Jerome and Paradise Valley
We could feel the thinness of the 3500-metre / 11,000-foot air as we pushed up the final talus slopes to the false summit, 250 metres away from the main summit. Jerome had clearly been holding back as he was climbing with us, for on this section he simply sprinted away into the distance, and soon we could see his form waiting for us, silhouetted against the sky far above.
I was next, arriving at the sub-summit at about 3:35pm. While waiting for the others, we took in the perfect panorama around us. East to the wide and forested Bow Valley - containing the trans-canada highway, southeast to Mt Fay, southwest, west, and northwest to the line of peaks marking the continental divide and the border of Alberta and BC. And, since we were above almost all of these peaks, we could see far to the horizon beyond these - to an endless sea of mountaintops.
Clear view to the northwest
courtesy JInnes
Jenn arrives at subsummit
Final portion of SW Ridge
The summit was now only 250 metres away, and only slightly higher than we were. We could see down the precipitously steep eastern face of the mountain from here: terrace upon overlapping terrace of sculpted gullies and cliffs, dropping a huge vertical distance down to the forest above the Moraine Lake Road (approximately 4300 ft / 1350m, to be more specific). Whereas there were only a few remnants of cornices on the ridge from here to the summit, we could see a continuous line of snow and cornices on the other side of the summit - on the mountain's northeast ridge. This, we knew, was the top edge of the snowfields and large hanging glacier of Mt Temple's northwest summit slopes.
Cassándra and Anthony soon arrived at the subsummit, and by 3:50pm, we were walking along the final stretch of ridgecrest to the summit. It took us only about ten minutes to walk along this final stretch. At the summit, the dry terrain of the southwest ridge met the continuous snow of the north / northwest slopes.
Starting final walk to summit
As might be expected, we had a happy few moments congratulating ourselves on a beautiful ascent of this big peak. With my ice ax, I climbed out a few feet onto the start of the summit snowfield (which was a few feet higher than the rock of the summit). The snow was firm and stable, and being on the snow of a summit rather than on bare rock somehow magnified the alpine experience, if only slightly. At least I got to use my ice ax for a few minutes, after having lugged it all this way!
courtesy JInnes
courtesy JInnes
Jenn and Andrew, Mt Temple
courtesy JSanta
