Glacier Ski Camp, Wahoo Tower Area - Day 6

LOC: Camp Dolphin

Sky Obscured, S3, BARO 777 Rising, Wind Strong from the NW, 0.3°C

Another camp day. Clothes are getting wet and it is difficult staying warm. I have been reading a lot and am enjoying my book. Also, I have been eating chocolate.

Yesterday spent most of the day in my sleeping bag. I went for a walk in the afternoon to a rock North of camp. Sat on it for a while. The clouds lifted and I could see some of the peaks nearby. Some we had climbed, others not. There was much growth on the top of the rock, possibly lichens.

After it got dark, I started to be a little paranoid, thinking that the noises I was hearing was a bear, then realizing it was a person. When we were on Mt. Dolphin we could see what looked like tracks on a distant peak. We guessed it had been a wolverine or badger. Despite being in the bag for most of the day, I got a good sleep, straight through until 8:30am. Earlier, when it was just light, Kat startled me by shoveling snow off my tent. Her knee is bothering her and she felt getting up and moving around was better for it.

When we were climbing Mt. Bonito, I was able to make out the peaks of Vancouver Island in the distance. Victoria Peak and the Warden were the most obvious and then I could make out Mt. Albert-Edward.

Today it was snowing a lot more than yesterday. It was still very windy, so the combination was really filling things in quickly. We dug out the kitchen area and then tried to put a tarp over it but it was too windy. As a final solution we decided to dig a snow cave.

I have always wanted to make a snow cave and have never had the opportunity, so I got right on to it. We needed to keep the entrance small so we could block it up later. It was slow going at first because of how difficult it was to maneuver. I traded off with Sam and he took a turn in the hole while I cleared snow from the entrance. Then, I got in the hole again and as it increased in size it was easier to dig so things moved along faster. Finally, there was enough room and we both were able to be inside digging. We probably would have excavated a ballroom but Martina called a halt because she and Kat were cold and hadn't eaten. So we cleaned up a bit and then the ladies joined us in the cave for lunch. We had no problem cooking out of the wind in the cave. Temperature inside the snow cave: 1.3°C.