had a babysitter and everything we would go anyway.
East End of Rundle was a fun scramble. We were in a bit of a hurry because once again the weather was against us.
The morning is fresh as I step out of the Beast and start preparing my hiking gear. My heart is beating a rhythm of anticipation as I inhale the sharp mountain air in the empty parking lot.
Buller was a very fun mountain. It isn’t scrambled that often and there is no clear trail to the summit. Part of the scramble was bushwhacking and part of it was clear climbing on shitty scree and slab slopes.
Grotto Mountain was the mountain that almost didn’t happen! Jeff was very tired for this one but I managed to drag him right to the top.
This is a journal of our exhilarating trip into the backcountry of Atikaki Wilderness Park in north central Manitoba in June of 2000.
Indefatigable is the first mountain that I scrambled as a lead. Steve and I summitted on our first try in the fall of 1999.
In the spring of 1999 we went with a group from the office. At the time I thought that this was one of the only peaks that you could do without ropes and climbing gear.
