We awoke early to another clear, though very cold morning - these high elevations don't make for much warmth at any time of the year. I was out of the tent by 6:00, followed shortly after by Andre. We made quick work of packing our gear and enjoyed a leisurly breakfast as the sun began to rise over the tall mountains while the others slowly began to get up.

As morning progressed and we moved up the valley, the skies became more and more overcast. We travelled over fields of grass, through open forest and after a few hours found ourselves on the riverbed once again.

A sandy beach next to a narrow bend in the fast moving river made a nice spot for a rest, snack, stretch and to have a look at the maps.

Around 10:00 am the trail led us for a distance right along the riverbed. The group was somewhat spread out, with Andre in the lead, followed by myself, then one by one the rest of the crew. All of a sudden, Andre stopped dead in his tracks facing the shallow, braided river. I almost bumped into him, the others came to a stand-still behind us, stopping still right away at the sight of a giant Grizzly bear on a gravel bar perhaps only 20 yards away. Hunched before her was a small cub - the size of a teen-age black bear!! All sense of time vanished as she seized us up, looking from one of us to the next. Ample time to get a photo with the camera handy on my left side, all I could think about was the bear spray canister handy on my right. Grizzly mom lifted her enormous front paw, leaned forwards toward us, then turned and bolted into the forest on the opposite riverbank, cub in tow.

Climbing gradually along the open meadows of the pass, marmots whistling our presence all around, we came upon a wide, flat and most importantly - wind-sheltered - spot that suited us perfectly as a camp. We planned to stay here two nights and day-hike the next day.

Fortunately we had a great water source, an icy creek flowed through a gorge below our plateau. Nothing like a fresh bath in glacial water at over 7,500 feet!!

At 5:00, Heidi and I set out for a hike to the top of the hill above our camp, anxious to see the views of the surrounding landscape. The slope, though rocky, was very soft, making the going a little more difficult. But what a luxury to have no weight on our backs - only a camera lay tucked in my pocket. Fourty-five minutes later we reached the top and were indeed rewarded with astonishing views of the rugged landscape.

Meanwhile, Andre finished washing at the creek and coming back to camp to find Heidi and me gone, set out for a jaunt up to the towers of Spectrum Peak. He was eventually joined by Cody, and they, like Heidi and I, marvelled at the surrounding scapes.

An inch-thick layer of frost on the tents and frozen water bottles greeted me as I rose at 6:00 am. Fourty-five minutes later the sun crested over the far eastern ridge, coaxing everyone out of their tents and into the fresh alpine air. The sun soon melted the frost and our water and we began making preparations for a day-hike.

The "older" crew departed about 9:30, just as a cold mist rolled in. At 10:00, Andre and I followed, eventually managing to catch up with the others near the top of the main ridge below the final climb to the peak. Andre and I hiked past a small tarn at the base of a steep snowfield up which crossed a set of very large tracks. We circled around the tiny pond and found that sure enough, they were Grizzly Bear tracks.

After a good rest, we made our way to the base of the most gently sloping part of the peak, almost stumbling over a group of about eight or so perfectly camouflaged ptarmigan (clucking like chickens). We made the final ascent, clambering over large, ancient boulders and about 3/4 of the way up came to a little "window" in the slope affording me my first glimpse of the massive and uniquely coloured Chilco Lake - a lake I'd ogled at in photos for over a decade.

A final scramble up the steep incline of rock and the peak was ours - at 9,000 feet!