Dawn on Mont Blanc

Leaving the Trident Hut at 1:30 AM, we descended to Col Moore before climbing the fantastically exposed ridge via headlamp. High on the face, the first rays of dawn illuminate Charles Carr as he crests the terminal serac band, marking the end of major difficulties on the route. The seracs were making terrible creaking noises, making my position under them less than enviable.

We summited at 8:30 AM before descending the French side following the Bosses Ridge via the Grand Mulets for a complete traverse of the mountain.

Photo from the Loran Smith Collection, 1985