North America, Canada, Canadian Arctic, Menhir, Baffin Island

Publication Year: 1989.

Menhir, Baffin Island. In May, Egidio Bonapace, Maurizio Giarolli and I traveled up the fjord from Pangnirtung by ski-doo. High temperatures forced us to stop at Windy Lake because the river from that point onward was nearly completely melted. We moved our equipment up to the next cabin in front of the magnificence of Mount Thor on the other side of the valley. We were charmed by another mountain above our cabin, which we believed was Mount Odin. The approach to our mountain was up rocky crags and then via a snow couloir to a pass. At seven A.M. on May 22, we began to climb the 2000-foot-high southwest ridge (5.8 or 5.9). The climbing was beautiful and the rock excellent. In mild temperatures, we could climb in rock shoes. At 10:30 P.M. we reached the summit. We bivouacked on the descent. A couple of days later in Pangnirtung at the National Park Office, we experienced a disappointment: the mountain we had climbed was not Mount Odin. The Ranger invited us to choose a name and we agreed on “Mount Menhir.”

Ermanno Salvaterra, Club Alpino Italiano