Bugaboo Spire card                                                Snowpatch Spire card

  July 8:  Fly New York to Calgary, Alberta, stay at Lake Louise, Alpine Club of Canada club house
  July 9:  Hike to Plain of Six glaciers
  July 10: Meet in guide in Golden British Columbia at Husky Gas Station on Trans Canada Highway.
  Our basecamp was the Conrad Kain Hut, at elevation 7200 feet.  To reach it required a 40 mile drive
  on dirt roads, then a 2200 foot climb up a forested valley.  The trail was spectacular, looking down
  on a glacier filled valley.  The higher parts of the route had cables and a ladder.  The hut is in an
  alpine meadow, with large picture windows looking out at a 2000 vertical foot ice fall.  The building
  itself is three stories high, with a fully equipped kitchen, electricity and foam mattresses.  Plush for
  climbers.
  July 11: Rained, waited a while and then decided to climb a small peak anyway.  Summited  East Post
  Spire (8850 ft) in rain and snow.  Route was an exposed scramble, we used ropes and running belays.
  Trip took about five hours.
  July 12: Woke at 4 am and climbed Bugaboo Spire (10,420 ft).  Route involved snow, glacier travel,
  then snow slopes up to 50 degrees.  Reached rock at 7:30 am, in perfect sunny and cool conditions.
  Rock scramble at first, turning steeper and route narrowing to a ridge.  Running belays, then two
  pitches of 5.5 rock.  Crossed a spectacular knife edge.  The two more moderate rock pitches going
  at 5.7.  The second of these is the famous Bugaboos Gendarme, where you turn a corner and carefully
  cross about ten feet of steep featureless granite on friction above a 2000 foot drop-- wow!  Did really
  well and were on the summit at 11 am.  Descent involved 4 rappels, lowering and down climbing.
  Back at the hut at 3 pm.
 

Eastpost Spire in the rain

Bugaboo Spire Gendarme

  July 13: We get up a 7 am and have pancakes.  Head off to climb a pure rock route on the Donkey
  Ears Spire (approx. 9000 ft).  Our route was Ears Between (5.7+).  Approached over meadows and
  snow fields, then along a narrow ledge (2 feet to 6 inches) with running belays.  The granite was
  moderately steep, with a bit of gravel and some flower filled ledges for the first three pitches, running
  a consistent 5.6-5.7.  One hard move (5.8+) on P4 around a boulder in a chimney.  The highest pitch
  (P5) was up a steep fluted chimney-- some places so narrow I had to jamb my thigh in, in others
  needed to be spanned with a three foot stance.  A final scramble took us to the summit, which
  capped the 800 foot rise with a platform the size of a car.  Descended via a free hanging rappel,
  and lots and lots of down climbing along different ridge.  Back at the hut at 4 pm.
  July 14: Last day, so we go for it.  Up at 4 am, head up to climb Pigeon Spire (10,250 ft).  Same snow
  and glacier climb as Bugaboo, then cross and climb another glacier.  Reach base of rock at 8:30 am.
  Route is easy rock climbing (class 4), but with lots of exposure and more narrow ridges.  Totally trust
  myself, rope and Dave and move very quickly.  Summit at 10:30 despite a toothache and stomach
  cramps.  Safely back at the hut at 2:30.  Pack up and head out at 4 pm, reaching the car at 6:15.
  By 8 pm I am at a hotel in town of Radium Hot Springs.
 

Donkey Ears

Pigeon Spire

  July 15: Visit Radium Hot Springs, then drive over mountains to Lake Louise.
  July 16: Hike at Moraine Lake to Consolation Lake , drive to Calgary.
  July 17: Return to New York.