[MCR] Rockies, Coal Miner's Daughter, Silk Tassel and Spray River Falls

Subject: [MCR] Rockies, Coal Miner's Daughter, Silk Tassel and Spray River Falls
Date: Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:58:34 -0700
My fellow Mountain Guide, Nick Sharpe, and I guided, and enchained, ascents of 
Coal Miner's Daughter and Silk Tassel yesterday, February 11th. No one had been 
up to Coal Miner's Daughter yet this year, we broke a trail up to it. Our trail 
starts in front of the cook shelter in the parking lot. The climb is in 
interesting shape. A car sized shell came out from the base of it during, I'm 
assuming, the recent warmth. We avoided the new window pane that has since 
frozen over and accessed the climb from the climber's right edge. The ice there 
is well bonded to the rock. There is a 75 cm roof to pull exiting the steep 
ice, then a pleasant ramble up shallower ice to belay in the old mine shaft. An 
interesting 40 meters of climbing.

Silk Tassel is big and has a good trail packed up to it. Of note was a two hour 
appearance of the sun around 2 pm. The sun had some strength and given the 
milder air temperatures I was happier with the cloud cover that had kept the 
Sun at bay for the rest of the day. Bubble Wrap Blues was touching down and 
dribbling when we trotted away, when we came back from coffee in Field at about 
4 pm the sun had cracked off the first 25 meters of BWB and it was gone.

I guided an ascent of Spray River Falls today, Feb 13th. There is a well packed 
trail leading to the route and making it hard, if not impossible, to get lost. 
The climb is in excellent shape, big and blue.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com




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