| Author |
Topic |
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1185 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 3:12 PM
|
2012-08-26
No one here really needs directions up Mount Temple, just hike up to Sentinel Pass and follow the hordes up the southwest ridge. The parks have an incredibly detailed route description in one of their brochures: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/brochures.aspx
This was my second time up there, we left Calgary at 5:15 am, started hiking from Moraine Lake at 7:30 am and were at the summit by 11:20 am. The cooler summer day made it a lot easier to maintain a good pace, our only distraction was the beautiful scenery. It's difficult to resist taking pics at the mirror-like Minnestima Lakes.
We passed a number of people heading up and were almost the first to the summit. A group that had started from the trail-head at 5 am beat us to the top. Another guy was also leaving the summit after having camped at the top. The group that beat us to the top did not stay on the summit for long and we had it to ourselves for over an hour.
As we headed down, we passed hordes of people going up, many who were ill-prepared. Further down near the crux, we witnessed three people who had gone way off route, almost reaching the next ridge over. One had scrambled up through some cliff bands and was calling her boyfriend for help. His instructions to her were to keep climbing up and try and find a way through what to me looked like vertical cliffs! I suggested to him that she try and make her way back and offered some advice on how she could do it. I didn't stick around to find out what the outcome was, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turned up in the park's rescue report.
After the crux, we took the scree slopes down rather than returning via Sentinel Pass. I find this to be a much faster way, but as noted in the park brochure, this route has potential risk of rockfall if crowds are above. We were far down before this was a risk.
Photos
         
Map
[Download GPS Track]
All photos with descriptions:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/markostavric/sets/72157631293825516/ |
Edited by - Marko on 08/28/2012 3:13 PM
|
|
Powell River, bc
Canada
2527 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 6:51 PM
|
| Amazing pictures as always!!! :) You guys live in eye candy land! |
|
|
Calgary, Alberta
318 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 6:53 PM
|
Those first two pics really capture the magnificent scenery one gets to see all day!
Ditto on all the under equipped and under prepared people coming up this mountain these days. |
|
|
Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3787 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 7:07 PM
|
| Really incredible Minnestima shots! |
|
|
Vancouver, BC
Canada
44 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2012 : 7:38 PM
|
| That area is stunning!..and to have a birds' eye-view...well done! |
|
|
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1185 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 04:37 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by no quitting - Amazing pictures as always!!! :) You guys live in eye candy land!
Haha! Thanks! Not being much of a winter person, I get pretty envious when I'm still seeing you guys hiking and everything is buried under snow here -- or frosting? :) |
|
|
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1185 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 04:40 AM
|
| I forgot to mention that we saw a warden on the trail -- I think. We saw a man with a parks shirt and a giant gun. He was by himself. He was heading down from Sentinel Pass, perhaps coming up from Paradise Valley. Asked us if we were at the top of Temple, then continued on. He didn't give us any trouble about there being only three of us (not meeting the required minimum four person group bear safety restriction) |
|
|
High River, (just south of Calgary eh!), Alberta
Canada
1697 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 06:49 AM
|
Nice fish-eye
I've been waning from this one just for the wanker-factor. It's good that parks made that brochure but I wonder if it is drawing even more people without the necessary experience to do it safely?
I'm hoping to have something a bit more substantial on my epitaph than "Beaned on the temple on Temple" |
|
|
Edmonton, AB
Canada
216 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 07:56 AM
|
And what better way to celebrate such a climb than to take a lovely group shot on the scary cornice?
^ taken when I was up there on August 18th. People were also taking "action shots" on the cornice as well; I wasn't sure whether I was just photographing idiots or whether I was simply collecting evidence for a future accident report. I also saw a number of shirtless guys in tennis shoes reaching the summit without food or water, but why would you need such things for an 8-hour round trip? A bit of a gong show, but the views are totally worth it.
One note worth mentioning about the brochure is that the official route through the grey rock band (#5) is surprisingly vertical -- with kind of poorly placed holds -- for a supposed tourist route. The warning about "Gully 2" IS quite valid (it's a bowling alley for sure), but there is a much easier route through the grey rock band immediately to the climber's right of that gully. |
Edited by - Arcturus on 08/29/2012 07:58 AM |
|
|
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1185 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 08:48 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Sodbuster- I've been waning from this one just for the wanker-factor. It's good that parks made that brochure but I wonder if it is drawing even more people without the necessary experience to do it safely?
I'm hoping to have something a bit more substantial on my epitaph than "Beaned on the temple on Temple"
Haha! I think the wanker-factor can be lessened by starting out super early.
I quite like the brochure, it's very informative. I think the people that do end up having problems are ones that don't read about it ahead of time. |
|
|
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1185 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 08:59 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Arcturus - One note worth mentioning about the brochure is that the official route through the grey rock band (#5) is surprisingly vertical -- with kind of poorly placed holds -- for a supposed tourist route. The warning about "Gully 2" IS quite valid (it's a bowling alley for sure), but there is a much easier route through the grey rock band immediately to the climber's right of that gully.
Might have to try that if I go again. The first time I went, we stuck to the left-most gullies and stayed on the ridge as much as possible. Scrambling was harder, but there were no people above knocking down rocks and no people panicking at the crux that we needed to wait for. :) |
|
|
|
Kootenay Bud
2695 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 09:45 AM
|
| Wow. Can't believe the stuff you see out in the Rockies these days - glad I climbed all those things before they got so popular. |
|
|
Campbell River, BC
Canada
754 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 10:35 AM
|
| Some nice photos Marko. You're lucky you live close to the Rockies. |
|
|
Calgary
165 Posts |
Posted - 08/29/2012 : 2:36 PM
|
There certainly is an easier route to the right of the marked crux route up the gray band. see this picture which is the area to the right of the second gully.
http://www.summitpost.org/the-grey-band/472109/c-150408
The marked route apparently goes up towards where the highest person is but the easiest line is where the other two are standing. The last few times I have gone up on that side and I don't even remember taking my hands off my poles.
|
|
|
Calgary, Alberta
67 Posts |
Posted - 08/31/2012 : 7:45 PM
|
| Marko, it looks like you only had three people in your group. Was the group size restriction of 4 not in effect for the Morraine Lake area? We'd like to do Mount Temple again and Wastach Peak but the group restriction makes it impossible for two people! |
|
|
Finally stopping that crazy suffering that is ice, climbing to concentrate on great ski tours!
3502 Posts |
Posted - 08/31/2012 : 8:01 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by sandy
Wow. Can't believe the stuff you see out in the Rockies these days - glad I climbed all those things before they got so popular.
I did Temple in 1986, and on a blue-bird day, and just the two of us. |
|
|
Calgary, AB
Canada
252 Posts |
Posted - 08/31/2012 : 9:43 PM
|
quote:
Marko, it looks like you only had three people in your group. Was the group size restriction of 4 not in effect for the Morraine Lake area? We'd like to do Mount Temple again and Wastach Peak but the group restriction makes it impossible for two people!
I went with a friend during the August long weekend. We met a Spanish couple at the trailhead and left them at Sentinel pass. After descending Temple we joined another group back to Moraine lake. We didn't see any officials, but did see several singles and pairs of folks.
I've also taken the left gully through the crux band and hugged the ridge crest to the summit ridge. Don't know the options for Wastach Peak. |
|
|
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1185 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 3:54 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by ryden - Marko, it looks like you only had three people in your group. Was the group size restriction of 4 not in effect for the Morraine Lake area? We'd like to do Mount Temple again and Wastach Peak but the group restriction makes it impossible for two people!
The group size restriction was in effect. Originally we had four, but one person didn't show up to the carpool. With all three of us carrying bear spray and even making bear calls along the way, we felt justified in proceeding without a fourth. Hopefully the warden would have felt the same way, had he encountered us going up. We did encounter the warden on the way down and he didn't give us a hard time, though maybe he didn't notice. |
|
|
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1185 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 4:04 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by johngenx -
I did Temple in 1986, and on a blue-bird day, and just the two of us.
It'd be interesting to see some pics from that. I bet the Horseshoe Glacier actually resembled a glacier. :) |
|
|
Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3787 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 6:53 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Marko
The group size restriction was in effect. Originally we had four, but one person didn't show up to the carpool. With all three of us carrying bear spray and even making bear calls along the way, we felt justified in proceeding without a fourth. Hopefully the warden would have felt the same way, had he encountered us going up. We did encounter the warden on the way down and he didn't give us a hard time, though maybe he didn't notice.
Did you meet the Warden on the way down Temple, or on the way down the Larch Valley trail? It seems to me that the restriction is enforced only for the larch valley trail, and once you get to the Minnestima Lakes and beyond, the numbers aren't really considered necessary (unless you descend into Paradise Valley where the restriction comes back into enforcement). |
|
|
Edmonton, AB
Canada
216 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 6:58 PM
|
| Does the restriction end on a particular date? I couldn't find an answer on the Parks web site. |
|
|
|
Topic |
|
Mount Temple
