Pemberton Icefield
Sometimes you click around on Google Maps and you wonder about all of the weird places that are out there. The ones that are “close” to home are sometimes the most intriguing. After all, if some of these places are right there, why is no one going?
The Pemberton Icefield has been one of those regions to me. The Lillooet Icefield too to a lesser extent, but that’s much more remote, and we scrapped it for logistical reasons. Our original route was to climb Overseer Mountain and end at Tricouni, and I still wish we had done that for the aesthetic route quality, but am still super grateful to check out this area.
Day 1: Rutherford Creek → Zener Peak
Off we go and up the “road”
We knew today would not be a day for views. Got here after getting soaked in the brush, and soaked again wading through the marsh
Getting to snow line
We camped at the bottom of the valley underneath Zener Peak
Day 2: Zener Peak → Little Ring
Appa Peak still in the clouds
Lot of snow walking today, maybe too much
Getting onto the Pemberton Icefield, which is this whole thing we’re about to cross today
Turning the corner around Mumbai Peak
More of the Pemberton Icefield
Famine Peak behind
We made it to the feature we called “the nub”, overlooking the central Pemberton Icefield
Unnamed glacial lake with Overseer Mountain towering in the background
Little Ring Mountain, and some background peaks that completely are foreign to me
One more look at the meat of the Pemberton Icefield
Cool little wind scoop
Glaciers everywhere - scroll to see its terminus
Getting lower and into the meat of it
We were fascinated the whole time
I thought these cracks were quite serious but the group disagreed.
I was of the opinion that one should avoid the snow since they fill in the cracks.
I remarked that this area looked like the ice planet from Interstellar
Kyle remarked that this place looked like the red rocks you would find in the desert, and would have no way to know if you put the picture in grayscale
Reaching the end of the icefield
Back on solid ground
Looking back on this behemoth
Finally set up camp, evening reflections on Little Ring Mountain
Day 3: Little Ring → Brandywine Mountain
I imagine this is what Africa looks like
Rounding the corner on Little Ring - impossible to climb this choss tower from this side
Big Ring Mountain
Unfortunately, the smoke rolled in today
Easy miles towards Big Ring
Straddling glacial moraines
We somehow had enough service to check the smoke forecast lol
Onwards we go - this would be the exit if you did Callaghan
Climbing up opposite Big Ring
Getting on the Nutcracker’s ridgeline
Descending choss to get to the Solitude Glacier in the far left
Into the thick of it once more
My ankles hurt...
Mount Cayley
Mount Fee
Getting off this icefield, we thought we’d get off the drainage curving right...
The glacier turning rotten
Getting hairy, so we decided to turn back
Decided to go the long way off another glacial terminus
Having climbed the ridge and making our way near Brandywine Mountain
Sun still high but setting over Cayley
Day 4: Brandywine Mountain → Chance Creek
Morning light on Cayley
Tantalus Range
Peep the drainage we thought we were going to thread lol. It’s always hard to tell on these low-resolution Canada maps
Following the ridge all the way to Tricouni Peak now
Haze got a lot better today, but filling up the valleys still
Mount Fee
Quick final dip in this FRIGID mini lake
Ballsy to do this without crampons (I put them on), the last col up to Cleat Peak
Climbed Tricouni and now back down looking at the many lakes to the southwest
Garibaldi area, with The Barrier center and Garibaldi to the right
You can kind of see the Garibaldi Lake too
The final climb before descending to Berg Lake
Berg Lake
Notes
- This was probably ~57 miles and ~21000 feet of vertical gain over four days.