Bedwell Lake Area
an attempt at Tom Taylor, Big Interior, and Nine Peaks
Day 1 (to base camp)
We left the cars on a low hanging overcast day in good spirits. About 30min in Art and Bernie took some weight off me, reducing my weight to ~45lb. We got to the lakes with little trouble, finding snow starting just below the lakes, it was solid and easy to walk on We dropped our packs at the junction, and hiked our second-leg food to the Bedwell Lake campsite’s bear cache. In doing so we crossed 3 streams that were pretty high, making them difficult to cross. Once back at our slightly lighter bags, we set off down the less worn trail to Tom Taylor, bushwacking a bit, but heavily cairned. The clouds lowered and/or we gained enough elevation to make our way into fog, dense to the point it was condensing on us and under our rain jackets, soaking us through even without any real rain. We made camp at the unnamed leaked below the ridge line, Bernie found some of the last rock/dirt spots at that altitude.
Day 2 (Tom Taylor attempt)
The following morning we woke at 4 to be in even denser cloud. we ate our breakfasts, debated what to do, and opted to wait for the cloud to lift… it did not. We set off with an easier route up TT in mind, so as to keep the packs lighter. After a fair bit of steepish snow, and front toe crampon usage, we gained the ridge propper, and it got windy. Hoping the wind would blow the cloud away, we followed the ridge to the local high peak, where, sopping wet, in a windy cloud, we decided to descend.
Once back at camp, we slept and dried for an hour, took down camp, and moved it to the Bedwell lake campground, where we had cached our extra food. During that descent my knee started to become more vocal. We stopped once to re-tape it (using KT tape the way the physio showed me) which didn’t help much. At camp I realised I was shivering, so I climbed in my sleeping bag with all my wet clothes removed, forgetting I had dry clothes I could be in (until reminded by the teammates), at which point I warmed up.
Day 3 (John bails)
The morning of Day 3 I tried to go pee a few meters from the tent pad. My knee was not doing well even without a pack. So I opted to descend with Art ( who was already planning to descend for work the next day). We all had a leasurly morning, in beautiful blue sky weather, letting our gear dry ohung on blueberry bushes around camp. Bernie and Chris set off to continue the plan of Big Interior to Bear Pass, with a goal of Nine Peaks behind that. Art and I set off back down to the car. My knee did not do well, it complained to the point that I was side stepping every step with the bummed knee first, so I didn’t have to bend it as much.
It turns out my thigh has tendonitis, and those muscles/tendons aren’t supporting the kneecap the way they should.
Day 3 (other half of party)
Bernie and Chris got to the glacier of Big Interior, considered it, and decided to descend feeling unprepared to cross it without the rest of the party. They spent the rest of their trip at Crest Creek Crags.