Wasootch Tower attempt
October 11, 2003
Our second attempt to find a scramble route up this shapely
peak. We made far more progress than our attempt almost exactly one year
earlier, but still came up short of the summit. Not knowing that there
was a well-worn trail to the saddle, we took a more direct and steeper
gully. At the saddle, a close examination of the summit block revealed that it
appeared to be too steep to scramble up anywhere. Nevertheless, we weren't
about to turn tail and run just yet!
In terms of a grade, I'll have to give us a
"P" for perseverance. We tried about six different routes, including
a steep, pre-bolted slope, about 30 metres to the left of the true ascent
route. In our bulky scrambling boots, the slope was quite a
challenge and so I sent Mark up first to do all the dirty (and difficult!)
work. Eventually, that route failed for us and so we tried one more, even
further left. This route definitely had the most potential, however,
at this point, we were exhausted, both physically and mentally, and decided to
call it a day. Thankfully, we found the trail on descent and enjoyed a very easy
and leisurely return to the car.
At the saddle, with Wasootch Tower behind
Mark tries a potential route but backs down higher up
Mark goes up a bolted climbing route in his hiking boots
As far as he made it