1968 - Edge Needle Traverse

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The Mt. Edge - Needle Point Traverse
Edge Peak Location

 Our English high school teacher Mr.Dan Buss organized our adventure. We were going to go up the usual route for the Golden Ears, but instead of climbing it, we would go over and climb Edge, and follow the ridge along and go up Blanchard's Needle. Not a small undertaking for such neophytes such as us!

"We" included Dan Lamb, my neighbour down the road from where I lived. The three of us camped on the alpine ridge just at timberline, getting water from a mosquito infested pool of water. I had my little Black's summit tent that Dan and I had shared the cost of. It was very small and had not zipper closing. It had a couple of ties to keep most of the draft out. Mr. Buss slept under some plastic as I remember it.
The next morning was cloudy and we weren't sure what it was going to do, but there wasn't any sense in not trying, so we headed off. The first obstacle was a short awkward traverse overlooking a steep gully (see photo above). It had poor handholds and it felt like the rock was pushing you out over the gully below. Some pleasant climbing above took us to the summit of Edge Peak.

Dan negotiating the crux.

The traverse along the ridge to Needle Point was sometimes very bushy, sometimes involved exposed traverses along knife edged ridges, and some very easy scrambling. I remember at one point looking down through the mist into Evans Valley far below and thinking I was very, very, high up.
By the time we got to the top of Needle, we were getting tired (as the picture here shows). The traverse back avoided the summit of Edge, but traversing below it on its west side involved some steep class three bush to gain the horizontal shoulder on its north-west ridge.

Dan Lamb and Dan Buss on the summit of Blanchard Peak (Needle)

By the time we got back to our tents, I was truly exhausted, but proud. I felt like I had accomplished something significant.

Dan and Keith

Thanks to Mr. Dan Buss for making the trip possible. Or as we were allowed to call him above 4,000 ft, Dan. I will be always thankful .