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974 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2010 : 09:06 AM
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Hello all,
This trip started out at the saskatchewan crossing, where i was to meet Sara,a girl i had met while climbing Lefroy earlier in the year. My memory served me wrong as i thought i had said we would meet between 930-10 but it was actually 830-9. As i pulled up just after 9 she was looking at a map and looking at plan b,thinking that i was a no-show.
I got my stuff together and we started off towards the icefields,wondering the whole way how deep the river crossing would be. I had went across in early july to see what it was like and i was able to get across without taking my boots off, but this time was different.
I had to remove my boots and wade across several streams,i didn't bother putting my boots on between streams and let my feet tenderize while walking across the rocks....the frigid glacier water was so cold that it was extremely painful by the time i reached the other side. then on went my booties and we continued up the trail.
After about 3 hours of hiking beside wooley creek,through some short boulder fields and up and up, we got to the bivy sites below woolley and diadem
After we set up and enjoyed a bit of the views,we decided to hike up to woolley shoulder to check out The Twins and Mt.Alberta. Guidebooks make out the approach to the shoulder to be relentless scree but i found it to be not that bad,it is a bit loose right near the top but there was a decent trail most of the way up(if you were climbing alberta and had full packs i could see how it would be a shit trail though). Very windy when we got to the shoulder so we sat behind a wind shelter for a bit and then decided to take a quick scramble up a sub peak of woolley. This took about 15 min round trip and then we headed back down to bed.
had a decent sleep but awoke many times with the full moon lighting up the night. 3:30 soon came and i popped out of my bivy bag and got into gear. I shoved part of a pop-tart in my mouth and we trampled our way to the toe of the glacier. We ended up getting onto the toe in of the steepest parts and we had to front point up it aways until the angle eased.
within 10 mins we ran into some crevasses that we had to zig zag through,there was the odd snow bridge to cross but they were all pretty solid. On the way down we saw that if we had of came up more to the left,the routefinding through the holes would have been easier.
We had discussed the night before of possible routes we might take. The select alpine climbs book describes a route that takes a snow gully up diadem and then cuts onto the glacier higher up,but this option is exposed to icefall from the glacier.i didn't feel like clenching my ass at all so we opted out of that one. In the 11,000er's book,Bill corbett describes a route that scrambles up to the right of this danger gully and then cuts into it when it is safe from icefall. We looked at this supposed route and could see nowhere that looked like scrambling,it looked like rock climbing to me and according to Dow williams,he thought the same.
The 3rd option is to climb a different snow gully to the right all the way to the top of diadem but there was still a cornice looming near the summit and i didn't feel like hacking my way through it. So that left us with an alternative that many climber's seem to take.
After we threaded our way through some crevasses, we climbed the right hand gully for a bit then cut across a wide scree ledge (cairns) towards the left hand gully,scrambled for a bit then cut into the left gully when we were safe from icefall. We kicked steps up the gully then exited onto the lower angled glacier.
From there it was a pleasant hike around some crevasse,up to the col and then to the top of Woolley. On the way to the summit there is a short steep wall of snow/ice that you have to climb but it ain't much of a problem. Soon we were on top and soon after i started feeling sick.
We started down and the feeling got worse,by the time i reached the col i had thrown up 2 times and the way i felt,well i felt like leaving diadem for another day and that is just what we did.
We made our way back down the glacier and into the danger gully. While i was downclimbing the gully both my legs started to cramp up and i had to stop several times to get them back in working order. Found a nice gurgle of water running down and had my fill but no more than 5 mins later i was throwing it all up again.
To make a long story a bit shorter,we got down safely,had a nice rest,packed up and hiked out in the rain. The river crossing was even harder this time and i just kept my boots on and trudged across. The last stream was the deepest and widest and i had to use a fallen pine tree as a hand belay to get myself across,the last bit was almost up to my waist.............i am glad i put my camera in my coat pocket!!!
with soggy boots on we got to the truck and soon there was a 15 dollar cheeseburger platter in my hands and my stomach was soon good again.
moral of this story is to eat a good breakfast before climbing,drink enough water and take a decent break once and awhile when you are climbing. I often don't eat or rest enough and i think that is why i got sick
In a way i am glad we didn't do Diadem because it gives me a reason to visit this nice place again. Hey Clayton,if you wanna try these next year,i'm game!!!!
Pic's-
1-Mt.Athabasca after the river crossing
2- Getting close to the bivy sites Woolley(left) and Diadem peak
3- le deluxe bivy
4-Mt.alberta from woolley shoulder (someday i will climb you,you big loose pile of crap)
5- The Twins (I'd like to hook up with you girls too someday)
6- starting up in the morning
7- crev-asshole on upper glacier
8- sunrise delight
9- " "
10- Me on top of Woolley bully,starting to feel sick
11- mt.alberta again
12- hey twins,how ya doing??
13- sara downclimbing the danger gully above where the danger is
14- icefall
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Campbell River, BC
Canada
761 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2010 : 09:51 AM
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Nice descriptive adventure. Too bad you were feeling sick. I never eat breakfast but have a good protein/carb (weight gainer)drink packed with calories |
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 Alberta-based choss climbin', flame throwin', rappel lovin', ass talkin' hater who doesn't like "Gumby" for a descriptor
6302 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2010 : 1:50 PM
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Based on the very limited info...sounds like you just had a part of a poptart for breaky, then nothing after that except water before getting sick? Then, getting sick again shortly after drinking more water? If this is correct the history with the lack of food, plenty of water and strenous exercise could possibly point to hyponatremia. Starting out the signs and symptoms are very similar to dehydration, only if you treat for dehydration by driking much more water you make it much much much worse. If left unchecked it can be very dangerous, including seizures and coma. Another thing that makes me think this is that you mention you felt fine after eating.
I fucked up once and allowed it to happen to me also, it's fucking horrible and it was bad enough to have me staggering like a drunk and I almost passed out a few times. If I was in a climbing situation at the time it could very well have killed me. I had very little first aid training at the time, luckily the person I was with just got out of a wilderness program and recognized it. It started as feeling sick and having a headache, only I was drinking more and more water because I thought it was dehydration. Very dangerous.
quote:
moral of this story is to eat a good breakfast before climbing,drink enough water and take a decent break once and awhile when you are climbing. I often don't eat or rest enough and i think that is why i got sick
Definately keep your body fueled with both food and water. Another lesson to take out of it is to take a wilderness first aid course to recognize this stuff before it becomes dangerous.
The view of Mt. Alberta in person must have been kick ass.
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Edited by - time2clmb on 08/27/2010 1:52 PM |
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Finally stopping that crazy suffering that is ice, climbing to concentrate on great ski tours!
3509 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2010 : 2:37 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by time2clmb...could possibly point to hyponatremia. Starting out the signs and symptoms are very similar to dehydration, only if you treat for dehydration by driking much more water you make it much much much worse...
I fucked up once and allowed it to happen to me also...
Definately keep your body fueled with both food and water. Another lesson to take out of it is to take a wilderness first aid course to recognize this stuff before it becomes dangerous.
I did this too on the Columbia Icefields last spring. We had three people doing the work of five, and I put in hours with a shovel, not hydrating or eating anywhere close to enough on the morning of our pulling up camp on the neve. I literally collapsed when I donned my pack as we were to ski off. Stupid, STUPID rookie mistake that I shouldn't have allowed happen, especially considering my experience and first-aid training. But, I was careful to drink AND eat, and the combination of hydration and calories did the trick.
There are lots of different wilderness first aid course out there, but I recommend ponying up for either the 40hr "Advanced Wilderness First Aid" or 80hr "Wilderness First Responder." (Grads of the 80hr are referred to as "woofers.") The WFR consists of the 40hr and then adds more content including the construction of evac systems. The cost is typically $400-900 depending on which course and the provider. Worth 10x the price, imho...
(my WFR instructor was also an ACMG mountain guide, which was awesome as we were able to do a lot of climbing/skiing scenarios) |
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over the hills and far away
Canada
709 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2010 : 5:19 PM
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Congratz Shaun. Too bad about feeling ill... maybe something like what Nic felt on the Presidents...? Good route descriptions too. And yes, for sure I would give them a whirl. I'm bummed that I missed this chance. Anyway, good job. Glad your camera is still working....
-c- |
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
109 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2010 : 6:02 PM
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Congrats on the climb! What a gorgeous spot eh?? I would definitely go back and do both those climbs again, would love to get up cromwell someday too! Thanks for the post Shaun!
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| Engor
Intermediate Member
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Calgary
840 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2010 : 6:27 PM
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[quote]Originally posted by nmcan84
Fantastic shot! Photos like this one may prompt me some day to take up alpine climbing. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
439 Posts |
Posted - 08/27/2010 : 9:14 PM
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hyponatremia..... this must be what happened to a hiking partner on a group I was in recently. Massive sweating, fatigue, vomiting & cramps. We thought it was dehydration too. He hadn't eaten breakfast at all before setting out. Once we got to camp he downed a bunch of gatorade & the salts from dinner & breakfast sausage seemed to fix him right up.
Glad this came up, now I know to be on the lookout for signs/symptoms |
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974 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 06:31 AM
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time2climb- that hyponatremia sounds like it may be what i had
once i felt ill, the more water i drank,the worse i felt and i had to throw it up again.
once i got down to the tent i sat still,had a bite to eat and some water and it went away but a light headache soon followed. the thing is that i've climbed harder with less food and never had these symptoms before....i guess this day was my lucky day...
i had about a half to full pop tart for breakfast,an orange part way up the gully,an apple a bit higher and half a granola bar on top.i've gone up mtns on just a granola bar and had better days. i think maybe my body is trying to tell me i need a good rest....i've been out here since mid june,doing some sort of hiking or climbing no less than every 2nd or 3rd day
maybe a trip down south to lay on the beach would be nice!!
views of alberta and the twins were very nice indeed!!
Pathogy- yes,very nice area! haven't looked at any routes up cromwell but from the camp i could see a way that looked decent, except for a tricky spot near the top.
Candysack- ya, maybe nicole had the same thing. It sucks downclimbing and puking at the same time!! yes my camera is still holding onto life,but just barely...
John- i'm definitely going to take a first aid course soon and avy course if i stay over the winter. i'm getting onto longer and harder climbs now and if something goes wrong with a partner i want to be able to manage the situation and get them proper help.
thanx to everyone else for the comments!!
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Trail running, bike hucking, fast packing, beer drinking collector of pine cones on a day pass
AKA
Dances with Trees
Forest Gnome Cabin
Canada
13061 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 08:11 AM
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Great looking photos and trip!
Certainly sounds like hyponatremia, and I wonder how much the altitude sickness may have figured into the equation as well. Once in Colorado I experienced the same thing and recovered in the same way. Does anyone have any input on that?
Edit: It does sound like you're quite well acclimatized, makes more sense that being run down had more to do with it |
Edited by - mick range on 08/28/2010 08:21 AM |
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Calgary, AB
52 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2010 : 10:51 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by time2clmb
the lack of food, plenty of water and strenous exercise could possibly point to hyponatremia. Starting out the signs and symptoms are very similar to dehydration, only if you treat for dehydration by driking much more water you make it much much much worse. If left unchecked it can be very dangerous, including seizures and coma. Another thing that makes me think this is that you mention you felt fine after eating.
Thanks for bringing this up, T2C. I Googled it to find a little more background info (seems to echo a lot of what you said):
http://www.bodyresults.com/E2hyponatremia.asp
I have a tendency to drink a lot more water than most people in any group I'm with for an 8+ hour day without much salt intake, so I'll have to keep an eye on it. Fortunately, I've never had any symptoms as bad as those others have described above. |
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877 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2010 : 11:53 AM
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| Some great views there, and looks like a priceless sunrise. Glad you made it down ok with being sick. Not only does your body not function properly, your brain is all screwed up too... that's a terrible feeling. |
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Squamish, British Columbia
Canada
1009 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2010 : 12:47 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by nmcan84
We made our way back down the glacier and into the danger gully. While i was downclimbing the gully both my legs started to cramp up and i had to stop several times to get them back in working order. Found a nice gurgle of water running down and had my fill but no more than 5 mins later i was throwing it all up again.
You downclimbed that... sick... and with cramps  Bualadh bos mate. |
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Calgary
165 Posts |
Posted - 08/30/2010 : 2:45 PM
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Good job nmcan84 to keep it together and get off safely.
I am no expert but some rough rules of thumb.
Hyponatremia - tip off is clear urine - eat salty nuts,salty sesame sticks/crackers, jerky
Over Exertion which is usually compounded by dehydration - dark yello urine
Anaerobic pace will use up muscle glycogen at 10 to 20X the rate of aerobic pace and cause rapid build up of lactic acid and CO2 in blood and muscles. Hit wall - similar syptoms and overheating/excess sweat - but treat with rest, food and water/gatorade
Altitude problems - usually start with headache without fever.
Onset of Flu - head ache and fever
Stomach bug/bad food/food poisoning - vomit on regular interval - ie every 20 min.
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Mt.Woolley makes me sick!!! Aug 26 2010
