- Morgan enjoys pre-wedding corn in Spire Gully.
- Getting married after the rain finally abated (thankfully).
After the wedding, Morgan and I were scheduled to leave directly from the Methow and head up to the Canadian Rockies for our honeymoon. We decided to stick around the Methow for a few extra days to relax and take advantage of some fantastic weather. On this list was a climb/ski combo up at WA pass. We chose something moderate for our first alpine adventure as a married couple so we skinned from the Blue Lake trailhead to the base of the South Arete of South Early Winters Spire, had nice time climbing and then followed by a great ski back down spire gully to the hairpin. We also ran into Jason Hummel and Jhya up at the base of the South Arete and it was a really nice treat to catch up. On the way to camp that night, we noticed a mouse scurrying across the hood of the car. We figured that she would escape once we parked (little did we know that we would be carting her throughout the Canadian Rockies and back in our air duct). In fact she is still there since she managed to get stuck and die…not a good smell.
- Morgan nears the top of South Early Winters spire via the South Arete.
- Our shadow just before skiing lovely corn down spire gully and a nice sunset.
The next day we got a late start and headed north towards Canmore Alberta where we were planning on spending some time with my cousin Kristin and her husband Tim exploring their beautiful backyard. We stopped at the top of Rogers Pass in the pouring rain around 11 pm and decided to stay at the Best Western. For those who don’t know, this is the only hotel lodging option anywhere near the top of the pass. Over weak coffee and orange juice (Tang) the next morning, Morgan and I were in awe of the diversity of travelers passing through the lodge. After a leisurely breakfast, we hopped in the car and drove through the pouring rain towards the sunshine down into Canmore. There we met up with my cousin and her husband and they hosted us for the week. The weather forecast wasn’t great but we were treated to some fun mountain bike rides, hiking, and good food courtesy of our hosts. It was a great time getting to know my cousin and her husband and checking out the great life they have set up for themselves in Canmore.
- Our lovely hosts..Cousin Kristen and her husband Tim
The whole day unfolded nicely. The scenery was stunning; the route was moderate but sustained in places; the rock was loose albeit a bit scary on some pitches but solid and fun on others; there were some route finding challenges which made for some adventure. Given that this was Morgan’s first time experiencing this much exposure on rock and the necessity to move quickly and efficiently, she did excellent job following quickly and being organized. It was a really memorable outing with my new wife. The climb was around 11-12 pitches and we came in around 10 hours car to car. We moved at a comfortable pace and never felt rushed the entire day.
- Morgan nears the start of the climb.
- Morgan nearing the top of pitch 9.
- Ha Ling summit
We pulled the ripcord on Canada and drove back to the Methow for some relaxation during the final stages of our vacation. Four days of camping and hanging out in the warm sun were just what the doctor ordered. We ended up attempting one more climb up at the pass. However, I promptly got us off route into some dirty and steep crack system which neither I or Morgan were too happy about. We eventually found the correct way but we decided to leave this route for another day and go relax by the river. We were both happy with the decision when we finally were finally basking in the sun and sipping cold beers by the river.
- Off route and ready to relax by the river...until next time
- Relaxing on the Methow following the mornings shenanigans.
