North America, Canada, Coast Range, Climbs from Ape Lake

Publication Year: 1966.

Climbs from Ape Lake, Coast Range. Fourteen members of the British Columbia Mountaineering Club were flown to Ape Lake by A.A.C. member Roger Dane from his Chilanko Lodge near Kleena Kleene on July 18 and 19. Since there were three unclimbed peaks in the Ape Range, Esther and Martin Kafer, Mary Wells, Alice Purdy, Jean Finlay, Sheila Pilkington, Barry Hagen, Jim Martin and Bill Wortman hiked over the Borealis Glacier and made the rather easy ascent of Hyperion (c. 8000 feet). They then climbed Utan (c. 8700 feet) by its southwest ridge and six of them continued on to climb Chimpanzee (c. 8850) by the easy south snow face from the saddle. Gorilla was not tried since it seemed too difficult. The whole party also climbed Icarus (c. 7650 feet), opposite the pass between Poet and Throwback Tower. After ascending the Borealis Glacier from Ape Lake, the party split, eight climbing the south face and six the southwest face. Later the same day the Kafers, Miss Pilkington, Miss Purdy, Hagen and Martin ascended Daedalus, next to Icarus. On July 25 Martin Kafer, Hagen, Miss Purdy, Wortman and Martin climbed the Borealis Glacier to the Hyperion-Icarus col and descended the Icarus Glacier to the creek to climb in the Edwards Range. They ascended the most westerly peak (c. 7900 feet), "Blackfly Mountain," descended its east ridge and traversed a subsidiary peak before they climbed the main one (8600 feet), which they called "Muskox Mountain." On the third day they climbed to a col between "Blackfly" and "Muskox" and descended the Itaska Glacier into the Nusatsun valley, went around to the north of "Muskox" and up the southwest ridge of Eskimo Peak (8950 feet). The following morning they traversed "Lemming Peak" (7700 feet) on the way to climb "Seal" (9000 feet) by its west ridge and then on by the west ridge to Walrus Tusks (9100 feet). On July 26 the rest had transfered camp to Deer Lake. Next day they crossed the Jacobson Glacier and climbed Mount Belial. Esther Kafer, Miss Finlay and Miss Pilington also climbed Mount Jacobson (9500 feet) from Deer Lake.