Ahern Pass

Description

On a flat 250 feet below the summit of Ahern Pass in Glacier National Park, is a view of Belly River Canyon.

What had almost become the norm during six winter trips inside the park; a day earlier, I again almost lost my life. During a windy and abrasive traverse of the area seen beyond the blowing snow in this photo, I fell. A well-placed ice axe saved me from a slide and drop over a 1000-foot cliff.

In the early evening of the previous day, after a 6-hour 2100-foot ascent from Helen Lake with an 80-pound load, exhaustion prevented me from moving beyond this single flat spot. Thus, I camped here where the above average snowpack and wind had created an approximate 100-foot deep cornice that loomed over my camp.