We had originally planned to leave with Mark and Trevor, but come that morning I suggested there was no real reason we had to go. The forecast looked good and there was space in the hut, so it didn't take much to convince Kristal to stay an extra couple of nights. We did have to hike back out to the car to get more food, but it was well worth the extra effort. The Bugaboos is such an amazing place.
On our last day we decided to climb another classic route, the west ridge of Pigeon Spire. Instead of the normal approach we decided to take the long way around and hike up the Bugaboo glacier. We were a little nervous, as we are completely new to glacier travel. In theory it's quite simple - don't fall into any holes...
In practice it can be a bit more complicated, but a report from a party a couple of days before said the approach was in excellent shape, so we were only slightly nervous. We set out at dawn and were treated to an amazing 3 hour hike up the glacier to the base of the route.
Low lying mist in the valley.
The west side of Snowpatch Spire.
Ominous looking clouds, which thankfully burned off by the time we got to the base of the route.
Scenic glacier travel.
The route itself is actually mostly 4th class (not technical rock climbing), but the exposure, position and sheer fun of it makes it a classic by any measure. Here I am about halfway up, with the Howser towers in the background.
The view of Bugaboo Spire was breathtaking.
Kristal on the summit.
We decided to hike back to the hut using the usual approach on the Vowell glacier, thus completing the loop around Snowpatch and Pigeon.
Don't fall into these.
It was another amazing day in the Bugaboos. Unfortunately we did eventually have to leave, which made Kristal very sad.
Looks amazing!
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