North America, United States, Alaska, Mount Bertha Northeast Ridge

Publication Year: 1984.

Mount Bertha, Northeast Ridge. On July 14 Kevin Haberl, Peter Mair, Bruce Blackwell and I reached the summit of Mount Bertha (3110 meters, 10,204 feet) via its northeast ridge. The lightweight expedition was entirely self-supported from kayaks. Our original objective was Crillon’s north ridge. After finding no feasibly safe landing site in Johns Hopkins Inlet, we paddled back to Reid Inlet and gained access to the Brady Glacier via the Reid Glacier. In another attempt at reaching Crillon’s north flank via a col in the divide separating Mounts Bertha and Abbe, we crossed the divide and made some westward progress until we got to a totally impassable icefall. In one day, a 21-hour push, we ascended Bertha from 3700 feet on the Brady Icefield. Two days later, on July 16, we climbed the west face of P 7103 (2165 meters; in the northwest comer of the Mount Fairweather Quad C3). We then returned to our kayaks in Reid Inlet and continued our adventure in the many wild inlets of Glacier Bay.

James Haberl, Alpine Club of Canada