| Ref: Sean Dougherty's Selected Alpine Climbs. |
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Mount Joffre from
the gravel flats.
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| Alpine
climb: Amazing, incredible,
memorable trip. Wess, Dan and I bivied at Aster Lake. Another solo
hiker camped nearby. We were awakened during the night by some
screaming and yelping. Thinking someone was being attacked by a
bear, we quickly got up, put on our helmets and armed ourselves with
our
alpine axes and flares. My heart was thumping, blood was rushing, my
thoughts were blurred; these very intense feelings were interrupted by
laughter. We found out the following day that a bunch of teens had
hiked
around the lake in the dark. These kids went through our stashed camp
stuff while we set off for Joffre and stole headlamps and
flares. Victims of theft all the way out here...
unbelievable... Anyway, the hike to the glacier was long. Once on the
glacier, the north face reveals itself. From close, the grade isn't as
impressive. Climbing under blue-sky definitely added a nice touch and a
sense of safety. At the top, the view was stunning, as you would expect
it to be from this very lofty mountain. I couldn't believe I was
standing on the summit of Joffre; me, little Jo. That moment was the
highlight of the day; we had to return to the car
from here. The hike
back was very long. I remember the last trudge around the lake, it was
absolutely brutal. To this day, I have never experienced such fatigue
and pain. I suffered inflammation in my knees and eventually my hips.
Joffre marked my seventh scramble in eight days (one day of approach). |
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The best view of
Joffre is from Mount Cordonnier.
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An up-track is
visible on the north glacier (picture taken in 2011). |
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Waterfall below the
glacier. |
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Stepping onto the
glacier, the north face appears very steep. |
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A closer look at the
summit plod. |
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Right on buddies,
we're there! |
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South-east view and
Mount Abruzzi, right of center. |
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Looking south-west
towards Limestone Lakes. |
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Looking down on the
approach. |
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On the way down the
steep bit. |
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