Thursday July 2. And that was Peyto Hut, our cozy abode for 2 nights. After an oatmeal breakfast we packed up and cleaned up. One of my tasks was to empty some leftover bison stew and pasta into the outhouse. It is not a fun thing to do. The outhouse, as you can imagine, has a strong pungent stench of the excrement of many mountaineers. And in I go, with bowls of food, to throw the leftovers into the hole. It’s a whole lotta smells!

Today we would summit another mountain. We headed off with two choices that would depend on the snow quality. Either we hike snow covered Mount Rhondda (3062 metres), or scramble up the rocky Mount Thompson (3084 metres). Once we stepped onto the snow and ice the choice seemed clear. With an overnight of 8 degrees, the temperature had not dipped enough for a freeze, and so slush was the reality of the hike… and it was tiring. Mount Thompson it was. [Read more…]