TOP TEN (8)
More than three
decades ago, between 1983 and 1987 the Passionate Hiker was busy setting the
foundations for his career, and his family, in Alberta, but it didn't stop him
from going on a number of exciting adventures in the Canadian Rockies.
Here is the eighth
of his selected "Top Ten" trips during that time frame. The narrative comes from his diaries, written
at the time. Several of the photos come
from the original negatives and have never been printed before.
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| Summit with a view |
SAT.
23RD AUGUST 1986:
TEMPLE
TRIUMPH (11,627 ft./3,544 m)
Background to
this Story:
Mt. Temple dominates the area around Lake Louise in
the Canadian Rockies. At 11,627 ft. it
is the highest mountain in the area, and looks it. Yet there is a way up it for an enterprising
scrambler, given good weather conditions.
For some time, I had been interested in trying the ascent. And then an
opportunity arose, and I took it. We
were successful.
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| Mt. Temple stands out above the Bow River in the Canadian Rockies (photo from internet) |
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| The mountain dominates the area around Lake Louise (photo from internet) |
My Diary:
The crowning achievement of my hiking career! Never have I climbed so high and been able to
look down on a sea of rock and ice stretching in all directions.
Mount Temple is the highest mountain in the Lake
Louise area. Many famous climbers have made their way to the summit. There are several routes, ranging from the
dangerous North Face, a 5,000 ft. cliff overhung by glacial ice, to the popular
“tourist route”, the only route for the non-climber. However, even this trail requires some
climbing and scrambling.
From Moraine Lake, already at 6,190 ft., you take the
classic trail up to Sentinel Pass. At 8,566
ft., this is the highest hiking pass in the Canadian Rockies and leads down
into Paradise Valley. From the top of
the Pass, another 3,060 ft. of steep talus slope and cliff bands is required to
reach the summit of Temple at 11,627 ft. – a total vertical ascent of 5,437 ft.
This beats my previous height gain record set on Mount
Allan back in 1983 (4,458 ft.) and Ben Nevis in 1979 (4,400 ft.), and also
beats the highest elevation achieved, by over 1,300 ft. (Mist Mountain, which I
climbed in 1984, is 10,297 ft.).
Our team consists of Roger H, Ian L, and myself. Roger
and I form the core of the ‘T-H hiking club’ while Ian is a veteran climber
from many Scottish and Swiss peaks. We
arrive late at the Moraine Lake car park and camp out in Ian’s comfortable van.
Saturday morning dawns clear. We’re not first on the trail but soon we are
ready, with our ice axes and crampons tied to our backpacks. The familiar switchback trail climbs steeply
up to Larch Valley, until we can see Sentinel Pass ahead, flanked by the steep
sides of Pinnacle Mountain (10,062 ft.) on the left and Temple on the right.
From the pretty lakes below, the Pass looks like a
vertical wall with zig-zags up it. Soon
we are on the top of this narrow Pass, looking down the other side into
Paradise Valley. Stage 1 of our ascent
has been completed in about 2 hours, for a climb of 2,376 feet and a distance
of 5.8 km.
Now begins the hard work! The steep slopes of Temple rise sharply from
the pass to a cliff above. Under foot is
loose rock and scree – quite the worst surface for ascending. For over a thousand vertical feet we toil
upwards, until finally we are at the base of the cliffs. Already the view down to the pass is
dizzying.
Now we find a gap in the cliffs and thread our way
upward without too much difficulty.
However, there’s another cliff band above, with the only way up being a
steep gulley filled with hard packed snow.
At last! An opportunity to use my
ice axe. And I needed it too!
From this point on, it’s a straight-forward – but long
and steep – southwest ridge route to the summit, still about 1,500 ft.
above. The ridge soars up to the
heavens. By this time, the ridge is
dotted with people who have been steadily overtaking us all day – some people
in running shorts and others in sneakers – most inappropriate in case of
emergency.
Finally we are on the summit. I could feel the lack of oxygen in my
lungs. No cairn, but a pile of stones in
the shape of a rough shelter, and not much room. The Mt. Temple glacier drops dangerously off
the ridge. We walk out onto the snow and
ice, but with great caution. One slip
and it’s a 5,000 ft. drop!
The view is breathtaking – a sea of mountains, glaciers
and icefields. Mt. Hungabee dominates
the head of Paradise Valley. At its foot
is the Horseshoe Glacier. Across Paradise
Valley is the glacier-covered Mt. Victoria.
We are higher than Mt. Victoria, which dominates the view from Lake Louise. We had the grand feeling of being on top of
the world.
Descent is tricky but fast as we slip and slide down
the ridge. There must be over 25 people
somewhere on this mountain today. Yet it
is considered far too dangerous and strenuous to be included in any hiking
book.
On our final steep descent to Sentinel Pass, we set
off a small rock avalanche, a river of stone.
Then we are safely down at the pass once more. An uneventful return back down to Moraine
Lake, which is busy with trippers and coach parties. How funny to think that we have been looking
down on the mighty peaks that surround this picture-book lake (and the picture
on the $20 bill!).
This adventure had been achieved with surprisingly
little trouble. My available energy was
equal to the challenge. However, I
needed the experience that only comes with time.
We celebrate with a meal at the Rose and Crown in
Canmore, by now stiffening up and feeling a bit like Hillary after Everest
perhaps! As for the North Face of Temple,
I have no plans. 4 people have
already lost their lives there this year.
Did we really make it all the way up there? Incredible!
Fantastic!
STATISTICS:
Parking Lot =
6,190 ft.
Sentinel Pass =
8,566 ft.
Summit Elev. = 11,627 ft.
Height Gain = 5,437 ft.
Hike Distance = 16 km
Time
on Trail = 10 hrs. 00 mins.
Time
to Top = 5 hrs. 45 mins.
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| The middle stage of the route up Sentinel Pass and onto the mountain. There is still work to be done from here to reach the summit. |
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| Sentinel Pass from Larch Valley |
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| Sentinel Pass looks like a cliff, but there is a zig-zag trail up the steep slopes |
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| View down to Larch Valley and the Minnestimma Lakes |
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| On Sentinel Pass, looking down into Paradise Valley |
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| Starting the steep climb from Sentinel Pass... |
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| ...with the Wenkchemna Peaks as a spectacular backdrop |
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| Horseshoe Glacier, Hungabee Mtn. (11,460 ft./3,493 m) |
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| On the summit ridge... |
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| ...with a long steady climb to the summit |
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| Moraine Lake comes into view. |
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| Still climbing: Consolation Lakes to left, Moraine Lake below. Fay Glacier at centre. |
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| A sea of peaks and glaciers |
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| Temple summit (11,627 ft /3,544 m) |
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| The summit cornice |
