The wee hours, Yukon Territory/Northwest Territories border – The wind blew most of the night. In Lupe’s tiny house, SPHP shivered despite the mild temperatures of the ongoing Arctic apocalypse.
The Carolina Dog was unfazed. A couple of times she wanted out into the wind on a night that never got completely dark. SPHP watched her dim form sniffing and wandering nearby. Each time Lupe returned, SPHP wrapped her red sleeping bag over her, then tried to sleep.
5:13 AM – The wind had abated somewhat, blowing with less vigor now from out of the E. Even though the sun was nowhere to be seen, it was already quite light out.
Rise and shine, Looper! Summit day is here!
Bleary-eyed after her dead-of-night adventures, the American Dingo was now reluctant to leave the comfort of her red sleeping bag.
The smoke is even worse than it was yesterday, SPHP.
I know. It’s a shame. We aren’t going to get to see much at all. However, if it weren’t for the Arctic apocalypse, we probably wouldn’t even be here. Just think, with any of your usual Dingo good luck, Loopster, we’ll stand atop Mount Sittichinli (5,165 ft.) this very morning!
We’re that close, SPHP?
Oh, yeah! We’re only 1 km SE of the summit, Loop, although our route to it will inevitably be somewhat longer.
SPHP regretted drinking both strawberry Equates yesterday. Breakfast was quick and skimpy – water, trail mix, and a bit of beef jerky shared with Lupe, who also had Taste of the Wild.
In the cool morning breeze, Lupe watched as SPHP packed everything up, then stashed the tiny house and both sleeping bags beneath a nearby overhanging rock.
Alrighty, let’s see if we can actually manage to do this, Loopster. Onward! Puppy, ho!
Leaving the spot where her tiny house had stood only moments ago, Lupe began climbing NE along a broad ramp of tundra below the nearby talus ridge.
Steadily gaining elevation along the ramp, the talus ridge looming above it kept pace. Strewn with rocks, the tundra ramp kept going. Exactly where Lupe ought to turn NW to attack the talus ridge wasn’t clear, but after gaining roughly 200 feet of elevation, the American Dingo began turning toward it, abandoning the ramp for a steeper slope.
Amid increasing amounts of talus, Lupe got high enough to see hills along the ridge running NE to Peak 1480M, the most distant mountain visible in the smoky haze in that direction. From up here, it was clear that the ramp Lupe had just left would have ultimately taken her over that way.
Turning NW as the last of the tundra gave way to large slabs of talus at various angles, Lupe scrambled up a very steep slope.
7:16 AM – Finally reaching the top of the steepest wall above her, Lupe emerged upon a huge flat region hundreds of feet across. Completely covered with rocks, the entire plain rose slightly toward the E. Off to the WNW, a significantly higher, very steep-sided ridge drew SPHP’s eye.
Congratulations, Loopster! Welcome to Hill 1520M.
Thank you, SPHP! Are we looking at what I think we’re looking at?
Yes, indeed, Sweet Puppy! That’s Mount Sittichinli (5,165 ft.)!
The sight of Mount Sittichinli so near was both thrilling, and somewhat concerning due to how steep it looked.
Before we go over there and learn our expedition’s fate, let’s have a look around from Hill 1520M, Loop. Won’t take long.
Fine with me, SPHP.
Strolling SW along Hill 1520M‘s sharp edge, the 1360M+ ridge Lupe had followed to base camp yesterday evening was due S. A higher point was visible much farther SSE.
What mountain is that, SPHP?
We were there yesterday, Loopster.
Oh, of course! Peak 1402M!
Wandering clear over to Hill 1520M‘s E end, Lupe had another look at the hills along the broad ridge leading to Peak 1480M.
Wow! If we had just stuck with our tundra ramp, we could have come up Hill 1520M this way, SPHP. Farther, but looks a lot easier.
Believe you’re right, Loop. Quite a view, isn’t it? Makes me want to just keep going, exploring it all.
First things first, SPHP. It’s Mount Sittichinli time!
Absolutely, Loopster! Let’s head that way.
The topo maps all showed a nearly flat plain with only a modest dip along it leading to Mount Sittichinli from Hill 1520M. As Lupe headed that way, the lowest area wasn’t visible at first. When it did come into view, all doubts were dispelled – the American Dingo faced nothing but gently sloping terrain the rest of the way to Mount Sittichinli’s base.
However, another view was bugging SPHP.
See that mountain W of Mount Sittichinli, Loop?
Yes, of course. What about it, SPHP?
According to the map, that’s Peak 1520M, Loopster, the same peak that I originally thought was Mount Sittichinli when we first saw them from Peak 1402M.
Easy to see why, SPHP. It’s nearly as high as Mount Sittichinli. Maybe even higher!
Precisely my point, Looper. We’re just leaving Hill 1520M, which means that according to the map we’re already as high as that mountain W of Sittichinli.
Ridiculous, SPHP! We’re nowhere near as high here as that mountain is. Your maps are just plain wrong.
Exactly, so when we get to Mount Sittichinli’s summit, we’re going to have to take a serious look at “Peak 1520M“, Loopster. If it looks any higher than Sittichinli, we really ought to try to climb it, too.
Oh, so we’re back to that now, SPHP? Climbing both peaks?
Yes. And if we can, why not? I’m not at all sure it’s even possible, Looper. Remember that cliffy region we saw from Peak 1402M on Peak 1520M‘s E slope? We may not stand a chance of getting past it.
Always something! The thought that Lupe might climb Mount Sittichinli, the only named peak, and clearly the highest point shown on the maps anywhere in this region, only to later have some expert declare, with justification, that Peak 1520M was actually higher, was annoying. Best to climb both peaks, to be sure the Carolina Dog would get full credit.
Progress was otherwise swift and joyful across the rocky plain. As Lupe approached Mount Sittichinli, SPHP abandoned these negative thoughts to confront the problem at paw.
Cliffs along the entire upper S face instantly ruled out any attempt to climb it from that direction. Portions of the surprisingly narrow E ridge also featured minor cliff bands separated by impossibly steep sections.
Let’s swing around to NE, Looper. That shoulder doesn’t look as bad. Maybe we can get a look at the N face?
Aiming for the NE shoulder of the mountain, SPHP was encouraged as Lupe climbed to a minor high point. A region of moderately sloping scree connected it to Mount Sittichinli’s NE flank. However, what could be seen of Sittichinli’s N face was not at all encouraging.
This might be our only shot right here, Loop. Maybe we can scramble up? Might as well give it a go.
What came next was a bolt out of the blue, the last thing on earth SPHP expected.
There’s a trail, SPHP.
What? Impossible! The American Dingo hadn’t seen the slightest sign of human activity at all since shortly after leaving the Dempster Highway yesterday morning. Not a single foot print, not the tiniest bit of trash. Lupe had traveled mile after mile through unspoiled wilderness. And now in one of the remotest places she’d ever been, well N of the Arctic Circle in the Richardson Mountains near the Yukon Territory/Northwest Territories border, suddenly there was a trail up Mount Sittichinli?
So, are you coming, or not, SPHP?
Of course! I’ll be right there. Lead on, Sweet Puppy!
The trail was plenty steep in spots, not so bad in others, but so distinct and continuous that it was clear this was no game trail. Humans had been here. The trail wound up Mount Sittichinli’s E ridge, staying N of the cliff bands. Lupe climbed and climbed, but more rock formations kept appearing above. SPHP sometimes had to use hands, but none of the route was at all scary.
The trail eventually played out amid talus. Lupe had already gained a lot of elevation. 200 feet? The top couldn’t be much higher.
After reaching yet another knob of rock, suddenly the way forward wasn’t nearly as steep. Bounding over the talus, Lupe headed W.
On the way up, the sky had generally been tinged with blue. The smoke wasn’t as bad as it had been early on. However, as Lupe passed S of an 8 to 10 foot high wall of rock along the N edge, suddenly smoke poured in from the NE, driven like a thick fog by the wind.
Ahead, somewhat beyond the rock wall, a large cairn was visible.
8:10 AM, Mount Sittichinli (5,165 ft.) – Amid the Arctic apocalypse, smoke streaming by her on a 15-20 mph NE wind, Lupe stood next to the summit cairn, the sun a mere bright spot in the gray sky. With visibility at only 100-150 feet, there were no views at all beyond the immediate summit region. Even so, SPHP was ecstatic.
Loopster! We’re here. I can’t believe it! Congratulations, Sweet Puppy! Mount Sittichinli!
Despite the smoke, it seemed the most wonderful thing ever. SPHP heaped praise on the American Dingo.
Mount Sittichinli’s summit region consisted almost entirely of a jumble of talus. After a congratulatory pawshake, a retreat was made to the only refuge in sight. 20 feet S of the summit cairn and 15 feet below it, a lone level spot covered with tiny rocks was at the bottom of a depression surrounded by talus. This spot was just big enough for the Carolina Dog to curl up on in relative comfort.
During a long rest break, the air was filled with the strong acrid scent of the wildfire smoke constantly sweeping by. It was impossible to tell if there were any clouds in the sky. Even the sun had vanished completely, reappearing only briefly now and then as a powerless, pale white ghost.
If Mount Sittichinli is such a fabulous achievement, it must be chocolate coconut bar time, SPHP!
No doubt about it, Loopster. Hang on just a moment.
Lupe watched in disbelief as SPHP emptied the entire pack. Nothing.
You didn’t bring one, did you, SPHP? Our most daring and ambitious Arctic adventure ever, and you didn’t bring a single chocolate coconut bar.
Loopster, I swear! I was sure I brought one. We didn’t eat it already somewhere along the way, did we?
Nice try, SPHP.
Whatever the truth of the matter, SPHP was no magician. Lupe had to settle for beef jerky, an eagerly accepted Dingo-approved substitute. Other than that, it was Taste of the Wild and water for her, water and more boring trail mix for SPHP.
The unexpected trail up the steep NE face of the mountain was not the only sign of human activity. Human junk littered the talus around the depression – miscellaneous pieces of metal, plus an assortment of cables, wires, bolts, screws, and nuts. SPHP loaded a fraction of this debris into the pack for disposal later, latching onto a 1.25″ long bolt with attached rusty nut for a different purpose.
How about we keep this bolt as a Mount Sittichinli souvenir, Looper?
Good idea, SPHP! You can add it to my collection of rocks, and odds and ends from special places.
Guess I should have realized that people had been up here before, Loop. Some of the topo maps show a survey benchmark.
We should try to find it, SPHP! A photo of the marker with a “Sittichinli” stamp would be an awesome souvenir, too.
Returning to the summit cairn, no survey benchmark was evident on any of the nearby rocks.
Heading E to check out other high points in competition for the title of true summit didn’t turn up any benchmark, either. Disappointing!
10,000 different rocks the survey benchmark might be on up here, Loop. Since it doesn’t seem to have been placed in an obvious spot, our chances of finding it aren’t very good, even if it’s still actually here somewhere.
Let’s check out the region W of the cairn, SPHP.
That area wasn’t quite as high, but why not? Intending to go no farther than about 100 feet W of the cairn, SPHP joined the Carolina Dog in a cursory inspection of rocks in a field of countless possibilities as the summit ridge widened out. After going 100 feet, still no benchmark.
But there was something else.
Someone built a deck up here, SPHP!
Dimly seen through the never-ending smoke, roughly another 100 feet W down a gradually descending talus slope, a square wooden platform was in sight.
Not exactly a deck, Looper, but similar. That’s a helicopter pad!
20 feet long on each side, the Mount Sittichinli helicopter port was sturdy, stable, and perfectly level.
Wow! You sly dog, SPHP! How did you manage to keep this a secret from me for so long? This is going to be the most exciting end to an adventure ever! When does the next chopper arrive?
Sadly, never, silly Dingo! If I’d arranged transportation for us, do you think I would have left your tiny house and both of our sleeping bags stashed beneath the overhanging rock when we left base camp? The only reason this helicopter pad is here is because there must have been a fire lookout tower on Mount Sittichinli once upon a time.
A stroll around the perimeter of the helicopter pad revealed nothing of note nearby other than a discarded aluminum can that SPHP threw into the pack, and some other junk that’s still on the mountain. Not only no survey benchmark, but far more disappointing to the American Dingo, no helicopter boarding passes with today’s date on them.
9:09 AM, 53ºF – As Lupe stood at a corner of the helicopter pad, smoke still sailing by, SPHP noted a faint path discernable beyond her over the talus. It led back in the direction of Mount Sittichinli’s summit.
Summit hour’s about up, SPHP. Decision time! Earlier you were saying that we needed to climb Peak 1520M, too, in case it was actually higher than Mount Sittichinli. Now or never, isn’t it?
I know, Loop, but it seems fate has decreed that we aren’t going to make the attempt. I’d hoped to better gauge the true situation from here, but with all this smoke, we can’t see a thing. Under these conditions, I don’t think pressing on to Peak 1520M makes much sense.
A change in wind direction might have made a huge difference. Sadly, when hanging around Mount Sittichinli’s summit region for another half an hour still produced no improvement, SPHP’s decision was final.
9:40 AM, Mount Sittichinli (5,165 ft.) – If anything, the smoke was worse than ever when Lupe started down the mountain the same way she’d come up, abandoning all hopes of ever visiting Peak 1520M.
It was a long way back to the RAV4 at the Dempster Highway, but the route was no longer a mystery, and most of the return was both fun and relatively easy. Stopping by base camp again, SPHP retrieved Lupe’s tiny house and the sleeping bags from beneath the overhanging rock. The American Dingo then headed S along the 1360M+ ridge.
By the time Lupe reached the far end, the smoke situation was greatly improved. Hazy, but Mount Sittichinli was easily discernable again.
Dang. Figures. Guess we should have made an attempt of Peak 1520M, after all, Loop.
Who knew? The world can be a fickle, persnickety place, SPHP.
When Lupe reached Pass 1350M W of Peak 1402M, SPHP paused.
Last chance for a look at Mount Sittichinli, Loopster. Don’t suppose we will ever see it again.
A sad thought, SPHP. Mount Sittichinli was an incredible adventure!
Lupe had a grand time during the return. Leading the way and never tiring, she didn’t climb Peak 1402M again, but did explore the tan gash from Pass 1350M down into the huge valley to the SW, drinking freely from the stream that created the gash. Approaching Pass 1125M, she went right by the tall white stone, which actually was a pretty decent landmark.
The Carolina Dog crossed Pass 990M again, but avoided the unnecessary talus climb to Pass 1110M, staying lower and farther E. This was a much better route than the talus, yet still somewhat rougher terrain than SPHP expected, full of hills and ravines of various sizes that had to be crossed.
10:40 PM, 52ºF, Dempster Highway – The iPhone battery was still 13% charged when SPHP turned off Lupe’s point to point GPS track upon reaching the RAV4.
That system actually worked, Looper. Still have 0.5 bottle of water left, too! It’s almost like we knew what we were doing.
Nice, quite the fluke, but what’s for dinner, SPHP? I’m starving!
A salmon and Ritz crackers celebration ensued, followed promptly by much needed midnight adventures in Dingo Dreamland.
Links:
Next Adventure Prior Adventure
Lupe’s Scrollable Mount Sittichinli GPS Track (ascent)
Lupe’s Scrollable Mount Sittichinli GPS Track (return)
The Dempster Highway Travelogue
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