| Ref: Alan Kane's
Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies |
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From the top of
Heart Mountain, the Twin Towers appear. |
Snowshoe trip: RT 11.0; 6.25 up. This outing was
a
lengthy one!
We knew about the recent snowstorm in the region, a ridge walk seemed
appropriate. We chose to bring crampons, snowshoes and a rope. That
was a good call, we used all the stuff. Fab and I both had ascended
Heart
Mountain over 10 years ago while doing the horseshoe loop, the
highpoint now called Grant
MacEwan Peak. We didn't know
that an ascent up the beautiful west tower was possible. A
couple of trip reports on the web raised interest, so we decided to
give it a try. The ascent up Heart was pleasant, crampons made
short work of the hard packed trail. Once at the top, all traffic
ended. The Towers seemed so far, even Grant MacEwan appeared distant.
We strapped on the snowshoes and off we went. Trail breaking was
variable without too much post-holing. It took us a while to reach the
crux of the route, a 4-meter downclimb. It was hard to recognize the
traverse west to the drop with all the snow. We established an anchor
and Fab went on ahead (west) on a ledge and down a weakness in
the rock wall. I followed and left the rope behind for the
ascent later. Looking back confirmed we used the right route, I don't
know that I would come this way without a rope... The partially
windblown ridge up the first tower was interesting with some narrow
snowy sections, an enjoyable scramble. We steered into the scree for
the last bit to the west twin. From there, it is a short
distance to the east twin and true summit. As we sat down to eat our
lunch, snow devils sprung up and soon drove us off the top. We retraced
our steps to our rope and crux. The ascent was easier but slightly
awkward with snowshoes on a bulky pack that kept catching against
the
wall. Back on the ridge, we regained Grant MacEwan
and continued without much stopping; the wind had become
relentless and bitterly cold... Eventually we arrived back
on Heart Mountain where new tracks indicated the top had seen
some visitors during the day.
Coming down the steep trail, we warmed up as the wind diminished.
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Snowshoes required
to continue the trip. |
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On the summit of Grant MacEwan Peak,
the highpoint of the Heart Mountain Loop. |
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The objective from
the top of the crux. |
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Traversing to the
4-meter downclimb. |
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Looking up the
downclimb. |
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The ascent ridge is
interesting. |
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The first tower is
beautiful. |
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We veered towards
the scree for an easy ascent. |
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Up the scree to the
top. |
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Mount McGillivray
behind Fab. |
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At the top of the
first of the Twin Towers. |
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Slight height loss
on the south side to reach the second tower. |
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The connecting ridge
from the second Twin. |
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North-eastern view. |
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Mountain scenery to
the south. |
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Heading back up the
first tower. |
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Leaving the scree
slope. |
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Along the ridge. |
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Another glimpse
towards the Twin Towers. |
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The route we used in
red. |
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Past the tree, I'll
belay Fab. |
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Gaining the ridge
after the crux. |
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Bye bye Twins. |
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Fast and furious Fab. |
| Back
to home page |
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