Mount Denny – October 20, 2007

Mountain height:    3000 m
Elevation gain:       1330 m
Ascent time:           6:05
Descent time:         4:10

Scrambling with Mark, Dan, and Troy.

The third installment in the continuing saga of Dan’s Birthday Scrambles.

2005: Mount Dungarvan – still one of our most memorable and enjoyable trips to date.

2006: Mount Kent – not as challenging as Dungarvan, but an excellent day and a surprisingly interesting scramble.

2007: Mount Denny - initially, we set our sights on Cougar Peak – a Bob Spirko trip that Mark and I had attempted twice and failed twice. However, a very recent ascent of Mount Denny by Ben Wards and Mike Fisher inspired us to change objectives on the way there. Joining us for the trip was Troy Minchuk, a friend of Dan’s. Troy’s climbing resume, though short, was impressive: a number of scrambles, alpine routes, and challenging trad climbs.

With route information provided by Ben, the approach was easy and very scenic. Especially interesting were several impressive examples of rock-folding on the north side of Grizzly Peak. Mount Potts looked very inviting also, but that’ll wait for another day. A pleasant hike took us easily to the base of the southwest face of Mount Denny. The only real downside of the ascent was the disappointing weather. Clouds shrouded most of the mountains to the west. We hoped for clearing in the afternoon, but didn’t get it.

We basically ascended the right side of the southwest face on slabby, sometimes scree-covered terrain. Unfortunately, the fairly cold temperatures minimized the amount of hands-on scrambling we could do. Along the way we spotted a potential alternate descent route alongside a large, overhanging outcrop of rock, and noted it for future reference. Higher up, the snow made easier work of some sections and more dangerous work of others. We arrived at the summit to what would have been a magnificent summit panorama on par with that of nearby Mount Evan-Thomas. The cloudy skies negated that possibility, however it still was a decent view.

Due to a brutally cold wind-chill we stayed at the top only for a few minutes and then headed down to get out of the wind. At this point, Mark and I decided to go to the other summit, while Dan and Troy started the descent. The ascent of the north summit was short and easy and we even enjoyed a few patches of blue sky. Surprisingly, the skies to the northeast were quite clear and the view in that direction was great.

The descent started off very well as we made our way easily down snow and scree slopes. We soon joined up with Dan and Troy, who were waiting for us at the top of the potential alternate descent route. After a short debate, we opted to give the route a try. It too started off well but turned into somewhat of an epic lower down. We carefully descended the rubble-filled gully trying not to unleash the rubble onto the person in front. Mark soon took the lead and was at the bottom of the gully in no time. We all thought we were home free at this point, but such was not the case.

Unseen from above, the lower section of the gully suddenly turned and then became another gully – a much steeper one. When we couldn’t find another way, Mark started down this new gully. He made it down and Troy, Dan and I followed. This gully was definitely at the upper end of scrambling. Luckily it was very narrow and you could descend by stemming the sides. That is, all of it except the crux near the bottom. This section was downright treacherous as a thin layer of snow turned the gully into a friction-less slide. I don’t know how Mark made it down, but the rest of us struggled immensely. By the time Dan and I arrived at the crux we had all decided that downclimbing into the adjacent gully would be better and though it was an easier alternative it was still exposed and tricky. It probably took about 30 minutes for all four of us to descend the 20 odd metres of rock.

Thankfully, the remainder of the trip was mercifully easy and the evening light provided some interesting colours. A very interesting day with excellent company. After ascents of Elpoca, Gap, Burney, Packenham, Evan-Thomas, Opal Ridge and now Denny, this range is rapidly becoming one of my favourite in the Rockies .                    

Sunrise at the car (photo by Troy)

A beautiful sunrise photo taken by Troy

Rock-folding on the north side of Grizzly Peak; note the interesting slab at the left side

A close-up of the above slab

Hiking around the south end of Opal Ridge; Mount Potts in the centre

Grizzly Peak; Dan and Troy are just visible in the lower right corner

Mark, Opal Ridge, and me (photo by Troy)

Layering up before the ascent; both summits of Mount Denny are visible here

Sizing up the rockband

The easy gully that gets you above the rockband (photo by Troy)

Troy and Dan look for a line of ascent up the slab

Another interesting example of rock-folding; we agreed that this 
looks like a frowning orangutan from the movie "Planet of Apes" (photo by Troy)

The boys take a break while the orangutan continues to frown 

Dan and Troy gain the right side of the southwest slopes

Troy and Dan on steeper terrain

Me on steeper terrain (photo by Troy)

Mark laid down to take a rest and all of a sudden it was a model photo shoot

A classic model pose (photo by Troy)

Troy checks out the potential alternate descent route 

Dan tackles another slab (photo by Troy)

Me (photo by Troy)

Good kick-stepping higher up

Troy on steeper snow slopes; note his fine taste in helmets

Dan and Troy come up more steep stuff

Dan also has good taste in helmets, although he could use a can of orange paint

 A brief break in the weather

Approaching the ridge

Same as above

On the ridge and making our way to the south summit; the north summit is in the background

Troy takes the final few steps to the summit

Me, Troy, and Dan at the summit

Mark at the summit; Mounts Potts and Evan-Thomas behind

Summit photo taken by Troy with his wide-angle lens

Down-climbing a snow slope; the north summit behind

On the way to the north summit

At the north summit looking north

At the north summit looking south

Looking southeast; Mount Glasgow at the left

Mark at the summit

Me and Troy size up the alternate descent route

Mark finds a way down the steeper lower section

Mark looks up at us after he has completed the difficult part of the descent

Troy and me follow; the gully is far steeper than it appears here

Dan and me complete the lower gully

A pink cloud over Mount Potts

Another interesting display of clouds and light

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