En route to our intended camp site was a low and not particularly aesthetic summit just off of our ridge. We eventually took to calling it Dash Peak as it dashed our hopes of being cool, but it was a lovely sunny day and we had enough time so there was no excuse not to at least go check it out. First we had to drop off of Swallop Peak where we had stashed our bags and then we traversed across a steep snow slope to re-gain the ridge. The next challenge was final big push with the heavy packs up a long snow slope. This would mark the broad plateau of Dash Peak, but the true summit was further West.
We ditched our packs at the top of the slope and made way for the true summit. To our surprise, there was a non-trivial ridge to gain the top. The route went around 3rd/4th class on very loose rock and there weren’t any particularly redeeming qualities about the ascent. At the top we were rewarded with a beautiful sky terrace of sorts however. There weren’t any cairns or trace of a previous ascent at the top, but based on the GSC map I had found, it’s quite likely a geologist was up there or near there. Finding out which is not an easy task.
Reversing the ridge was a little tricky but we all made it down unscathed and hiked back to our packs. The last part of the route would prove to be the crux. Just before our intended lake camp site, the ridge rolled over into a steep set of bluffs that ran the perimeter of the northern end. We spent a good deal of time trying to find a non-technical way off. Eventually Sarah spotted a 3rd/4th class down climb, but it felt too tricky to do with heavy bags.
We decided to try and set up a lower system where we’d scramble down while Brayden lowered the heavy packs to us on snow. This proved to be a total crap shoot as the bags immediately funnelled into a corner with flowing water and sharp rock. All of the bags took a turn getting doused and partially shredded, but at least we made it down without any other issues.
With the ridge behind us we made one last concerted effort through dense krummholtz, bush and a surprisingly aggressive population of mosquitoes. They took advantage of our slow lumbering pace and we didn’t see salvation until reaching the stiff breeze coming off the lake. Finding a good camp spot was a little tricky, but we eventually settled on something reasonably sheltered and storm proof on the south east side. All of us took advantage of the dwindling sunlight to get a quick swim/wash in and then we settled in for the evening.
Our plan for tomorrow was to take advantage of the last sunny day and climb the nearby 2264m summit and it’s slightly shorter sibling to the south. Two summits we’d come to know as “Strange” and “Charm” Peak.