dberdinka Posted Tuesday at 06:56 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 06:56 PM (edited) Trip: Baffin Island - Auyuittuq Trip Date: 08/02/2024 Trip Report: Prologue If a memory cannot be refuted by evidence than it must be the truth so I present this memory as such even if I have some misgivings whether it is in fact the case. I entered Western Washington University in 1991 and as a freshman living on campus I would frequently find myself in the Wilson Library thumbing through what already felt like an antiquated copy of Doug Scott’s “Big Wall Climbing”. Published in 1974 it was only seventeen years old but felt a world apart from the climbing culture and techniques of the early 1990’s. Within a chapter entitled “The Development of Big Wall Climbing in Remote Regions” the author had written a detailed description of his recent expeditions to Baffin Island. And I would claim it was here I first became aware of Mount Asgard. Asgard, a tremendous granite turret with an ice-covered summit plateau rearing 3,000 vertical feet out of an endless labyrinth of glacier ice. The “Scott Route”, a 4,000 foot-long free climb following a beautifully sculpted pillar of exquisite granite. This was clearly a route I wanted to climb. In fact it was The Route I wanted to climb and for over thirty years it always remained as such. A fantasy at the top of my bucket list exceeding the ability, vision or time I had available at different stages of my life. A transcription of our logbook entry at the Thor Emergency Shelter written on July 28th, 2024 We arrived in Pangnirtung on July 3rd. A healthy snowpack and a cool spring had left the mountains still draped in snow and the head of the fjord still covered in ice. A fortunate warm and windy day broke up the ice and on July 5th we entered the park, arriving here on the 6th under cold, leaden skies in a stiff wind Establishing basecamp, we were then unknowingly blessed with largely cool dry days that alternated between overcast and windy or quiet and partly cloudy. The ice slowly melted from the river, the snow on the peaks melting even slower. The first wildflowers bloomed and the days grew perceptibly warmer, Via both success and failure we developed our understanding of these mountains. Huge approaches, difficult climbing, long descents. On our second attempt we climbing the southwest ridge of Mount Menhir, the looming monolith just west of the hut. We were also fortunate to establish two first ascents on impeccable rock with relatively easy access and quick descents. On the large slab wall approximately 40 minutes up valley we linked beautiful splitters into a ten pitch 5.9 we called “Pang Ten”. Later we climbed it again and added sturdy rap anchors. With a twenty minute approach from the trail and no summit it’s a crag climb on Baffin! Above “Pang Ten” we eyed the beautiful flowing east buttress of the East Tower of Northumbria. From the hut here it’s the right skyline of the rightmost peak of the Northumbria group. With binoculars you can pick out the extensive splitters we climbed just this side of the skyline. Eight pitches of moderate 5.8-5.9 climbing on the most perfect rock. Just pure fun and now setup with solid rap stations. The link up of these two routes would make for an amazing Grade V climb without the extensive approaches or difficult descents of other long routes. Highly recommended! July 19th through the 22nd brought the stable, clear weather climbers dream of on Baffin. A long casual approach with a nice siesta at Summit Lake took us to a high bivi on a thankfully melted out Caribou Glacier. Starting at 1 am on the 20th we approached the fabled Scott Route on the North Summit of Asgard. 1200 meters of climbing over 23 pitches took us to the summit at 10 pm. Witness to a spectacular sunset, an endless sea of jagged peaks like diamonds in the periwinkle glow of the midnight sun. Being on that summit is as “out there” as we’ve ever been. The descent was long and tenuous with terrible snow conditions. We returned to our high camp 30 hours after leaving it. Since then the weather has deteriorated into more typical Baffin conditions, lots of rain, snow in the mountains and strong winds. Thoughts turn to home and family as our remaining days here melt into one another. Yesterday we hauled our first load out to Schartzenbach Falls, tomorrow on the 29th we leave for good. Our stay here has been perfect. So many memories. The intensity and beauty of the high peaks balanced by many wonderful rest days here around the hut, mending clothes, doing laundry, cooking, reading and soaking in the views. The world is vast and we may never return to this location again but our memories will always be of much contentment here, we wanted for nothing. Darin Berdinka (Bellingham, WA) & Owen Lunz (Lafayette, CO) 7/6/24-7/29/24 View up fjord upon arrival in Pang Starting the approach in inclement weather Basecamped next to and occasionally in the Thor Emergency Shelter. Mount Menhir in background. Left skyline is SW Ridge V 5.9. Starting up the southwest ridge of Menhir. Twelve pitches. Possibly 3rd ascent based on archeological assessment of rappel tat. Supernatural alpine beauty Pano from basecamp. Menhir on left, multiple summits of Northumbria on right. Looking up the Active Recovery Wall. Forty minutes up valley of the Thor Hut. Surprised to find no evidence of prior passage. Pitch 5 or so, climbing perfect splitters. Enjoyable corners high on the slab. Thor in background. Top of the slab. A few days later we'd climb the clean 1200' buttress just right of Owen. Approaching the East Tower of Northumbria. Pulling through a roof on perfect locks and crimps. Most of the climbing was in lovely splitters on the best imaginable rock. Summit views out over largely untrodden peaks. View out over Weasel River Valley with Thor across the way once again. View down valley from Summit Lake Emergency Nap in the Emergency Adirondack Chairs at the Summit Lake Emergency Shelter. Looking out over the Parade Glacier at 3 am. Asgard on left. Frigga on right. Another party was establishing a new A5 route on the left most pillar of Frigga that day. Asgard. Route started along right side of square snowpatch. 2nd pitch. Runout slabs. I look stupid in this photo but it does provide an excellent view of the upper pillar. Abandoned equipment high on the route. What epic unfolded here? 2nd to last pitch. Wet, wide and exhausting. Sunset view from just below summit. The artic gloaming. Loki in foreground. Epilogue So on a lovely day in the summer of 2024, several weeks after having climbed Asgard via the Scott Route I returned to the Wilson Library to see if I could track down the book. The library and its grounds felt little changed and somewhat surprisingly the book was still there, biding its time on a dusty shelf. Despite now being three times older than when I first perused it the book felt no more antiquated then it once had. And despite the passage of thirty-three years since those august days of youth I pleasantly realized that, on this day at least, I didn’t feel significantly different either. Other Images The unclimbed north walls Of Mount Northumbria. 2600 vertical feet from glacier to highest summit. The incomparable Breidalblik Peak. Sun/shade line climbed in 1971 at V 5.9 A1. On the wrong side of the river for easy access. Bivi on the Caribou Glacier. Mount Tyr and Mount Walle in background. West Face of Mount Thor Signs of life below Mount Sif. Gear Notes: standard rack Approach Notes: Fly to Pangnirtung. Boat twenty miles up fjord. Hike 25 miles to Asgard. Supplies can be hauled in by sled in winter. Contact Peter Kilabuk. I Edited Thursday at 03:18 PM by dberdinka 4 1 4 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mammothclimbs Posted Tuesday at 07:13 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 07:13 PM Congrats on the climbs. Super cool to have succeeded after more than 30 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surgeon Posted Tuesday at 09:45 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 09:45 PM so rad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonG Posted Tuesday at 11:09 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 11:09 PM Indeed. I've never done anything like that nor am I likely to. But damn.....how incredible! Love the history and the full circle nature of this story...... Automatically elevated to best of cc.com! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted Wednesday at 05:46 AM Share Posted Wednesday at 05:46 AM Wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfire Posted Wednesday at 03:56 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 03:56 PM Incredible trip Darin! Congratulations on making it happen. The Boardman Tasker Omnibus was my bible early in my climbing life. Lots of us dream of those faraway places seen in those old Scott, Bonatti, Bonington, etc photos but rarely make it a reality. Glad you're home safe. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trent Posted Wednesday at 08:55 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 08:55 PM (edited) Wow! Super cool; a trip of a lifetime! Thanks for posting. Edited Thursday at 06:53 AM by Trent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bedellympian Posted Friday at 07:56 PM Share Posted Friday at 07:56 PM (edited) Darin, You asked on my trip to the Cirque and I'm curious for yours: How much did it cost you to do this trip? How long was it B'Ham to B'Ham? While I'm thinking about it too... what does the season for climbing appear to be on Baffin? Is that changing? Most importantly, how are the bugs? Edited Friday at 08:38 PM by bedellympian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dberdinka Posted 19 hours ago Author Share Posted 19 hours ago (edited) 29 days in the park. 32 home to home. I would not go for less, weathers just too variable and the approach/exit eats up days. Supposedly July is drier than August, but after a week-plus of rain we arrived at tideline on the 1st of August to endless blue sky as we exited the park. Doing it again I’d go 2nd week of July till as long as I could stay. We had food and gear cached in early April by snowmobile. Saved a lot of energy and time. Then did double carries out. Following is rough conversion to USD. Plane tickets are spendy. $1800 each. Shipping 150 lbs of gear via Canada Post was $600. Cached gear was $1200 total. Boat rides about $650. Park fees about $175 each. So say $3.3k. USD each. You can camp for free on the outskirts of Pangnirtung, which we did in the way in, or stay at Fjordview B&B for about $160 USD each which we did on the way out. The final leg of the flight from Iqaluit to Pangnirtung is frequently cancelled due to winds or low visibility. Which could get you stranded in one town or the other for multiple days. No camping in Iqaluit so be prepared to shell out for hotel rooms on the way in. Or to not get home on a schedule. It was bittersweet to exit during a great weather window but it did mean our flights weren’t cancelled. cost of living is crazy expensive in Baffin. A can of beans was $7. Once I converted everything’s price to “cans of beans” it seemed more reasonable. And bugs were non existent to minimal! Worse on warm, still days but hopefully you’re high in the mountains then. Edited 18 hours ago by dberdinka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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