Dean Perez: Mount Cook, Moe and Neal(Wedge Group) March 22-23, 2014My

Mount Neal, an elusive and remote chunk of snow and suffering, sits tucked away in northern Garibaldi Park between the Needles and Carter glaciers. It’s named after mountaineer and mapmaker Neal Carter, though by the end of this, I began to suspect Neal may have also invented masochism.

I drove up Friday night and began skinning to the Wedgemount hut at 6pm. I don’t know how many times I’ve done this trail with a backpack that screams, “I'm training for a Himalayan expedition,” but every single time I swear, “Never again.”

So, naturally, here I was… again.

Arrived at the hut at 9pm with fingers too cold to open a granola bar and the door half-buried in snow. Made dinner, questioned life choices, and fell asleep alone in a cabin that creaked just enough to make me suspect the ghost of Neal Carter was judging me.

Whiteout, Wedge, and Waiting

Alarm at 7am. Whiteout.
Snoozed until 10am. Still whiteout.
At 11am, I poked my head out like a marmot, nope. Boredom eventually pushed me into a minor ski mission up the Wedge Glacier. Visibility got worse than a fogged-up ski goggle in a sauna, so I turned back.

At least I got social interaction: ran into five skiers heading up, recognized two. Pro tip: if you’re lonely in the mountains, just hang around glaciers long enough, someone will appear.

At 3pm, Craig and his team rolled into the hut like a touring version of The Fellowship of the Ring. After a quick break, we all moved camp higher to the base of Mount Cook’s West Ridge. The night was chilly, but I slept like a rock, possibly because I was lying on rocks.

Since I had plans to break off for Mount Neal, I carried all my gear with me. That extra 15 pounds of “freedom” would later feel like a small bear clinging to my back.

We got an early alpine start and tagged Mount Cook via the West Ridge, then traversed east to the Weart col and onward to the flat area below Mount Moe. Craig, Tyler, Greg, and I climbed Moe via the East Ridge.

Tyler and Greg skied down the South face like graceful ski models in a Patagonia ad. Craig and I, being more conservative (read: tired), left skis at the base and hoofed it.

After regrouping, I said my goodbyes and headed into the solo sufferfest portion of the tour.

I skied Moe’s east glacier solo, climbed back to the Weart Glacier, then slogged to Needle Glacier and began ascending Mount Neal’s west face. This was fine. Until the ridge broke in half.

I downclimbed a steep slope on Carter Glacier (surprise!), then waddled up a mellow gully to the summit of Mount Neal. At this point, I was somewhere between euphoric and absolutely cooked.

Victory was short-lived. I had to climb back up to retrieve my skis , and then realized I had left some of my gear, including my stov, on Weart Glacier.

What followed was a sweaty, slow slog back to Wedge-Weart col, then a foggy, disoriented ski back to the hut at midnight. I was so tired I’m surprised I didn’t mistake the outhouse for my sleeping bag.