Location: Alberta, Canada
Participants: Jimmy Quigley, Patrick Latter
Time: 12 Hours
Weather: 7°C – 20°C
Elevation Gain: 1350m
Max Elevation: 3120m
Start Time: 8:30pm
Directions
Head out of Canmore on the Smith-Dorrien/Spray Lakes road. Continue on the unpaved Spray lakes road for about 27-28km until you see the Sparrowhawk Picnic area.
Gear
- Hiking Boots
- Food
- Water
- Shell
- Warm fleece
- Gaiters
- Tent
- Sleeping Bag
- Sleeping Pad
- Micro Stove
Camera Gear Used:
Previous Attempt
If your interested, we also did this mountain last October. With a near whiteout, the experience was very different. October Attempt.
Story
The trail began with a well defined path that made it’s way upwards through the trees.
It’s not long until we came to a fork in the trail and we stayed left and followed the directions etched into the tree.
With the sun already setting, we had to move quickly to ensure we had enough light to setup camp.
Once we made it to highest point that still had some reasonable level soft ground, we began setting up the the tent while we put a few beers on ‘ice’.
We got the tent set up just as we lost the last bit of light down the valley.
Once the sun went down, we put some water on to boil for a dehydrated meal. MMMM Beef noodle something… (I honestly can’t remember the name of the one we had.)
We woke up at 3am to ensure we had enough to time to make the final accent to the summit for a 6am sunrise. With the moon now out of sight, we had an amazing view of the stars!
Once we reached the col, I setup to take a few shots of the Milky Way. It just happened by chance to be perfectly positioned behind “Reed’s Tower”, which a smaller peak that you can alternatively climb.
We then turned around and headed up towards the summit block of Sparrowhawk. We reached the top with an hour to spare! With temperatures near freezing at the top, we did our best to stay warm for the coming sunrise.
Mountain Top Dance Off!
Despite the extremely remote location there was a weather station of sorts at the top!
… which also included it’s own shovel.
We then headed back down towards the bottom. With some perfect snow slopes to make the trip a little easier.
Dude, you are inspiring. Your pics take my breath away.
and my breath too!
What gorgeous views! Amazing.
سبحان الله
[…] More…. […]
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Beautiful pictures. What an amazing view!
You have Stiegl beer in Canada? How cool – I’m from Salzburg 🙂
Your photos are absolutely fantastic, I love the one with the milky way!
Amazing photos.
love your adventures
Your photo are enticing. They make me want to go there. I enjoy your photography with commentary.
Amazingly gorgeous. I have TWO sky scenes like the pink and blue ones taken in Scotland last year/this year. Lovely effect on the water and mystical look of the hills/mountains at eventide. I’d like to live in this ‘zone’ just before dark when the sky is heavenly.
Stunning images – as always – Patrick! bravo!
I WILL by something once decoration complete in the whole home as there’s no space on walls right now for any pictures etc. so will troll through my favourite photos of yours to find the ones which I can blow up to frame. I have many similar but only a TINY amount. Great camera you must have. I’m amateur but two pics chosen as picture of the week in media and in finals in USA with the wooden mushrooms I took on a whim so coming in here encourages me to learn. Not ready for the tripod just yet but getting there thanks to you. I’ve had a free trip to the mountains at night. Thank-you again.
Fabulous!
Beautiful pictures, as usual. Wonderful colors.
Beautiful, would have loved to have seen more of that dance 😉
Amazing. I felt like I was there. But so steep! I have a recurring nightmare of being on something that steep and I think this just added a new episode to the series!
absolutely stunning!
Absolutely beautiful; thank you for sharing.
Beautiful pics and scenery.
Great Milky Way shot
Wow, what amazing landscapes! Great shots, Patrick.
You so know how to bring it and make me feel like I live a life, a little ordinary at times. Loved the story and the pics are as always – breathtaking! Well done Patrick.
Your photographs never cease to amaze me, Patrick 😀
Quite different shots from October 😉
All the photos are fantastic, but I like the stove fire against the twilight sky…just a unique view.
Simply stunning. Wonderful, wonderful photos. The Milky Way ones are truly awe-inspiring.
And that dance is also brilliant.
As usual your pictures amaze me and I feel as if I’m there with you!
Beautiful, man, just awesome!
Wow! Great shots 🙂
I haven’t visited your blog for a while. Huge mistake, I missed so many great photos! Love the photo of your friend and the rising sun.
Greetings from Poland!
the view is just awesome! Lovely capture and thanks for sharing.
Great, great shots!!!!!
Love all the pics and it`s also a adventure for me to see your view of the trip, great!
Yuna
Being out in nature is one of the best healers for man-kind. Great blog and long may you connect with the earth.
http://recoveringmeuk.wordpress.com/2012/08/04/earthing-is-a-walk-barefoot-along-the-beach-one-of-your-fave-things/
Amazing photos! Must have been something being there irl and see 🙂
Great shots, well done.
Fine photography…perfect lens choice for “big country.” Our San Juan Mountains are similarly ragged here in Colorado…also, love the night shots of stars. Excellent, just excellent.
Box Canyon Mark
Absolutely incredible images!
That shot of the stars is just incredible! (But also loved the shot of the soup cooking…) Having just gotten back from Banff and Lake Louise and hiking our heads off (but nothing like the steep wilderness you tackle!) — this makes me wish SO badly I was back there!! Fabulous photos … thanks for taking us along!
Wonderful photographs. Your comments made them memorable. Thanks for sharing.
Looks like an awesome adventure!
Great video, at the top of the world.
You are the most wonderful blogger in the world.
Incredible photos!
Glorious country. Great images.
well, Austrian beer beyond the great ocean… 😉
The shots of the stars and sky are breathtaking.
Your photos are amazing. I specially love the one of the night sky. What a beautiful breathtaking view. I wish we could experience this every day. Thanks for following my blog =)
very nice shots!