Guided an attempt on the eastnortheast ridge of Mt Temple yesterday, July 29th. This route is also known as the "Squashed Bones" first ascent by fellow ACMG guides Josh Briggs and Rob Owens, August 2001(A route description on page 132 of the 2002 Canadian Alpine Journal). We got chased off by rain showers, and the threat of a thunderstorm, from about halfway up the mountain, and 3/4s of the way up the 5th class quartzite climbing -that climbing being quite good for the alpine in the Rockies. We descended by making a long traverse on a rubble ledge into the Sphinx face where we downclimbed on snow and more rubble ledges. We made one rappel at the bottom of the face. One briefcase sized rock bounded down out to our right while we were there.
The final corner on the Greenwood/Jones has water running down it, otherwise the route looks dry enough. The Greenwood/Locke has wet streaks on, and around, it; and several of the ledges are still holding snow, especially the last big horizontal one on the route.
Happy trails,
Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com