Mount Galwey VI
August 13, 2022
Mountain height: 2348
m
Elevation gain: 960 m
Round-trip time: 7 hours
Scrambling with Aaron, Dan, Mike, Sam, and Zac
(an alphabetical listing and not in order of descending IQ – “phew” says Zac!)
Dan Carriero is one of the coolest and classiest
individuals I’ve ever known. And so when he invited a few of his high
school/university buddies to stay at the cabin for the weekend, I was certain
they would be of the same high quality of character. Boy, was I wrong!! Mayhem
ensued, temper tantrums were thrown, there was more infantile sobbing than male
bonding, bones and hearts were broken, and three of them left with bounties on
their heads.
Of course, I’m just kidding. In fact, Dan’s buddies were so
awesome, I actually started to think less of Dan by the end of the weekend.
And I’m kidding about that too. You are still numero uno,
Dan!!
Naturally, the boys, all from Saskatchewan, wanted to try a
scramble and so I was tasked with picking an appropriate objective – always a
hit-and-miss proposition when scrambling with those who have never scrambled or
have limited mountain experience. The crew was young, appeared to be fit,
neither of them were clutching for dear life onto a teddy bear or safety blanket, and
therefore I took a gamble with the difficult rated route up Mount Galwey. The
route is short, but the exposed crux can make any person that has a continued
desire to live weep. 
I rationalized that even if we just made it to that point,
the group would have a rewarding experience.
The stage was set, the weather beautiful, and so off we
went, up into the unknown. The first section of trip unfolded without much ado.
I was happy to see my five companions enjoying the terrain, the views, and the camaraderie.
Also, they all tackled the steeper sections with ease. A twinge of optimism
that everyone could make the summit set in.
Once
around the west side of the mountain, the scrambling
gets a little more serious and knocking rocks down the mountain onto
those below
is a concern. Again, the group tackled the terrain expertly, nobody
ended up with a boulder lodged in their skull, and the crux of the
trip was soon upon us.
Most people (whose surname does not rhyme with Bonnold)
have a somewhat negative reaction upon seeing the exceedingly narrow ledge you
have to traverse at this point. “What the #$@!”, “Are you serious??!!”, “Over
your dead body”, and “Let the guy with the lowest IQ go first” are common
phrases uttered here. We took a break and individually contemplated our next
moves. Half the group decided to stop, while the rest of us gave the route a
go. Dan went first. As stated in many previous trip reports, Dan is probably
the most amazing scrambler/climber I know and so to watch him prance across that
ledge as though it was six feet wide was hardly surprising. Sam went next, and
also completed the traverse with shocking ease. I had witnessed Sam scramble a
few harder lines during the ascent, but was still impressed how he tackled the
unforgiving terrain with skill and without hesitation.
With three us over to the other side where "the window" sits, I told Dan it was now mandatory to do “The Cadaver” re-enactment.
He graciously complied to the semi-morbid request and took his position in the
window. In the meantime, apparently the ease with which Dan and Sam had
negotiated the crux had inspired Zac, Aaron, and Mike. To our delight we suddenly
saw them all coming over to join us. Well done boys – that's a decidedly impressive
feat for anyone’s first scramble. 
The best part of this fortuitous turn of
events was the opportunity to do a “Cadaver Times Four” pose. We tried for
five, but that would have required an “uncomfortable” level of closeness for
five sweaty guys. They were all good with four!
The last part of the ascent features a steep gully with
several big scrambling moves. Though not as daunting as the traverse, this
section is not to be taken lightly, with severe consequences if you slip. Once again
Dan led, powering up the blocky rock in no time. I went next and Sam followed.
Needing perhaps a little more time to recover from the trauma of the traverse and
then the cadaver pose Zac, Aaron, and Mike (ZAM) decided to hang back. More
than likely, they would wait for us at the window.
Taking in the fine summit view Dan, Sam, and I (DSA) suddenly
heard voices and one by one, the ZAM trio arrived at the top. Sweet!! All
six of us at the summit – let’s call ourselves the SMAZDA Sextet….. on second
thoughts, let’s not!
We all took a well-deserved summit break, having a few
laughs about the trip so far, and enjoying the wonderful view and splendid weather.
The descent went exceedingly well. I would say the hardest
part of the return trip is the steep gully, not the traverse. Everyone carefully
made their way down the gully, across the ledge, down the rockfall section, and
onto the mercifully easy scree run, followed by a pleasant ridgewalk to end the
day. There may have been the odd groan of exhaustion near the end, but we’ll
attribute that to the heat of the day!
Outstanding trip and outstanding effort by five awesome guys. Hopefully
they will all return for another engaging weekend and scramble. Sam,
Mike, Zac, Aaron, and Dan, you are all always welcome (listing in no particular
order and not by volume of head hair).
The daunting southeast side of Mount Blakiston always commands most of the attention throughout the trip
Lined up like obedient children - good boys!
Galwey is straight ahead
Aaron and Zac emerge from the mountain's shadow
Aaron was pretty gung-ho throughout, often leading the pack
The rest of the group and the start of the magnificent red argillite scenery
They need to work a little on even spacing, but that's being really picky
Great place for a group photo
The Dream Team
The Carreiro brothers are conversing. Dan is saying either:
a. "The list actually is in order of descending IQ", or
b. "Mum loves me more"
(or both)
Resuming travel
This section of the ridge is replete with awesome and colourful rock formations, as well as impressive views of the objective
Heading
left. Here is where you leave the ridge and embark on a labourious
scree slog up to the west ridge. The reward is an almost
effortless run down on descent.
Checking out the ever-improving view to the west
Aaron makes easy work of the scree ascent
The south side of Galwey is so impressive, but not a scramble
Aaron leads the way around to the west side of the mountain
Some fun terrain here, but you have to be very careful not to knock rocks down
We ran into another group here. We've definitely got the rainbow of colours covered!
Sam regains the ridge
Looking at the next section. There is one big scrambling move here.
Sam and Dan make their way up
Sam prepares for the big move
There
is it. Nicely done, Sam! Long legs and good flexibility help here. I
took another route where flexibility was not required - I'm about as
flexible as a stick of iron!
Zac and Aaron in the same area
Mike and Zac
Zac is up the big step - he's more flexible than I!
Zac and Mike at the right and the view to the northwest
My obligatory "yellow lichen on cool rock" photo
Short break before tackling the crux
Galwey North at the far left and one of my favourite scrambles in Waterton, Mount Dungarvan, in the centre
Dan starts the traverse
The remainder of the group is still enjoying the view
Sam and Dan at the window
Dan as "The Cadaver"
Zac is almost over to the other side (testicles descending)
Mike and Aaron follow ("you know what" ascending)
Zac, Sam, Mike, and Aaron in their debut roles as "The CadaverS" - the next big Boy Band (BTS may have some competition)
Dan enjoys fun scrambling to the summit
Sam is also quick to tackle the challenging terrain
Dan looks over the edge
Sam's turn for the final gully
He's up
Sam is writing his will (in Latin), Dan is looking for decaying corpses at the bottom of the traverse
Mike!!! Welcome to the Top of The World (or at least a reasonable facsimile)
The Dream Team - SMADZ
Mounts Kintla and Kinnerly in Glacier National Park
Long Knife Peak, also in GNP
The Waterton Lakes are just visible to the southeast. Exciting Mount Crandell at the right.
Slow and careful descent down the steep gully
The troops traverse the ledge. This angle more accurately shows the consequences if you slip.
Onto easier terrain for a short section
Back down the "no knocked rocks" section
The Boys bombing down the scree run
Mike heads towards the ridge, below the scree run
Back on the scenic ridge to finish the trip
We
were all quite spaced out (physically distanced, not the other kind of
"spaced out") at this point. Energy levels were waning as was conversation!
Still taking in a great view, even low down on the mountain
The brothers descend the ridge - siblings really are the best thing ever
Now that the Sun is lighting up the red argillite, I'm stopping to take an insane amount of photos of the stunning rock
Like this one
And this one
Reunited (and it feels so good) for the final part of the descent. Congrats to the MADZS Quintet!
The End
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