Day 85 - Glacier Dawson Pass

There I stood, a half mile from the famous Dawson Pass, starting point of a three mile narrow ridge walk known for its epic alpine views.  Except in front of me stood a 500 foot long, steeply-sloping, super-exposed snowfield.  I had mini-crampons and hiking poles to aid in traction and had come up through several hundred feet of passable snowfields but this one felt more dangerous.  Just as I was thinking of turning around I saw a cairn above me with a stick pointing the opposite direction, seemingly pointing to a snow-free hill of shrubs. 

Yes!  Maybe I could hike up and around the snowfield. I followed a path up the shrubby hillside to a clearing and a 30 foot rock cliff above. Someone's steps were clear in the snow heading steeply up to a break in the cliffs but the snowy hill was too steep for me to climb. I saw a path shimmying along the cliff face laterally thirty feet that would put me to the top of the cliff-break, so I scrambled up step by step and made it safely. A half mile march toward the pass over snow-free talus later I rejoined the now-snow-free trail to the Dawson pass. 

Wow, what a view!  After enjoying my mini triumph, I continued up the trail toward the famed ridgeline walk to Pitamaken Pass. The path was wide and easy for a mile, a welcome relief, and then the ridge walk began. I planned to hike until the ridge became snow covered, but luckily the entire ridgeline was west-facing and clear. This experience was special- hiking along this high ridge, no one else around for miles, past mountain goat tracks and droppings, surrounded by prehistoric-feeling snow-capped mountains--a memory I will keep for a long time. 

Heart pounding, I made it to a clearing above Oldman lake, where I could see snow-free switchbacks down the far side of Pitamaken Pass, my intended down-route. Beyond view was the northern face of Mount Morgan, a place where I feared lingering snowfields would cover the trail. I hiked up another mile to the end of the ridge-trail to Pitamaken Pass to get a view. And yes, there was a short snowfield on the northern ridge.  I hiked halfway out in the large foot holes before stopping. I wanted off this ridge: if I could make this snowy ridge crossing then it was an easy and quick path down to Oldman Lake. If I turned around I had to hike back along a three mile narrow ridge then across a five hundred foot snowfield. But the devil you know is better than the one you don't. I knew I could safely cross the dangers behind me. One slip off the snowy ridge in front of me meant death, and there were likely more snowfields around this northern bend. So I turned around. 

I made it quickly across the ridge back to Dawson Pass to find three humans sitting there. They had crossed the snowfield by "cutting steps" with their boots.  One of them, a Canadian girl named Michelle, was heading back down. We went together, easily crossing the snowfield along the cut steps and using a technique were you slant your boot laterally along the snow. We even purposefully slid down the hillside at one point and could safely stop using our feet. Down the mountain, I decided to take the boat back to camp, a fitting end to a thrilling journey at Glacier Two Medicine.