Ryan Canfield Posted May 28, 2009 Posted May 28, 2009 (edited) Trip: Wedge Mountain, British Columbia - North Arete Date: 5/24/2009 Trip Report: It was Friday the 22nd and my climbing partner Kurt and I headed out from bellingham around 11am - we got to the wedgemount lake trailhead around 2-3pm, packed up, stretch our legs, and leisurely got ready for the steep hike up to the lake. We left the car around 4pm and made our way up the trail to the wedgemount lake hut at just after sunset. When we got there, there was no one else there but just a few day-hikers leaving the area. However we did expect more people to show up in the morning since it was going to be an excellent weekend. It was a sluggish hike without snowshoes all the way up to the lake at around 6000 feet. It made for a tiring hike in during the melting evening snow which we stepped up into our knees and waists in... We went to bed in the hut (it's a very nice place to set base in!) and woke up to a few hikers coming on into the lake. During the day, we waited around and greeted hikers and a few climbers who were on their way up. We were waiting for early morning to start our climb since everything would be frozen over then... That day, we hung out and drank water from the frozen-over (but quickly melting) lake to stay hydrated and prepare for our early trip up the mountain in the morning. By the end of the night, we decided that we were going to head up with 2 other climbers who knew the area better than we did, so we were up around 12:30-1am to get our gear on and head up the peak. At this time, 2 other climbers had left (making there be a total of 6 climbers who were climbing the same route we were) - We left camp around 1:30-2am and headed towards the end of the lake and up the glacier. Towards the base of the glacier, we roped up and followed each other up the mountain... Made our way over a few snowbridges and up a steep "gully" around 55 degrees of angle (or so) and traversed through a small snow patch over to another steep face where we made our way up to the North Arete/Ridge. By this time, the sun was out and shining down and lit up the mountains for miles. It was absolutely gorgeous. After taking a short break to catch our break and drink a bit of water, we then headed up the very-exposed and steep North Arete and followed it all of the way to the summit. By the time we were at the end of the Arete, the snow was getting really "melty" and began to melt at a much quicker rate. We made it at a perfect time as we were able to travel the North Arete when it wasn't in the heat of the day. We got to the false summit and set our gear down then walked on up about 100 meters to the true summit. After taking about a 15 minute break and some great pictures at the summit, we headed down the back side of the mountain through the hard-snow covered face and down/around the mountain. It was really hot out and we were suffering from the heat. Luckily, we made it to the lake without serious injury but I must say that I was really dehydrated and got blasted by the heat of the sun! It was a great trip and full of good times and hard work! Gear Notes: Basic glacier travel gear. Could have used pickets but we got up just fine without them. Approach Notes: Wedgemount Lake Hut Video [video:myspace]http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=57946737 Pictures Edited May 28, 2009 by Ryan Canfield Quote
Bigtree Posted July 2, 2009 Posted July 2, 2009 Very tasty TR/pics Ryan. Wedge is always a treat. You should go back and try the entire arête next time in similar snow conditions - you'll enjoy it for sure. Quote
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