September 18, 2021
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington
Misty Moriarty
We were a group of four, including Hemingway (now 8 years old), who braved the misty forest and cloud-drenched slopes of Mount Moriarty on September 18th. It’s been seven years since my last trip up these familiar slopes and along the rolling ridge. In that time, the route has become more defined, easier to follow.
Since Hemingway’s successful multiday adventure in Strathcona, I’ve been keen to do more lengthy day adventures, and Moriarty proved ideal. It’s a short day for most mature hikers, but we took our time in the forest, rested in the rain, and poked along the ridge.
We didn’t have the sunniest day; heck, we only caught glimpses of distant hills through the clouds that blew past. And, at the summit, we cowered behind the cluster of trees and large boulders to eat our lunch.
Our descent was significantly speedier than the ascent. Hemingway made a miraculous recovery through lunch. Where I nearly had to drag him the last half kilometre to the summit, he was ready to zip ahead, running toward the end of the ridge.
We were a bit more than six hours in total. It was a good day all around. I’m grateful to the participants who were patient with Hemingway when he needed breaks, got distracted, or just wanted to go slow.