The Team Sherpa Blog

Okay. I concede. We’ve entered into the shoulder season here in the rockies. This past weekend told the story of this summer’s last adventure before getting ready for real snow. Tangle Ridge (2900m) was the destination for Saturday, and after a late sprint from Edmonton down to the Columbia Icefields on Friday night we settled into our sleeping bags for a chilly night. We are a group of four: Carmen and I with our good friends Lex and Conor

The morning was cloudy and wet, with bulky clouds shrouding the surrounding peaks. We were camped again at the tenting only Icefields campground, only about 10 minutes form the Tangle Ridge trail head. I made everybody roll out of bed at 6.30 because I always enjoy morning. I don’t mind being in soggy weather down below treeline, but I wanted to make best use of the day and thought that the early afternoon sun would help burn off some of the precipitation. Our chosen scramble would be an

1100m climb, mostly off trail up a reasonable scree slope. Stunning views from the top were promised, and Carmen and I were excited to be able to get a look at Wilcox pass from its northern terminus- along with the peak that had defeated us the week before.

The scramble begins on the side of highway 93, just over the Sunwapta pass. We make our way over to Tangle falls, and strike out on a well worn path sign posted “Wilcox pass”. We are slow along the path- it is cold, and the ground is slippery with mud and exposed routes. Some 40 minutes later, we near Tangle creek again and leave the trail and turn north east to begin climbing along a dry drainage. It is unclear from this angle exactly where we are heading, but it is clear from the map that this drainage will lead us up onto the broad hump ridge that will show the way up to the summit of Tangle ridge.

We eventually clear the trees, and come out onto a broad terrace strewn with limestone boulders. The clouds are lifting slightly and shredding in sections to reveal the icefields and mountains across from us. We stop for a few photos, and conor and I try to identify some of the major peaks and glaciers while the clouds aren’t in the way. After only a few minutes, we turn our backs to the scene and begin the climb in earnest. It is another 700m up from here.

To our right is the expanse of Wilcox pass. Snow lies on Wilcox peak now, making another attempt look unlikely this year. There is much more snow now all around, and Nigel peak dominates to the south, shrouded in thicker snow and brooding.

Eventually we step out onto crunchy, cushy scree. At about 2600m, a wind sets in that will be with us all the way up to the top. Our group has spread out along the ridge, Conor slightly ahead and above me, Carmen and Lex are brightly coloured specks against the dark stone slope far below. I am in a steady metronome state now, the sort of pleasant burn a long climb brings when your steps are even and the pace is steady. My breaths come equally and unstrained, matching my footfalls and spelling out snippets of songs I’ve heard or just made up right then and there. This is a state that is known to the true walker, and it is what keeps me coming back to the hills- the clarity and simplicity of going up forever at a speed set long ago by our ancestors.

Snow greets us some 50m below the summit ridge, and icy blasts of wind are coming from three different directions. The summit is crowned with a repeater and solar panels, a let down for sure but the view are superb. I marvel again at Sunwapta and the peaks adjacent. They are sprinkled in snow and look sleepy now when only weeks ago they were rocky teeth barred at a blazing summer sky. Conor gets some water boiling for tea as I take a temperature reading: 3C, probably less with the windchill. I’m wearing all my layers as I scout further along the summit ridge. Our plan is to follow the ridge a ways southwards towards towering Nigel Peak then cut down to gain Wilcox Pass and rejoin our trail head further along its route.

When I return to the repeater tower, Lex and Carmen are there enjoying a warm cup of tea and snow has begun to swirl around us. Within a few minutes the wind has really picked up, and clouds are moving in. We decide to abandon our circuitous return route in favor of retracing our steps down the easy slop.

Once off the scree, the sun finally comes out. We decide to make the best of the good weather, and practice some belay and rope techniques on some of the boulders we passed on the way up. Its good weather, but a weaker sun makes me feel that fall is really on its way.

We make slow progress and enjoy the rest of the walk back down to Tangle creek and our trail out. Back at the car we decide we are all hungry and head back towards camp for some food and rest. We spend the rest of the day relaxed around a fire, beers in hand enjoying good friends in great surroundings. I go to bed around 8.30 and set my alarm for 6.30 again. Tomorrow will be another day, another mountain, another adventure!