Kona – Page 2 – DOGS ON PEAKS

Mt. St. Piran (900 m elev. gain)

Kona on Mt. St. Piran with Mt. Temple behind Sheol / Haddo ridge and Devil’s Thumb in foreground. Alternate route up Devil’s Thumb is the scree gully at the left (Kona’s Afi went up and down it after traversing from St. Piran to Niblock in July 1993.) Aberdeen glacier at upper right. Mt. Aberdeen used to be one of the three mixed snow/ice climbs required for full membership in the ACC (Alpine Club of Canada).

Mt. Aberdeen upper glacier from ACC climb in Sept 1985.

Kona getting the standard MacD’s apple pie treat on the top. View of Louise ski slopes with Unity / Pumpkin / Lipalian traverse in distance.

Kona – St. Piran descending to Niblock col

On descent to the Niblock / Piran col leading to valley above Lake Agnes. The Mitre’s pointy peak sticking up in the gap between Mt. Aberdeen and Mt. Lefroy, over the shoulder of Mt. Whyte. Past The Mitre are Neptuak and Wenkchemna in Valley of the Ten Peaks.

Consummation Peak (1,000 m elev. gain)

Kona heading down from Consummation Peak in late August after a long rest on top recovering from the tedious hike from the parking lot. Lake O’Hara in centre distance with closer Wiwaxy Peaks to its left and Mount Schaffer to its right, just left of the shoulder of Odaray Mountain. (see below for view back from Schaffer to Consummation).

Remnants of glacier on the north side of Mount Stephen from Consummation Peak. Cathedral Mountain is out of sight to the right.

The usual reward for doing a better job of route-finding than her companion.

Mount Huber glacier, the route Kona’s “dad” took in 1986, although seems to be not the preferred route these days. (see photo below). Peaks (l. to r.) – Victoria S., Huber, Lefroy, Wiwaxy, Glacier, Yukness, Ringrose.

Kona’s “dad” climbing Huber Glacier in 1986.

Consummation Peak is the small bump just right of Odaray Mountain in front of glaciated Mount Stephen. Photo from Schaffer in 2020.

The Goodsirs in cloud directly south from Consummation Peak through Odaray Pass.

Athabasca Glacier (615 m elev. gain)

Kona at edge of glacier with climbers’ tracks to either Silverhorn or North Face routes. Some fresh snow in late August.

Following the moraine along the edge of the glacier. Silverhorn climbers’ route angling to the right and topping out at the pyramid shape, main summit to the left above the north face mixed ice / rock route.

Reflection of the mountain in a tarn near the top of the hike.

View back down the ridge / moraine at the Columbia Icefields Centre and Mount Wilcox and Wilcox Ridge beyond.

Boundary Peak covered in fresh snow.

Some building materials at the “bivy shelter” at the top of the climbers’ approach trail. Mount Kitchener in background.

View from summit ridge of the Silverhorn route on Athabasca in 1985 with the small tarn and approach route along moraine / ridge just visible at lower right. Icefields Centre and Mt. Wilcox at right.

Victoria Glacier (940 m elev. gain)

Kona eating her kibbles at a cool spot on the scree covered glacier with 30C+ temperatures in the valley below. Interesting view of Mount Fay in the gap across three valleys (Plain of Six Glaciers, Paradise, and Ten Peaks. Mount Temple looming over shoulder of Aberdeen, and Pinnacle Peak just behind shoulder of The Mitre behind shoulder of Lefroy.

View of Abbott Pass from high moraine with Lefroy on left and Victoria on right.

Close-up of Alpine Club of Canada Abbott Hut, for a long time the highest permanently habitable structure in Canada, before the Neil Colgan hut above Moraine Lake was built.

Late summer snow patch to cool off on way to toe of glacier. “The Sickle” ice formation on way to Mount Victoria South summit visible on ridge behind.