Friday the 29th didn't feel like a work day... so I didn't go. Instead, I toured the Lone Peak wilderness area. Unfortunately, Friday the 29th started at 4:00am for me. My good friend Steve Lloyd picked me up and dropped off his boy Weston for Myranda to watch. He is two weeks younger than Anna. We prayed all the way up the canyon that Weston would fall back asleep and not wake up Myranda until morning.
Skin track at 5:00am
Steve is a professional photographer. He needed to do a shoot for Powder magazine on the Pfeifferhorn. The Pfeifferhorn is one of the worlds true horns. It is known on most maps as the Little Matterhorn. You must skin, climb and rappel in order to summit and descend the peak. There were five of us in all that made the trip.
After skinning and climbing for quite some time, we finally caught our first view of the Pfeifferhorn. Steve and I commented that this view was worth the wrath of Myranda if Weston had in fact not gone back to sleep. From here, we skinned a little further and then removed our skis for the final ascent up to the peak.
This is where the ice axe came in handy. A slip on this steep slope will send you along way down.
On our way to the top. It was amazing to look back and see where we'd come from. Like I said, you wouldn't want to fall here!
Once at the top (elevation 11,326), I got into my best mountaineering pose for the camera. You also get good service here... so I sent Myranda a picture text.
From the top you rappel into a steep chute. You then ski the chute for several hundred feet until it chokes off and cliffs out. Then you must rappel out of the chute. From there you can ski the apron out. What a blast. With all the photography etc. It took us the entire day to tour this. I didn't return home until 6:00pm.
One last look back at the peak we just conquered. Thanks for the invite Steve.
And fyi... no, I could not walk the next day... too sore! But still it was worth it.
If you would like to see some incredible photography, visit stevelloydphoto.com