We were hoping to climb the south face of Mt. Robson (3,954m). The face rises about 3,000m above the trailhead and is a very impressive sight from the road.
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The approach is a notoriously obscure trail that climbs
1,500m through dense forest, loose scree and a few cliff bands to reach the
Ralph Forster hut, about half-way up the mountain. Here's Mike with Kinney Lake far below.
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Here we at the hut, relaxing in the sunshine. Unfortunately when we
woke the next morning the peak was shrouded in cloud. We made a brief
foray upwards but sleet began to fall and we soon retreated to the comfort of the hut.
The following day things weren't any better, so we called it quits and headed back down
the trail.
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Next we decided to try Mount Assiniboine (3,618m). From the Robson parking lot we drove five hours
and then hiked another five hours, stumbling into the campsite
at Lake Magog at 10pm. Here's the view from the campsite the next morning.
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From the campsite we continued up to the Hind Cabin, near the base of the
north ridge of Assiniboine. The weather was cloudy and damp, and we spent
most of the rest of the day relaxing inside the cabin, emerging occasionally
to check on the progress of some climbers descending from the summit.
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Towards evening it began to clear. Here's a view from outside the cabin,
looking down to Lake Magog.
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The next morning we set out at 5am under cloudless skies. By the time the
sun rose we were already half-way up the peak.
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The climbing was mostly straightforward scrambling up rubble-stewn ledges but higher up there were a few steeper sections.
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We reached the summit in good time but clouds had rolled in and we were denied a decent photo.
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Here I am on the descent.
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We raced back down to the cabin and from there to Assiniboine Lodge on the
shore of Lake Magog, where we had this view of the peak.
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Mike had bruised one his soles, so instead of the 25km hike out
we took advantage of the helicopter service between Assiniboine Lodge and
the road ($120 one way).
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I had one day left before my flight back to Denver, so we decided to climb
the NE face of Ha Ling Peak (formerly Chinaman's Peak), a classic moderate
climb just outside the town of Canmore.
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High up on Ha Ling, with the outskirts of Canmore visible far below.
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The summit of Ha Ling and the end of my vacation.
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