Roy and I had a couple days booked off this summer to try Sir Donald, but with the late summer and conditions Sir Donald was not really an option. Lucky for us though, Mt Tupper was in perfect shape and so we focused our sights on this big mountain on the other side of the valley!
Driving out of Canmore on July 31st was a relief to say the least. Felt like a zoo in town and getting into the park was like a bad game of bumper cars and I was quickly annoyed with the grade 5 “budding” mentality every car had about getting into the right lane!
Arriving in Rogers Pass, the traffic was slowly drained out the higher we got with each step up towards Hermit Meadows. Gaining elevation with a heavy pack is usually not such a treat, but listening to the sounds of a chaotic weekend slowly drain into the distance was very rewarding!!
We arrived at hermit meadows to find ourselves…ALONE! Wow! How could this be? We thought surely we would be fighting the crowds up there as well, but nope. We got our tent up, just in time for a nice evening shower, followed by a rainbow. had some dinner and a hot tottie…and cruised into bed. What a great camp spot! We awoke to another hiker arriving at midnight who didn’t have much compassion while using the bear bins at that hour!!:(
Awake at 4:45 the weather did not look promising…go figure! We had breakfast though and coffee, packed our bags and decided to go anyway…you just never know!!
Passing through the meadows is magical, what a gorgeous area! Travel was fairly easy and soon enough we made it to the ridge…the never ending ridge….
With lots of 2nd class, 3rd class and then 4th and 5th class, this Tupper ridge offers it all. Exposure on both sides, fun blocky quartzite, some challenging moves, and some great views. Roy rocked it as he usually does, and we were on the summit by 11, and enjoyed a sunny but chilly summit with views of Sir Donald and the Swiss peaks….amazing.
I hadn’t climbed Tupper in years, when I had come up and also did Rogers and the Swiss peaks. I forgot how great this mountain is…a true gem!
We retraced our steps back down and got back to our camp. Took it all down and headed back by 4 to our car and the chaos that awaited us back at the highway.
What a perfect way to get away on a long weekend…Thanks Roy for a great trip. You always impress me with your endurance on those long mountain days…and still get great photos at the same time!:) looking forward to the next adventure.