Just back from a week on the Wapta between the Bow and Peyto huts.
We started with lots of sun which gradually turned to more and more cloud cover as the week progressed. Afternoon rain showers occured on several days with extensive overnight rain on July 3 - 4.
Morning temps at the huts were in the 8 to 10C range for most of the week, but despite the lack of freezes, travel was very reasonable with foot penetrations around 5cm so long as you steered clear of thin areas where postholing was inevitable. This was slowly improving yesterday with cooler a.m. temps (even a skiff of new snow above 9400 ft.)
We managed to sneak up St. Nicholas during an overcast spell with good steps in snow right next to the rock ridge, but avoided the snow gully to the summit which was hard ice beneath. The possibility of getting sucked off in an isothermal slide exists here in hot sunny conditions.
2 pockets slid down to bare ice on Olive and St. Nick in the afternoon rains on July 2. See attached photo.
July 6, North Rhonda was easy travel on bare rock next to the large cornice for the entire length of the summit ridge. The Peyto glacier is bare ice below ~7800 ft.
We didn't need crampons for anything all week, but hopefully this will change.
Creek crossings in and out of the Bow were a bit tricky with high water levels.
Enjoy,
Shaun King
Alpine Guide