watch the climb up here:
flic.kr/p/2mGCvQj
Part 7: Back Down
Instead of retracing my steps I looked for a more direct route down and found one. Carefully I made my way down over steep slabs and and crevasses of loose rocks, down and down. Soon I reached more gentle terrain, but soon after I reached a high cliff. Here I stopped to survey the the area and I began to think that I may be stuck because what I had just come down, in places, was too steep to go back up safely. However I decided to turn to the north and see if I could make my way over to where I had come up. That decision turn out to be a good one because I found a way around the cliffs.
Soon I found the cairns I had made on the way up to help me easily navigate a steep talus field on the return journey. Once that obstacle was behind me the mountainside relaxed and the climb became more gradual. It wasn't long before I reached the meadows where my favorite tarn lay and I was finally off the mountain. Here I found a beautiful spot of crystal clear water to soak my tired feet.
When I returned back to camp Jan's smiling face was there waiting for me.
I decided I did not want to do that climb again by headlamp and that the photo I had gotten at the glacier would be good enough. Starting and ending at the tarn it took me 4 hours to go up, and 45 minutes to come down.
Music:
song 1: The White River by Jeremy Soule
song 2: The Stairs of Cirith Ungol by Howard Shore
song 3: Spiraling Skeleton Memorial by James Blackshaw
song 4: Under an Ancient Sun by Jeremy Soule