Mount Baldy VII
June 13, 2004
Mountain height: 2,192 m
Elevation gain: 800 m
Ascent time: 2:45
Descent time: approx.: 50 minutes
Scrambling
with Mark, Keri, Josh, Mum, and Larry.
I
don’t think I’ll ever tire of this mountain. Seven ascents on a variety of the
mountain’s many different routes, and I still thoroughly enjoy it. With a
terrible weather forecast (rain all day), and being the first trip of the
season for all but Mark and I, Mount Baldy was one of a very few options for
the day. Fortunately, the forecast was dead wrong and we actually enjoyed
fairly decent weather throughout.
We started the scramble at a very late 12:15
pm. Josh and I decided to go ahead to possibly do some easy rock climbing,
while Mark, Keri, Mum and Larry followed. We took the ridge route and waited at
the moderate downclimb for everyone else. When the rest of the group caught up,
Keri came with me and Josh to the downclimb and Mark took Mum and Larry around
the right side to bypass the moderate section. Josh and Keri had no problem
doing the short, but exposed downclimb and we continued on, to the point where
we eventually met up with everyone else.
Then comes my favourite section of the scramble
– traversing around the right side of a large rock band about halfway up the
face. After this section (about ¾ of the way up), Mum and Larry decided to
stop, while the rest of us continued on to the top. At the summit we
experienced some rapid and interesting weather changes – sunny, then a windy
rain shower, and back to sunny.
Joining up with Mum and Larry again, Josh and I
hurried down, as Josh needed to be back in Calgary by 6 pm. The rest of the
group came down slowly (Baldy is not a difficult scramble by any means,
however, the slopes are relatively steep for those not used to such terrain)
and we met back in Calgary around 7 pm. Overall, an easy and enjoyable day out
with the family.
Josh carefully scrambles down the crux
Larry and Mum took the bypass route
Reunited past the downclimb
Some nice hands-on scrambling here
Mark, Keri, and Josh take advantage of the very cool rock bench
The End
LOG