Created 7-Sep-20
Modified 20-Dec-23
2020-08-29 | Mt Aberdeen | 3153m Max | 1722 TH | 19.9km | 1439m TA | w/ Peter & David
Trailhead is off the Moraine lake road at Paradise, so due to the popularity of this area we agreed to an extra early start. 3:30 rolling at Okotoks put me 6:15 negotiating at the traffic barriers to allow us to go to Paradise. “I’ll have to take a photo of your license plate, you’ll get turned around if you go to Moraine lake”…. This year has been nuts. Peter and David came thru behind me and we carried on to the trailhead. (Covid…still taking two cars and not sharing lunch items etc. boo)
With just enough light to hike by we were off up the Paradise trail, then the decommissioned trail (log hopping etc), then a bush push to the base of a long avy runout of crap and talus to the summit. This considered a climbers descent route, they ascend the glacier on the north side, so its mostly a grind from this side. My appetite was a bit off and energy a little on the low side so this was a considerable effort to maintain momentum climbing this gully. Peter and David scampered on ahead, fine, alone inside my head with whatever song lyrics were bouncing around in there “Take me down to Paradise city, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty…” None of the above.
As predicted on the Spotwx forecast, a little weather blip came in and soon we were greeted by some grapple and low cloud, then snowing. The push from the col to the summit followed on talus, but no views. Peter reported buzzing in his metal poles (a sign of electrical activity) and my hair had a weird sensation where it was poking out from the helmet wet with sweat and rain. No views anyway, we did not linger. Down down down to valley bottom where views returned and a pleasant evening was had retracing our steps. Despite my annoyance at having expended so much energy to hike into a cloud, it was a good day on the trails. Paradise valley is a very pretty spot.
© Clayton Ditzler
