2016-08-26 Mt Arethusa
There is a non-technical trail that circles around Arethusa Cirque. I love this kind of alpine environment. It's so pretty. Soon the larch trees seen here will be yellow as they get ready for winter.
In the alpine meadows on our way to the base of the mountain. Mt Arethusa rises on the right side of the frame. The mountain on the left is called Little Arethusa. I climbed it last year on the Sept long weekend in cloudy weather.
The landscape was full of bends and buckles.
On the slops of Mt. Arethusa as we make our way to the summit ridge. The car is parked way on the far right side of the photo. The alpine meadows were gorgeous.
Making our way to the summit ridge. It was was a loose and steep climb.
Leon poses on a rock fin as we make our way up to the summit ridge.
Me, checking to see if the GoPro is recording or not. It was mounted on my helmet for some funky action shots along the ridge.
On the upper ridge. The summit is a ways back on the left there. The mountain in the back (next to Leon's head) is Mt Rae, which we climbed a few weeks ago.
Leon walking on a narrow ridge. on the other side that you can't see, it's a shear drop to the valley below.
Leon about to descend onto the downclimb crux. This shot was taken from my helmet mounted GoPro.
This is the top of the crux downclimb on the ridge. There is a small rock shelf that you need to lower down onto before starting down the chimney. We walked across a very narrow exposed ridge to get to this spot.
Leon climbing on the slabs for a staged photo. The trail continues on behind us from here.
The downclimb crux.. There were pretty good foot and hand holds in the chimney.
Another interesting rock section on the ridge. We continued on, bypassing towards the left.
Along the ridge.. like most ridges, the summit was never as close as we expected it to be, but the ridge was fun and interesting to scramble along.
Broad section of the ridge that wasn't scary at all.
A rock pinnacle. Mt Rae behind.
Leon having fun on a fin.
A view of the ridge. Storm Mountain dominates the background.