1992 - The Spearhead Traverse - Part 2 ...and Disneyland!

The Spearhead Traverse - Part 2
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Crossing the glaciers on the east side of Quiver and The Ripsaw

Looking down where we descended and went up the other side.

Chuck with Fitzsimmons behind him.

After a couple of hours of very pleasant glacier travel, we found ourselves on the east side of Macbeth, looking down to the Fitzsimmons Glacier. The group of travelers ahead of us had gone over to Iago, around the south side of Mt. Fitzsimmons, and out of sight, but we decided to go down and cross the Fitzsimmons Glacier. We made mental maps of the ascent of the other side of the valley, keeping track of a number of landmarks, and descended toward the glacier.
We looked south-west down into the Fitzsimmons valley and over to Fissile in the distance. We thought that if we dropped down about 500 ft. we could go left and down a ramp of rock and on to the Fitzsimmons Glacier quite easily. When we got down there and looked around, there seemed to be too much danger of rock and ice fall on the route. Also, the final hundred feet was quite precipitous and we were not in the mood to try to set up a rappel. Therefore, we started looking for a way down the steep scree slopes straight ahead.

North face of Fitzsimmons behind Chuck

The eventual descent was steep and loose. Chuck had descended a bit more quickly and was watching as I negotiated the final fifty meters or so. He says I scared the (bleep) out of him as I took a tumble but caught myself before I rolled down the slope. This was not the place to have an accident. It was a time to travel assuredly, not hastily.
Near the bottom where the slope eased off, a goat crossed our path. It probably chuckled when it saw how unsure footed I had been.
Chuck and I took a break when we got to the bottom of the slopes and on to the glacier. We had one long slope to climb on the other side and we scanned it to find the easiest route.
I felt isolated. The towering north face of Fitzsimmons was just to our south and the height of the surrounding valley walls made me feel like I was farther away from civilization than I was. It was a wonderful place to be because of it. The sun was warm and there was virtually no wind.

Chuck facing east (instead of west where we were going) for the picture

Now we were having the adventure; storms, beauty, slipping (rolling!) on the steep scree, and isolation. We didn't know for sure how to climb out of the valley, but we thought we saw a way that would work. It was mid-afternoon and time to move on.
The glacier was free from snow, and therefore very safe to cross. It was strewn with the litter from avalanches so it wasn't a place to loiter. With crampons, we walked across unroped. We reached the other side and scrambled up some blocks of rock and got on to some steep heather covered slopes. In a couple of minutes we reached a perch where we took a break. We realized that we hadn't eaten much that day and our energy levels were low. Besides, above us loomed steep slopes of scree again. It was time to recharge the batteries.

The route to our third campsite.

The climb up out of the Fitzsimmons valley was ugly. The steep scree slopes were filled with deep runnels that torrents of water had formed. The saving grace was the fact that they weren't too muddy. We continued climbing up and to the left, continually checking for landmarks that we had memorized from the opposite side of the valley. After what felt like a long time, we got to snow patches that we recognized and soon we reached the large ramps of rock that marked the end of the suspense. We were over the worst of it!

Overlord above our tent.

We reached the ridge crest to see the sun low in the sky. It was time to start thinking about a campsite again. We were anxious to set up camp in good light, but the ridge crest was snowy and laden with pools of water. We would have gotten soaked. Therefore, we trudged down through the sun softened snow onto the Overlord Glacier to a flatter piece of real estate.
We pitched the tent and ate a welcomed hot meal realizing that we were back in familiar territory. We had both been up Overlord a number of times and this spot was like being home. We had travelled through the unknown, and the uncertainty of what lay around the next bend was over. The last day promised to be fun.

Whistler Mt. just above the tent.

We had a good night's sleep and awoke to a beautiful sunny sky! We broke camp in good spirits and prepared for the hike to the hut.

Approaching the Overlord - Fissile col

We roped up and headed for the Fissile - Whirlwind col. The glacier was in good shape and the crevasses few. Those that we did have to cross were not difficult.

Cheakamus Lake and Black Tusk

We crossed over the col and strolled down the other side enjoying the view of Cheakamus Lake and Black Tusk on the skyline. Thoughts of lounging in the sun by the hut helped to keep up our pace.

Chuck and Keith at the Himmelsbach Hut.

At the hut, we spoke with the people who had shone their flashlights at us two nights previous. We soaked our tired feet and glowed with the satisfaction that we had completed a trip that had not been easy. It had tested me. I had accomplished something and it felt great.
It seemed that all of the variables necessary for an adventure had appeared on this trip. We had good and bad weather, doubts and accomplishments, and best of all the camaraderie of a good friend.
This adventure was over. What was next?

The Platform Glacier in the far distance where we had signalled with our headlamps two days before.

... and we went to Disneyland!

Lynn and Eric