15 August 2022
7.2 km (out and back), +- 600 m of altitude gain, 5 hours (from Diana Lake Lodge).
(Clicking on the photos, shows them in higher resolution)
The Judge is a popular objective near Diana Lake Lodge, Columbia Valley, BC. To see how to get to Diana Lake Lodge, read the previous post.
We started from Diana Lake Lodge shortly after 8 in the morning ...
... by doing some stretching. (In the background you can see a new lodge being built to separate sleeping from the kitchen and dining area).
Though waiting for hip replacement, Mike decided to go "as far as he could."
The gazelles - Ewa and Sabina - could barely be contained. They, in fact, did the Judge and descended to their car the same day.
Sabina led through the gentle alpine meadows ...
... followed by our Leader, Boris.
In no time we reached a little pass - I believe, it is called Whitetail Pass ...
... from where the ridge hiking begins.
Ewa and Sabina were bursting with "positive energy" ...
... as were Boris and Mike.
Soon, we encountered this commemorative plaque for Dustin Evans Bourns. I understand he opened Diana Lake Lodge and with great enthusiasm shared this place with everyone who wanted to come.
The ridge hiking was gentle most of the time ...
... while more steep in some places ...
... which eventually meant that we trailed behind with Mike ... a little bit.
Boris named the surrounding peaks for Mike, myself ...
... and the ladies.
Shortly before the summit copula ...
... after making about nine tenth of the trip, Mike called it quits.
He was right to do it. The final part required scrambling over the terrain that was not always pleasant.
On our way up, we followed, more or less, the skyline on a relatively good rock. On our way down, I chose the gully - bad decision! The scree was steep, loose, and generally ... unfriendly.
The upper part of the mountain ...
... especially the quality of the rock, was reminding me Mt. Loki a bit. (See the
story 1 and
story 2).
We reached the summit in 2 hours and 17 minutes, according to one of Boris' watches. However, both of his watches, and mine, differed somewhat when it came to distance and altitude gain.
The summit was surprisingly small. We scrambled to find a comfortable place to sit for everyone. We didn't find a register.
Sabina secured the best spot and showed a bit of "naughtiness" in her determination to protect the spot from others. I think this photo is one of the first candidates to win the category "Pretty Woman in the Mountains" in our upcoming photo competition. (More on this you can find here).
The view from the summit is, how they call it, "360 degrees." In the distance Boris recognized Mt. Carnarvon, the mountain he did last year. (See the photostory).
Toward the West we saw the famous Bugaboos ...
... and toward the East, the shadow of Mt. Assiniboine, hiding in the cloud.
Much closer was Diana Lake, with the impressive wall of Mt. Norman, reminding me of the famous Civetta in the Dolomites (see the
fotoreportaż). It seems to me that this area could easily become an Eldorado for climbers, who could use the lodge as base.
Not surprisingly, this all made us very happy! This was the spot where you felt like breathing with your whole chest!
Soon, it was time to scramble down.
By the time we reconnected with Mike, he was already escorted by two Mountain Fairies! Some guys have it good!!
In spite of his knee operation last year, Boris looked like he was flying!
Ada seemed to regret leaving the mountain behind.
We all hesitated to leave the mystical heights ...
... for the land of responsibility and ... horse flies!
So long, Judge! Thank you for not judging us too harshly!
PR
P.S. Thanks for Ada, Boris and Mike for permission to use their photos.
Great story; what a nice hike!
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