The Toothache
In a desperate move to squeeze out one more trip before The Move, Dean and I had a bit of a late start to knock out the Tooth after work. The weather was perfect, and I was able to slip out of work a bit early without feeling too guilty. With Ames and the kids gone, it was now or not for a very long time, so we picked up our packs and headed up to the Pass. We hit the Snow Lake trail at exactly 4:30, knowing we’d be coming back down in the dark. The question was how much of the trip would be by headlamp…
It took a little over an hour to reach the Source Lake overlook, and from there it was another hour across the talus and ridges coming down from the peaks above us. We picked our way through the rocks, sometimes on a boot track, or following cairns – and sometimes not. In retrospect we should have marked our path a bit more, as following cairns in the dark isn’t always the most effective way of returning to civilization on time. Reaching Pineapple Pass and the base of the climb, we decided we’d go as far as we could without having to rappel in the dark, and hopefully make it back down to the talus in time for the full moon to help us back down. I started up the first pitch and soon reached the first belay station, or at least the last rap station in order to let Dean get some climbing in sooner. The next pitch I ran out the full length of the rope, and quickly brought Dean up again. The sun was setting on the western horizon, silhouetting McClellan’s Butte and causing us to decide to get out. The summit was so close, but we could easily be back any time we wished, so we felt it was better to set up the raps in what daylight was left.
TBC
