![\"p8060010\"](\"https:\/\/www.billkerr.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/p8060010-300x225.jpg\" "\\"p8060010\\"")
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(Note successfull trip in 2011 – link below)<\/span><\/p>\n Mount Bell NE Ridge has been in the back of my mind for the last two years because of Gary’s accident August 4, 2008.\u00a0 He fell while we were on approach to the NE Ridge. He has limited memories from before the head trauma and is a new person.\u00a0 Gary will never be able to do things like drive or ski but he seems happy with his life.<\/p>\n Myself – I needed to go back and do the climb.\u00a0 Good friends Scott and Wietse agreed to come along on friday.\u00a0 The forecast was something like 40 percent chance of scattered showers late in the day.\u00a0 The first obstacle was being allowed to park at the trailhead as road construction prevented access.\u00a0 This has to a record number of years to rebuild any stretch of the transCanada!\u00a0 Eventually the flagman let us park on the side of the road.<\/p>\n I had forgotten the wet muddy conditions and loss and regain of elevation to O’Brien lake and next time I will try access a notch in the ridge from the Taylor lake junction.\u00a0We went up the avalanche gully alonside the ridge and I had a moment when looking over at the accident site but we cut over to the ridge earlier and we started scrambling our way up.\u00a0 We scrambled the ridge to the first steep step which we went around on a ledge to the left.\u00a0 The NE ridge is alternating steps and easy spots and is very good hard quartzite to 5.3 and maybe 5.4 (aka as East ridge in some writeups)<\/p>\n As we approached the big steps we had a little shower and then could see a big storm moving in.\u00a0 Quartzite is really slick when wet and the thunder and lightning was scary.\u00a0 We retreated along the ridge and then bailed off the side as the rain and hail\/sleet hit us.\u00a0 We hid under an overhang as the lightning put on a show.\u00a0 After things calmed down we bailed down a shallow scree gully to a grassy ramp that angled all the way down to the valley.\u00a0 We came out between the 3rd and 4th of the four lakes that are in the valley. It is good to know there is an easy escape route off the ridge as there is no way off once you are above where we bailed.<\/p>\n Another rain storm as we went by O’Brien lake and then steady rain the last 15 min out to the car.\u00a0 We will be back but only with a good forecast.<\/p>\n Overall it felt good to be out there especially after I started climbing and leading some sections.\u00a0 This was something I needed to do and I feel much more at peace with the mountain and myself.<\/p>\n Thanks to Scott and Wietse for coming on the trip and thanks to everyone else for the help and support over the last 2 years.<\/p>\n Pictures at Bell NE Ridge <\/a>\u00a0use fullscreen slideshow.<\/p>\n Right click on largest version to save a copy<\/p>\n Scott’s Pictures<\/a><\/p>\n Wietse’s Pictures<\/a><\/p>\n Successfull 2011 trip <\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" (Note successfull trip in 2011 – link below) Mount Bell NE Ridge has been in the back of my mind for the last two years because of Gary’s accident August 4, 2008.\u00a0 He fell while we were on approach to … Continue reading