Mount Marriott
Considering we now live in the age of “AI” and Large Language Models, I really should be faster at posting these… Why should I be intimidated by the idea of writing a blog post, when I don’t even have to actually fucking write it! Fortunately, Zuckerberg has been doing a terrific job reminding me of my motivations for keeping to this format every time I actually jump back on after many months and try to use Facebook/Instagram.
Will keep at it, and maybe experiment a bit with a more light touch writing style with a focus more on a photo gallery.
Anywho, the summer of 2025 was the summer of the ‘pack, where Mary through relentless perseverance, succeeded in convincing me that strapping a 35 pound backpack to an ageing vertebrae atop an imbalanced and chronically tight and injured hip, scrambling off trail on loose ankle destroying talus far from civilizations was a good use of time and physical exertion.
Turns out, we were both right! My hip was not a fan, and it also made for some absolutely incredible adventures only possible through this method of backcountry exploration.
I had drifted deep into the “fast and light” long day trip mode camp, which has grown in popularity amongst trail runners and distance hikers of late. Starting early, finishing late, bookended by a cozy sleep in your own comfy bed, and ideally 2000 calories hot warm food and a frosty beer at an awkward time of the night. But sleeping in the mountains is an experience in and of itself, and provided the bugs aren’t at their worst, it is an experience that provides a level of disconnection from daily life that you just can’t achieve otherwise.
We had planned on an overnight in the Duffey to check out Rohr Peak, which is a popular day trip/trail run from the highway, but we had planned to spend a night at an alpine lake there to add some nice relaxation time as well. But at the trailhead, browsing through the Matt Gunn scrambles book, we made the call to pivot and hike up past the Wendy Thompson Hut to the Marriott Basin, and summit the impressive Mount Marriott, rising 2,735 metres, the highest in the north Duffey Cayoosh Range, and a fun and engaging scramble.
One lesson learned was that objective pivots generally should be made based on gear availability, and we were slightly under gunned for this one, particularly due to the high snow levels from a cooler Spring. We also didn’t have much for GPS tracks as we hadn’t preloaded anything, and so had to put our faith in Squamish city planner/guidebook author Matt Gunn to show us the way.
Our faith ended up being tested a bit on this one!
Wendy Thompson Hut, the location of a few previous winter missions including https://www.cabininthesky.ca/blog/hutlife
Still very much snowy up around 2000 meters above the hut.
A room with a view
Joffre’s North Face which has lost a lot of weight in recent years, and Mount Matier standing tall behind. Jem and I climbed and skied the upper Northwest face of Matier the previous winter https://www.cabininthesky.ca/blog/gs1zyowoc5cm5el8yzlybmy3c36014
#staypuffed Dr. P showing off her full body down tuxedo she loves so very much. Maybe most of the reason she does these trips?
Which way do we go?
Looking up at Matt Gunn’s preferred ascent route. Looking a little snowy and tech!
Mary is not impressed with Matt’s route by this point. A few spicy moves and a bit of snow travel in running shoes kept the nervous system pinned for a bit.
Almost to the top
Phew!
Finally views of the objective. Doesn’t look like an easy Class 3 scramble from here to the top of Mount Marriott, but a good scramble typically doesn’t!
The meat of the scramble up to the summit was super fun and straightforward. A bit of route finding as we tried to ascend too quickly in a few places where staying on a lower traverse was the right move, but generally fun and engaging scrambling right to the broad summit, where incredible views of the area greeted us, with perfect weather for snacks and satisfaction.
Views from the summit. Anderson Lake in the background.
Looking across at Cayoosh, “Million Dollar Couloir” on the lower left.
Back across at Joffre and Matier, and Slalok (right)
Closer view of Matier. The obvious snowy bowl on the upper right is the uber classic NW Face ski from last season
For the descent, we noticed some cairn markers on the North ridge descending down the basin above the hut, and what looked like an easier path down than what we came up, which Mary flatly stated she would not be going down, so we worked our way down benched granite and found a much friendlier route. Be careful fully trusting guide books I guess!
Fun alpine rock, Marriott summit in the back.
Very cool to spend some summer time in an area I’ve spent a lot of time in during the winter (that will end up being a theme for the summer). The hip and back weren’t overly angry by this activity, and the bugs were at a minimum. Maybe this backpacking thing that I had slipped away from a bit from in recent years ain’t so bad after all!
They say a good partner will nudge you out of your comfort zone. Well that was true in both the literal and figurative sense, but well worth the discomfort!