Pigeon Mountain – A Newbie’s first ACC trip

Pigeon Mountain – A Newbie’s first ACC trip
October 23, 2016 Vi Pickering

Newbie’s first ACC trip by Sara Lee

I joined my first ACC trip to Pigeon Mountain! Yes, I know, probably not as hardcore as some of the trips posted in the ACC, but it’s a good start coming from someone who knew little to nothing about walking on snow or what an altimeter is.

This trip was led by Vi Pickering and we had 11 other members on the team. They were ( Nathalie Drotar, Nando Ortega, Sandra Bowkun, Beste Wichmann, Mark Lane, Kyle Christiansen, Dana Zienko, Keith F, Sue and Chip)

I must say, I should thank Felipe for convincing me into joining this trip. I was a little hesitant about participating since I, for one, am not an experienced hiker nor a scrambler, I do not have a vehicle, and I didn’t know anyone that was going on the trip, well except for Nando, we’ve met briefly. Thanks to Vi making a few arrangements, I was on my way going to a place where I’ve never been with people whom I barely knew.

We arrived at Dead Man’s flat about 8:40 a.m. and off we go to our little expedition! Sandra was setting the pace most of the way until we reached the summit at about 12:30 p.m. The beginning of the hike had a gradual elevation gain and it only got steeper when we were in the clearings. The conditions for hiking in October was excellent since we only had snow closer to the summit and the sun was shining during most of the hike.

As a Newbie, one important lesson that I’ve learnt from this trip today was pacing. Before coming on this trip, I’ve always thought that I needed to go fast pace in order to reach the summit successfully. But by doing so, I’d always get burnt out halfway on the hike and I needed to take more breaks than I’ve expected. So, here’s a little wisdom from Mark Lane “start slow and reach the summit at a steady pace, or start fast and pick up the pieces at the end”. Overall, today was a successful trip as we went home today with new friends and experiences.

To all the Newbies out there, don’t be intimidated by joining the ACC trips! The leaders don’t bite; they might just make you write a trip report.

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Pigeon Group

Pigeon Group

 

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