Drywood Mountain V
(via
the northeast ridge)
August 20, 2018
Mountain
height: 2475 m
Elevation gain: 835 m
Roundtrip
time: 5 hours
Solo
scramble.
Unfinished
business. Steep snow and a significant rock band had prevented
me from reaching the top of Drywood Mountain, via its northeast ridge earlier
in May of 2017 and so it was time to try again. The day was forecast to be
smoky and cloudy, but since my first attempt was completed in beautiful weather
conditions, the scenic aspect of the attempt was less of a concern. This may
have been a good thing as, once on the ridge I cruised along it quite rapidly,
not feeling the intense urge to stop to stare at every interesting rock or
twisted dead tree, etc.
I did bring a rope, rock shoes, and other climbing
paraphernalia, but was pleasantly surprised when arriving at my previous
highpoint, to find the snow-less terrain to be very manageable. The steep gully
near the end that I wouldn’t have dreamed of ascending when it was choked with
snow was now a breeze – easy/moderate scrambling at best.
The remainder of the ascent was easy, but somewhat
less exhilarating than my wintery November trip in 2011, via the north side of
the mountain.
For descent I tried to downclimb the terrain that
had stopped me in 2017 and was surprisingly successful! Were I to repeat
the route, I would ascend this difficult terrain and then descend the
easy/moderate gully.
A thoroughly enjoyable day,
smoke, cloud and all!!
A dreary look at much of the route
Approaching the summit block
Another dreary look, this time of Pincher Ridge
The moderate gully that offers easy access to the ridge
Looking back down the route
Drywood is still colourful, even in the dreary conditions
Mostly an easy walk to the summit
This interesting section of sandy rock precedes a short scramble to the summit
You know things are bad in the Castle when the register is the most colourful part of the summit view!
Looking back at the end of the ridge
Summit view to the north
Summit view to the west and the slightly higher but very distant west summit of Drywood
What a difference clear skies make! (right photo from May, 2017)
Smoky and cloudy........
Smokeless and cloudless
Still had to stop to photograph a few of the colourful sights
Drywood, Pincher, Victoria
Looking back at the route
A cairn marks the far northeast end of the mountain
The End
