Wednesday July 1. Happy Canada Day! At 7:30 am, after a heaping breakfast of eggs, bacon and hash browns, we assembled our gear and descended from Peyto Hut. In the distance, Mount Habel rose to the sky- glaciated on either side, snow covered in parts, and rocky as expected. At an elevation of 3087 metres, this would be the peak that we would conquer. The only thing that stood between us and the summit was the ice… no big deal. The previous night, there was a huge thunderstorm of rain, hail, cracks of thunder and flashes of lightning. The rain melted some of the snow leaving the ice exposed and the remaining snow a land of slush.

Once we got to the glacier, we roped in. The last thing any of us wanted was to fall into a crevasse, so we made sure all ropes were tied correctly and then we ventured off. [Read more…]