I just got back from working at the ACC's 55+ Camp at Fairy Meadows - August 15-20. For those who don't know, Fairy Meadows is both an area and a hut (actually, it's officially called the Bill Putnam Hut) located in the Adamant Range of the Selkirk Mtns up at the beginning of the Swan Creek drainage from the Granite Glacier NW of Golden, northwest of Kinbasket Lake (the Columbia River). It has been possible to hike in to this area in the past and I have tried that about 12 or so years ago with a friend from Saskatoon. At that time, it really was one of those "hikes from hell", the hike out only being better because it was downhill.
This last trip was about as different as it could get. We met the helicopter at Bush Harbour, about 43 km up the east side of the Lake, and in a 10-minute ride were flown across the Lake and up Swan Creek to the meadows above the hut with our gear and enough food to feed a small army for a week. The small army in this case was a guide and 7 clients with myself as chief organizer, assistant and cook.
The area is used mainly as a winter ski destination but summer mountaineering is also excellent, with many peaks, glaciers to travel on and fantastic scenery. All from the comfort of a great hut- 9 of us in a hut that fits 20. And, as an added bonus, it's not in a National or Provincial Park so there are none of those hoops to hop through.
Our days began early, we climbed up and down many meters of elevation, hiked across parts of the Gothic and Granite glaciers, climbed Sentinel Peak, Mt Unicorn and the ridge near Houdini's Needle and finally, on Friday, were all whisked back down to the Lake in two flights and a total of 30 minutes. This particular trip provided new experiences in mountaineering for many of the participants although a few were more "old hands" at this sort of thing. Regardless of the level of experience, being able to spend some time in such amazing surroundings with like-minded, friendly people made for an excellent week.
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