Trip Report - Mt. Arethusa

After three summit free weeks, Anita and I tackled a mountain rated as 'difficult' by all accounts I'd read. Of course, I didn't tell her this until after we'd summited and gotten back to the car, to which she was slightly dismayed. This was hands down one of the most technically demanding and challenging scrambles we've done yet, with several areas of extreme exposure, razor thin ridges to traverse, precipitous drops off cliffs on either side, and a lengthy downclimb into a chimney. The photos simply do not do this one justice. I texted a few photos to friends, and strangely, the universal response was a variation of 'Are you still married?' or 'How mad is Anita?' Lol. You guys give her too little credit. I gave her the option to turn around well before things got spicy, and she was the one pushing us onwards. I've converted her into a mountain goat. Trust me on this one, you should check out the pics.

Also, since it was a long weekend, rather than take a rest day, we took it easy by bagging another summit the next day. But I'll save those photos for another post.


Bit of a precarious position, cliff drop-offs on both sides.


After a lengthy scree bash, we hugged the wall to gain the ridge, before the really interesting part of this scramble began.


Calm before the storm... things would get far more hairy from here.




And this is where things start getting dicey. Anita balances on a thin ledge, as we head towards the 'chimney'. That will makes sense in a few photos.


Taking a breather, surveying the backside of the chimney we would have to downclimb.


Of course, the wind picks up while we're on the thin ledges.


Anita makes her way down the chimney. A slip here, and that's it. The landing was exposed, and momentum would likely drop you down hundreds of metres to the base. Goodbye life.








My better half, the mountain goat.


Taking another breather before continuing along the airy ridge.




Summit beer: Zero Issue Multiverse Pale Ale. In retrospect, having a beer BEFORE retracing our steps along the ridge wasn't my brightest idea.


There was nothing to shelter us from the wind up top, so Anita resorted to this.


And the return back along the ridge.










Surveying where to step next.

=


Another spot where a misstep would likely be fatal.




Anita gingerly makes her way across a very exposed ledge. I could look at this picture all day.




See that smile on her face? That's proof that she actually enjoys this stuff.


Climbing back up the chimney. Piece of cake.


And a final look back at the ridge we traversed.


Views of mountains for days!

Scenes from Éire (Ireland)

Remember the good old days? You know, the age when you could go outside without contracting emphyzema just by breathing? Those long lost days where the air wasn't a soupy, murky grey mucous... where you didn't need to consult the air quality index to decide if it was safe to walk out your front door? The days when we didn't envy the clean air of Beijing or Calcutta, where merely breathing wasn't a laboured exercise of choking down smog and ash. Yes, folks, I'm waxing nostalgic a little bit about those days before the smoke from the BC forest fires had ruined any plans for outdoor activities. I know it's only been a couple weeks, but it feels like forever. All that hyperbole to explain why we have not seen a mountain or summit in two weeks, and it's driving me a little stir crazy.

In my boredom of another adventure-free weekend, I found time to sort and cull through photos from last year's short visit to Ireland, where Alan and Cristoir showed us around their part of the world. Here's a short selection that includes the Guinness Storehouse, Kilmainham Gaol, scenes from Kilkenny, Trim, and Glendalough. More to come...


The tour at St. James Gate Brewery.






Views of Dublin from the Guinness Storehouse Gravity Bar.




Kilmainham Gaol (jail) in Dublin, the walls of which housed numerous Irish nationalist figures involved in the many attempts at independence.










A well stocked bar at The Sitting Room cocktail bar in Dublin, upstairs of the delicious Delahunt restaurant.


Kilkenny Castle.


The Long Gallery inside Kilkenny Castle.






Afternoon tea at Mt. Juliet Estate, Kilkenny.


The stunning exterior of Mt. Juliet Estate.










Smithwicks Experience brewery tour. And it's pronounced Smith-icks (silent 'w').


Pretty little window along the main street of Trim, Meath County.


Beautiful lush and gentle hiking trails in Glendalough, County Wicklow.

Trip Report - Mt. Bourgeau

Our friends invited us along to celebrate a milestone b-day with a hike up to the top of Mt. Bourgeau this past Saturday. We had the summit largely to ourselves after the threat of thunder and lightning chased off the larger groups that arrived a few minutes before us, only for the skies to clear up for a brief window. Serendipity!

While the route was mostly an easy hike presenting few difficulties, it was lengthy (25km roundtrip, ~40,000 steps according to our phones), and involved 1500m of total elevation gain topping out at 2930m above sea level. At one point, Anita had a bit of a meltdown as she complained of hunger with 'WHY IS IT FAACKING SNOWING ON ME WHEN ALL I WANT TO DO IS EAT MY SANDWICH DAMMMITTTT!!!' followed by an angry trudge to the top complete with stomping feet and an expression that screamed 'THIS IS BULLSHIT!'

All said, it took us around 10h40, with a stop for a b-day celebration at Bourgeau Lake on our descent, featuring cupcakes and tequila. Mountains, Summit Beer, Tequila, Cupcakes, and more Beer = a near perfect outing (minus the spousal meltdown).




This was the point where the epic meltdown started.


Marmot!!








First it was rain, then it became pellet-ish snow, then it was thunder and lightning.




Summit Brew: Citizen Brewing Company's NW Pale Ale