Mount Gladstone attempt – November 21, 2004

Mountain height:    2,458 m (8,063 ft)
Elevation gain:       approx. 1,000 m (we came up about 200 m short)
Roundtrip time:     6:55  

Scrambling with Linda Breton.

I think we’ll have to call Linda, “Queen of the Castle Crown”. After a terrific trip up Victoria Peak, earlier this year, Linda suggested we return to this far too infrequently visited area with the hopes of adding Mount Gladstone to the list of Castle Crown summits. Linda had scouted out the ascent route the weekend before and so we didn’t expect any problems making the summit. It seems the weather had other ideas!

A forty minute hike along Mill Creek, followed by an hour traversing the lower slopes of Gladstone on a horse trail, and we were at the beginning of the ascent slope. Up to this point, the sky had been overcast and the wind constant, but nothing too dramatic. We had also been rewarded with a fairly decent view of spectacular Castle Peak, although the clouds refused to leave the summit of Castle’s twin peak, Windsor Mountain.

The ascent was straightforward and easy at the beginning, but increasing elevation, brought increasing wind speeds. About one third of the way up the scree slope, we were both getting hammered by wind gusts that knocked Linda off her feet three times. Add a constant pounding of blowing snow from the top of the ridge to that, and you have less than ideal ascent conditions. We persisted, probably far longer than we should have, to the start of the final ridge walk to the summit. Here, there was little choice but to retreat. The insistent wind was not going to let up, clouds were consuming every peak around us, visibility was low, we were both freezing cold, and the cloud-filled summit view was not nearly enough to override the potential danger of continuing. There was little debate and we made a thankfully rapid descent, scree-surfing down the finely ground red argillite rock. Not making the summit was a little disappointing, but when there’s no view waiting at the top, what’s the point? – we both would have been compelled to return anyway – which is exactly what we’ll be doing.   

A view of Mount Gladstone and our ascent route; the red dot marks the summit; photo taken from the summit of Victoria Peak on September 25, 2004;     

Linda, hiking along Mill Creek; Gladstone is out of the picture to the right

The ascent route follows the skyline to the summit at the right (photo by Linda)

Ascending a minor rockband along the way (photo by Linda)

Castle Peak 

Looking towards Prairie Bluffs 

Linda, ascending scree slopes, with Castle Peak behind; Windsor Mountain is hiding behind the clouds 

Prairie Bluffs and Victoria Peak (right)

A brief clearing reveals Windsor Mountain (photo by Linda)

Linda stops to take a rest from the constant pounding of the wind; Victoria Peak behind

LOG