Mount Tyrwhitt

It's been a beautiful autumn in the frontcountry, so scrambling objectives have been open for business.Our goal was to do Mount Tyrwhitt and Mount Pocaterra, but things started off strangely when we took a wrong turn and ended up on the ridge northeast of Grizzly col. Seeing an opportunity for exploration, we continued along this ridge, hoping that it would connect to Grizzly col itself.

The first of four summits

Even thought this was not the common path up Mount Tyrwhitt, there was a fairly obvious trail and, aside from some loose bits and a bit of downclimbing, wasn't too bad.

Lots of loose, chunky blocks

As we got closer to Grizzly col, we could see some other groups, and that made us feel a bit better about our prospects of linking up with our goal.

A party of two atop Mount Tyrwhitt

By the time we connected with Grizzly col, three hours had passed and we didn't think Mount Pocaterra would be feasible, especially considering how sharp the ridge connecting it to Mount Tyrwhitt looked (and how much care we would have to take in order to cross that ridge). We were just happy to have made a loop (mostly) out of the day, so we then set upwards to the top of Mount Tyrwhitt.

It's hard to believe that flora can survive on rocks and dust

I have never gone up a more unpleasantly loose and chossy scramble in my life. We would frequently dislodge 50 pound chunks of rock, so had to be very careful about our path. Two parties were above us, but we passed them near the summit so there wasn't much interference between us and them.

The arch, about 3/4 the way up

On the summit, the ridge to Mount Pocaterra looked very exposed and scary, so we decided that our previous decision not to attempt it was a good one. It was surprisingly warm and comfortable, so we spent about 40 minutes before bracing ourselves for the rockslide to follow.

A good view of the Highwood Pass area

There were a couple of spots where scree surfing was possible, but overall the slog back down was an ankle-turner which didn't go much quicker than the hike up. Once we got back down to Grizzly col, we took the "normal" route back down into the valley and were back at the car in a little under 7 hours.

The ridge to Mount Pocaterra looks interesting, but Mount Tyrwhitt itself was quite unpleasant and I don't think I would do it again. Fortunately, Mount Pocaterra can be done from the Elk Lakes side, so that may be something to consider for the future.

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/m1B0DIf2xM8