[MCR] Tonquin Valley Aug 9-14

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

I was fortunate to spend 6 days hiking and climbing in the Tonquin 
Valley, based out of the Wates Gibson hut with the ACC 55+ group.
The hut was full  of adventurous climbers and trekkers heading in 
many directions every day.

Our group climbed McDonnell Peak on August 11th via the Fraser 
glacier. We accessed the glacier via the right side on loose moraine 
features, but avoided crevasses and steeper sections of ice. The 
upper slopes were still snow covered and gave easy access to the col.
Another party that climbed Simon Peak used the left side of the 
Fraser glacier which may have been easier and less convoluted.

Thunderbolt Peak was climbed on August 12th. We descended from the 
hut to Chrome Lake. After another 5 minutes or so down the trail, in 
the first dip in the trail, a cairn on the uphill side marks the 
start of a flagged route up through the timber to treeline. (MG 16746 
35738) A short talus slope above treeline leads easily to the NW 
ridge and easy scrambling to the summit. Descent can be made by the 
first main drainage to the west, leading down (with some steep bush) 
to just south of Chrome Lake. You can also retrace the route up.

Other parties in the hut climbed Simon Peak, Paragon, Benington, the 
SE ridge on Outpost to Memorial and down west ridge, as well as an 
unnamed peak at the end of the Eremite Valley.

As is the ongoing trend of this summer, the ice routes are in poor 
shape. Many of the classic routes in the Eremite Valley (Anchorite, 
Alcove and Angle peak) we basically down to rock and lots of dirty ice.

The standard route on Outpost which uses a ramp leading to the North 
glacier seems to now have a large stream crossing through it. This 
may be due to a shift in the water flow on the glacier above. (I 
certainly don't remember this from years past)
This route may still work but no parties went that way.

On the rock routes conditions were as good as it gets.

We spent a day in the Eremite Valley hiking. A spectacular loop was 
done heading up the valley to the lake below the col, then bearing 
left onto a large bench feature under the ridge of Thunderbolt  where 
we descended past numerous lakes and streams and regained the trail 
near the bridge that crosses the creek upstream of Chrome lake.

Overall conditions were excellent and the bugs were almost non 
existent. Lots of wildlife in the area including a grizzly mother and 
two cubs that stormed through the front yard outside the hut!. (We 
think the closing of the outhouse door scared them, almost as much as 
they scared one person who was brushing their teeth just out back)



Peter Amann MG
Dave Smith    MG

Peter Amann

www.incentre.net/pamann/
pamann at incentre.net

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