Glacier Mountaineering Society

Fri, Jul 26 2013 - Iceberg Peak - Swiftcurrent Glacier Traverse (View Original Event Details)

Coordinator(s):		Randy Peters
Participants:		Randy Peters, Rick Thomas, Brian Kennedy, Dell Meuchel, Frank Wesolovski, Ian MacCallum, Jason Wilkes, Craig A. Swatland, Kyle Bitney

Write Up:
Coordinator: Randy Peters Nine people (Kyle Bitney, Brian Kennedy, Ian MacCallum, Dell Meuchel, Randy Peters, Craig Swatland, Rick Thomas, Frank Wesolovski and Jason Wilkes) assembled at the Ptarmigan Trailhead departing at 7:10 a.m. for Iceberg Lake at a brisk pace, reaching the lake about 8:30 a.m. Ascending the Wall, we reached the Notch at 10:30 a.m. then took a 20-minute break before pressing on to reach the summit of Iceberg Peak (9146’) at noon. From this peak on the divide are spectacular views, especially the sheer 3,000 feet down to Iceberg Lake with Mount Wilbur on the other side. Spending a half hour for lunch while enjoying the moment, we then pursued our next goal. Thanks to Frank for some route finding directly down the southwest ridge to the saddle, we reached the summit of South Iceberg about 1:30 p.m. We rested another half hour before dropping into and traversing the pristine North Swiftcurrent Glacier Basin, then ascended a goat trail on the edge of vertical cliffs before emerging near the Devil’s Elbow on the Swiftcurrent Pass trail at 3 p.m. The last leg of the 15-mile loop now on trail returned us to the parking lot at 5 p.m. for a total elapsed time of 10 hours. A faster-than-expected trip left plenty of time for post-event socializing back at camp. My thanks to a fun, experienced and strong group for a great day on a classic loop. Climbers were: Dell Meuchel, Rick Thomas, Brian Kennedy, Frank Wesolovski, Jason Wilkes, Ian MacCallum, Craig Swatland, Randy Peters and Kyle Bitney.

Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Tim Anderson at twamontana@gmail.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.