Mount Edith Cavell II




  
 
August 2, 2023
 
Mountain height: 3363 m
Elevation gain:    1950 m
Round-trip time:  13 hours
 
Scrambling with Matt Hobbs.
 
Way too much time had passed since my last trip with Matt Hobbs – a “Shanks for Nothing” romp up and down merciless Mount Shanks! So, when he suggested we take a run up the pride of Jasper, Mount Edith Cavell, I was all in. Since I climbed Cavell via its famed east ridge in 2004, I suggested to Matt that we follow Mike Mitchell’s route up to the ridge via the west side and then tag Mount Sorrow (a minor summit at the north end of Edith Cavell) on the way up or down.
 
The crux of the trip was the logistics. I was unavailable on August 1 and Matt wanted to be back in Calgary by late afternoon on August 3 to celebrate his 40th birthday with his family. We therefore decided to leave Calgary early on August 2, do the trip that day, stay at the Cavell hostel for the night, and then return to Calgary on the 3rd.
 
A groggy 3 am Calgary departure meant we were hiking the Astoria River Trail by 8 am. 4 km later we hiked right by the Verdant Pass trail, but quickly corrected our mistake. The only other time I hiked this trail was by headlamp, 19 years earlier, and so it felt quite new. Throughout, I was reminded of how much I enjoy hiking with Matt. His positive demeanor and sharp wit keep me entertained when the scenery doesn’t!  
 
A big thank you to Mike Mitchell (Giant’s Gate), at this point, as his GPS track took all the guesswork out of our ascent route. After hiking the Verdant Pass Trail for a few kilometres, we turned east, hiking up surprisingly stable slopes of quartzite boulders. Had that lasted, we would have gained the ridge in no time (relatively speaking of course). It didn’t and we didn’t! Above the stable slopes, lay seemingly endless, steeper slopes of unstable boulders. We did eventually reach the ridge, but after considerable time and effort - and that effort pretty much did us in physically. Decision time: at this point, summitting both Edith Cavell and Sorrow was delusional at best and choosing 3010 m Sorrow over 3363 m Edith Cavell would have been questionable at best – off to Edith! But not after a long break to recuperate.
 
From the ridge, the ascent of Edith Cavell went very well, requiring only a few steps of tricky terrain. We reached the summit cairn in great spirits, only to be disillusioned to see that the two summits to the east appeared to be slightly higher. While our disillusionment was not an illusion, the higher summits were! They are both lower. Nevertheless, we made the trip back and forth just to make sure. Of course, I should have known this from my previous ascent, but the skies were not the only thing that was hazy at that given moment!
 
Settling down at the summit, it finally dawned on me how stunning this part of the Jasper National Park is. Though our view was mostly overcast and hazy from forest fire smoke, there are stunning peaks in every direction, especially to the west. The geology of this neck of the woods is vastly different from many areas farther south, glaciation and erosion leaving behind many peaks that have a distinctive, craggy appearance. Long before leaving the top, the gears in my head were already in motion, planning a third ascent, but on a perfectly clear day.
 
After a wonderfully satisfying summit break, celebrating not only making the summit but also Matt’s last day as a man in his thirties, we started down. The “normal” west ridge descent route was agreed upon to get down. Other than a section of hideously loose rubble, threatening to bring down the entire west face, this descent was surprisingly pleasant, fun and easy. After the loose stuff, it’s an enjoyable route-finding journey down small rock steps to the valley below. Even the slightly uphill Astoria Trail didn’t packed the death-blow we were contemplating as we descended it about 12 hours earlier.
 
Almost 13 hours to the minute after leaving the hostel, we were back, enjoying a cool beer, courtesy of Matt – that’s the other thing I love about Matt – he’s got his priorities in the right order! The hostel stay was great and the following morning we were able to do the short but interesting hike to the Angel Glacier and Cavell Pond before the long drive back to Calgary.  
 
A fantastic return to a fantastic mountain with a fantastic partner. Happy 40th Matt – enjoy your forties – it’s a great decade of life!    



Short hike from the hostel to the trailhead (photo by Matt)



The Cavell Lake outlet, Mount Edith Cavell (left), and Mount Sorrow



After hiking past the Verdant Pass Trail we rectified our error (photo by Matt)




Chevron Mountain (left) and Throne Mountain are the first of innumerable beautiful mountains to make an appearance



Throne is a big sucker!



Looking up the first part of our ascent route



Matt is all smiles at the beginning - will it last?



Distant Mount Estella



Oldhorn Mountain looks very intimidating



The north peak of Chevron



Matt still enjoying stable terrain underfoot



The view to the west continues to improve and impress



Spot Matt on the rubble



An isolated section of red, oxidized rock



Spot Matt again - he's looking fairly small on the big terrain



Cool rock formation at the right



Matt and the cool rock



Matt makes his way up steeper and looser terrain



So do I (photo by Matt)



Another cool rock formation at the right



Same as above with me (photo by Matt)



The middle section of the ascent route features unstable boulders and is much steeper than it appears



The view to the north includes several strips of strikingly colourful rock



The grade of the middle section - and like the Energizer Bunny, it keeps going and going and going....! (photo by Matt)



Chevron (left), Throne (right), and Campus Peak in the distant centre



At the end of the middle section and taking a well-deserved break to soak up the view



Arriving at the scenic viewpoint before the final section to the ridge. The summit of Edith Cavell at the right.






 
Someone has built a small rock shelter. Good place for another break (photo on the right by Matt).



Reaching the ridge and there's Mount Sorrow



The famous Ramparts and Amethyst Lake



Even with the overcast skies, there's a killer view to the west



Checking out the remainder of the ascent to Edith Cavell (photo by Matt)



The Angel Glacier far below



The west ridge has more bark and bite - it's an easy scramble



Looking back to the highpoint we reached and Mount Sorrow at the right



First glimpse of Cavell Pond



Matt leads the way



I'm still taken with the view to the west



A significant but unnamed lake appears below a significant peak at the south end of Edith Cavell. Mike calls this Verdant Peak, while other sources identify Verdant Peak as the lower one behind and to the left.



Final push to the summit



For me too (photo by Matt)







At the summit. The cairn and register should have been enough to convince us this was the highest point, but those two farther points definitely look higher from this angle - they are not!



Cavell Lake and the northeast end of Mount Sorrow



Close-up



Looking down on Sorrow



Cavell Pond



Matt approaches the first illusion



Now heading to the second illusion



Slightly disappointing view down the east ridge. Very hazy to the east.



Another illusion: one is Verdant Peak, one is not - take your pick (peak)!



The unnamed lake is big and beautiful



Heading back to illusion 1



Approaching the true summit



Great job Mr. 39 years, 364 days!



My age is a secret but Sammy Hagar has a classic 80's song about it! (photo by Matt)



One happy old man and one happy not so old but getting there man at the top (photo by Matt)



Now we get to take all the summit photos!



Mount Fryatt is the dominant peak to the south



Easy to see how Chevron Mountain got its name



Heading down (photo by Matt)



My view of Matt at the summit



Traversing back to the ridge



Descending the only tricky section (photo by Matt)



Back to the ridge (photo by Matt)



Very interesting colours on this rock



Starting down the west face. The upper half of this route features tons of loose rubble. I wouldn't want to be coming up at the same time people were coming down (photo by Matt).



Matt carefully descends the loose crap



Another colourful rock



The lower half features terrific step-like rock that is a pleasure to descend



Another unnamed lake/tarn below



Campus Peak again



Approaching the tarn



At its shores



Heading back to the Verdant Pass Trail



Matt and Throne Mountain



Back near the start and an almost identical view to the one we saw 13 hours earlier



The same view the next morning



Reflection



Mount Edith Cavell and Cavell Pond



Exit Stage Centre! The pleasant morning hike was a fitting end to our trip

The End

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