Monday, March 7, 2016

Each Peak Has Its Story

     Think of the lake and highway in my Windy Point post.  A few km down the road is Whirlpool Point. Up behind the point it looks like there is a peak.

     My friend and I had been down this road many times and always looked up at the peak and wondered if we could get up to the peak. 

     One Saturday morning we set out to see what this area was like. There's a good stopping place  on both sides of the ridge. We stopped at the first parking lot all ready to go. A large bald eagle rose from it's perch and disappeared.

    We had looked on maps and couldn't see the peak on any map. We could not find a trail so started to bushwhack. We found it hard going for 300 m and then came out on a  ridge. The ridge was a pleasant walk as it was even and a gentle rise for 3 km. This was great. Clarke's nutcrackers soared up to the top of the ridge on wind currents.


    The peak became very visible when we had a km left to go. we also found that the last 300m in elevation was steep and covered in large boulders. It was scrambling time. It was each man for himself to find a route to the top. My friend
who is much younger and more experienced got the top about 10 min before I did. I did not choose a very good route.

    Many of the peaks out here have a cairn of some sort. This peak had a rather large cairn. As my friend was making his last step to the top a huge bald eagle came up the other side at the very same time. My friend was shocked and ducked. The eagle was just as shocked and took evasive action to miss my friend. 


This is the cairn from windy point Ridge



    So the eagle had been using the cairn for his perch and just happened to be coming up the opposite side so the two were unaware of each other and shocked.

   So we met the bald eagle from the beginning again.

    Now the bald eagle encounter moved me to a poetic mood.






    We also made another discovery. What we thought was a peak was really just the end of a ridge. The ridge kept going for another three km. We kept walking on the ridge . In places it was on 1.5 m wide. There was exposure on both sides. At one point I tossed an old tin can over the edge. It was quite a while before I heard the tin can hit rocks below.

    On the way back we found a very nice trail from the ditch right up to the ridge. 

    Now we took kids up this ridge 5 or 6 times. We only got kids to the top twice as it always seemed to be very windy.

24 comments:

  1. It's funny how every remote peak seems to have a cairn on top. I found this in Morocco too. You're never the first to climb a mountain, you know?

    As for the eagle -- life is FILLED with missed photo opportunities! But we just have to be happy with what we're lucky enough to capture, I guess, right?

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    1. the funny part is my friend had his camera in his hand. He was quite shocked even when I got there ten minutes later.

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  2. Wow, to see a bald eagle so close is exciting. You are a real climber I see, I am always a bit jealous at people living in countries with mountains.

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    1. It was in an instant so my friend didn't have much of a view. We have eagles where I live

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  3. That wind can almost take your breath away. Always fun to complete a challenge like this.

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    1. I can tell you've been there. People have no idea of the power if the wind When it goes over a ridge.

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  4. Those were the days when you had freedom to choose your curriculum and field trips! What a great adventure! I love it!

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    1. I was a piker and loved modified classes where I could make things so the kids would pass the test.

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  5. I figured there would be a trail somewhere. Glad you found it so you didn't have to bushwhack back down. That's a great story about the eagle. I also enjoyed your poem about the encounter. :-)

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    1. We only bush whacked about 300 m at the start and then at the top.

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  6. An amazing view, and a terrific poem!

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    1. It's hard to leave and come down sometimes. We always had the kids be quiet and think for a couple of minutes before going down.

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  7. Seeing that bald eagle up close would have been amazing.

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    1. You get a better view when it's not so close. When it's close like this you just close your eyes.

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  8. I lived on Eagle Lake at one time. We only seen two in about five years.
    Wow that hat that is on your friends head. Lucky the eagle did not grab it. They are huge Birds of Prey. That is the American Emblem or mascot is it?

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  9. You are way more ambitious than I am! Nice that you saw the Eagle.

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  10. Wow, that eagle encounter...what a story to tell! You have been on some amazing adventures.

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  11. Love the tale of the eagle, what a wonderful surprise that must have been! Glad you conquered the peak!

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  12. You have an excellent memory to recall all the details of your long-ago hikes. Not surprised you recalled the eagle incident though -- that would be pretty memorable!

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  13. A great hike to the top. The experience with the eagle is one of those once in a lifetime moments.

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  14. This is a lovely place indeed. I loved this story and would have loved to seen that captured. I have also heard of rock cairns. We place a rock each time we have hiked to a point in some places and its pretty cool that the eagle used yours as a lookout. I have felt the power of the wind on beaches, tops of lighthouses, tops of high hills and mountains. I have felt my hair go straight out with the wind and even that is quite a feeling. ha,ha Thank you for the story Red and your friend and your poem.

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  15. That was some encounter with an eagle! :)

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  16. Ha, a real adventure.
    Not bad going for a chap of advanced years. Congratulations.
    It’s easier for an eagle, he just spreads his wings and “lift-off”!

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  17. Hi Red, Great story about the encounter with the eagle! Enjoyed this post!

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