[TR] Mt. Matier - Anniversary Glacier 8/8/2011

[dpforestry]

Trip: Mt. Matier - Anniversary Glacier

 

Date: 8/8/2011

 

Trip Report:

This is an old trip report I decided to finally post. It was my first ever alpine climb and it scared the crap out of me. Since then I have learned much and gained lots more experience. This one set the bar for me and I think its safe to say I've reached it and continue to push my personal limits. Here goes....

 

"This past weekend, some friends and I set out to summit Mt. Matier (2,783 m or 9,131 ft), one of the peaks in the Joffe Group, a concentrated group of peaks in the Pemberton, BC area. The trip entailed backpacking, glacier travel, snow climbing, and scrambling. This was the first time I have done any kind of roped climbing and even though the route is considered moderate as far as mountaineering trips go, I found it to be challenging, albeit mental rather than physical or technical.

 

The Physical Challenge

"The hike/climb consisted of 1,450 m (4,757 ft) elevation gain from the starting point at the Cerise Creek Forest Service Road to the summit. We set out at 9:45 am from the trailhead on Day 1 and reach camp at “Motel 66″ just above Anniversary Glacier around 1:30 pm. The camp boasted a stellar view of the peak, glacier, the valley, lake, and hut below. For the rest of the day we practiced some basic mountaineering skills such as self arresting, self rescue, team rescue, and roped travel.We left camp for the summit the nextday at 4 am and reached the top around 10:30 am. More experience teams would have probably made it in half that time, but we took our time and set up anchors along the way. It was tough work, but I’ve definitely experienced worse in terms of physical demands (perhaps I’m in better shape that I previously though). Once at the top, the work was only half way done, we still had to climb down! We made it back to camp at 3 pm and rest for about an hour while we broke camp. By four we were all packed up and headed down the trail and back to the car. We got back road by 6:30 pm and then drove the 3 hours home. All in all, we spent about 10+ hours either hiking or climbing that day. Surprisingly, the drive back was a breeze and I even had the energy tounpack and look at some photos before bed.

 

The Mental Challenge

"While not as bad as having to write a thesis (ugh), this trip was quite a feat for me. I’ve never done any legitimate rock climbing as a result of a more than healthy fear of heights. Nevertheless, I saw this trip as an opportunity to push my own limit in this respect, and boy did I ever!I was all good and doing fine until we reached the col (i.e. the saddle between Joffre Peak and Matier Peak). At this point the slope increased appreciably in its angle to about 40-45 degrees. If you’ve never been on a wet, slippery, icy, and snowy slope that steep, just trust me when I say its scary, especially when your perched hundreds of meters above hard rock and ice below, clinging to the mountain only by the point of an axe and the spikes on your boots. I expressed my anxiety and the boys we able to convince me it was alright, so we put on our crampons and continued.

 

"When the slope reached about 40 degrees, I suggested we anchor up and the team cheerfully concurred. This gave me a heightened sense of security and the confidence to continue. I had to focus on the work, trust the equipment, and not think about the consequences.Step by step I continued. By the time we reached the top of the snow climb, just below the summit, my anxiety was pretty high. I sat and tried to feel it out…not talk it away, ignore it, or think about something else but analyze it and try to understand it. Unfortunately, I had very little success in getting rid of it. By not moving or working, all I had was time to think…think about what the hell I was doing up there.

 

"The rest of the route was a simple scramble on some rocks along the ridge, and I couldn’t do it. I took off my crampons and stood on the solid rock and my legs felt like spaghetti. We were now off the rope and there was no way I was going to go any further. I found solace in my decision to stay put, as the decision itself afforded me some level of control, which at that point I felt I had very little. I wasn’t freaking out or anything, I was merely managing my anxiety. I had pushed myself plenty that day and knew we still had along way left to go down. I had to save some sanity for the rest.

 

"My friends were understanding and went on ahead without me. They didn’t go very far to reach the summit and I could clearly see them snapping photos. When they came back, I was kicking myself for not having gone but content at the same time. I was ready to go down.The first hour of the descent was a bit hair raising, but my confidence returned upon roping in. When we made it back to the col, I felt at ease and we proceeded down the glacier. At one point, as we passed the paths of several crevasses, my anxiety kicked in, but I focused on each step and continued. Closer to the bottom, we unroped to cross an avalanche path. It was late in the day and the sun had been beating down on the mountain four hours. The chance of rock coming loose and rolling down on us was great. I hustled down and across the area of danger and relaxed again, at that point we were essentially out of danger.

 

"So, when I say that I “sort of” did it, I think I’m cheating myself a bit. I went further than most would probably go, and I managed to face my fears head on. Granted I came 150 m short of the summit, but I did reach the top of the peak that is visible in all the photos. All in all, I’d say the trip was a success, and I can honestly say that I had a blast. I think I will try my hand at scrambling and get into rock climbing to expose myself and become even more comfortable and skilled for future pursuits."

 

Gear Notes:

Rope, pickets, mountaineering axe.

 

Assorted Photos (in no particular order):

 

Edited May 3, 2013 by dpforestry

[dorianlee]

Nice photos.. Are you doing your thesis in Forestry?

[G-spotter]

I went further than most would probably go,

 

Most people who get this far go on to the summit. Other than that, good effort.

[Pete_H]

Summits are as out of style as M.C. Hammer pants. Its all about the line, man.

[dpforestry]

Nice photos.. Are you doing your thesis in Forestry?

 

I did.