LOTUS FLOWER TOWER, 1968

      “We set out to reconnoiter.  As we round Huey Spire, a great wall grasps our eyes and casts its spell.  We move closer.  The closer we get the more beautiful it becomes – simple, elegant, yet gentle.  We continue over the glacier almost to its base.  Its power continues to attract us.  Not surprising – ‘ Lotus Flower Tower ’.”  (Sandy Bill, AAJ, 1969)

     Lotus Flower Tower was as exquisite a rock as we had seen.  I had dreamed of finding a perfect 1,000 foot long A1 crack.  It was here.  I made a mental note to be sure to follow the center of the nine parallel cracks I counted on the upper face.  The climb looked perfect in every way.  I made this photograph.

 
      “When Tom and I joined Sandy on the summit I remember being very moved.  Tears came to my eyes.  During the past two days each of us had entertained fantasies of climbing endlessly into the clear sky.  Regretfully, the climb did end; perhaps it was just as well.  It was still early in the day and we were able to indulge ourselves for an hour or two on the summit.”  (Jim McCarthy, Ascent, 1969)

     “Located in the Cirque of the Unclimbables in the Northwest Territories of Canada, Lotus Flower Tower is famous for the route which ascends the southwest face (just to the left of the prow etched by sunlight and shadow).  The Frost/McCarthy/Bill route is one of the finest rock climbs in the world and has attracted international attention since its first ascent in 1968.”  (Chick Scott, Pushing the Limits:  The Story of Canadian Mountaineering)