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 Mission Mountains as seen from Rattlesnake Wilderness. Courtesy of John Fothergill How to Lowbag a Peak By John Fothergill I was
pissed, not for long, but definitely fired up. I
couldn’t understand why Chuck and I were
following Adam. We were on a climber’s
trail that went straight up so steep
that if we fell our asses, we would have been sliding for a while,
maybe
back to
the bus. But, as we gained
elevation and the mountains started to show themselves my anger was
subdued by
the After an easy walk up the ridge and across some snowfields we were awarded with a view like none other, the whole After proper summit celebrations, Adam decided to hike the ridge over to West St Mary’s peak. An option Chuck and I decided to decline. We watched Adam walk the snow covered knife edge ridge with considerable speed. When he returned he showed no signs of calling it a day. Two peaks and countless elevation gained was not enough to satisfy this soul. So Chuck and I watched him glissade down the east face of the mountain to the snow covered Vacation pass. From there he went on to tackle two more peaks. Chuck and I decided to go back to the packs and set up camp. With just a little nip to the air, Chuck and I opted to set up the tent, always a last resort. Adam had no worries with the comfort of the bus. Judging by the old fire rings and the multitude of old beer cans we were in a party spot. However, the night passed without any excitement except for the anticipation of summiting a 9,400 ft peak in of the most spectacular mountain ranges in A breakfast
of soft-boiled eggs and sausage will set any person right, well maybe
not the
vegans of the world. But should you so
choose you won’t be disappointed. The
combination has just enough grease to counteract the beer consumed the
night
before and to provide the fuel needed to hike 5,400 hundred feet with
an
overnight pack on your back.
Mother Natures show began with the stars. They came out with unbelievable force that can only be seen when you are far away from any city. The stars were joined by an almost full moon that casted its light onto the sheer west face of grey wolf mountain like a spotlight on a dancer. The moon then reached the perfect apex in the sky and illuminated one of the many gorges in the glacial cirque below us. For a few minutes it looked like a large golden snake resting down there. It was then time to connect with the primordial self and howl at the moon. The only problem with a camp like this is you don’t want to go to sleep. After a perfect night's sleep we awoke to a unbelievable sunrise. Unfortunately, worldly duties called us and we had to leave in the morning. Breaking camp was quick and easy but leaving wasn’t. The three of us sat on the ridge basking in the October sun occasionally shifting our bodies to get one last look at all the views that would humble any person. The hike down was short, steep, and brutal on the knees but worth all the orthopedic surgery I’m going to need. John Fothergill bags mystery peaks and
legend has it that he once sat on a cliff ledge with a family of
mountain goats for three days. |
Lowbagger
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