We had high hopes for this trip. It was supposed to be an offtrail hike with "a handhold or two" and the park info centre assured us that the mountain was in good shape. We were looking forward to doing the traverse but in the end we didn't even make the summit.

While riding the tram to the start point we ascended in low cloud. We were told to be prepared for a rare treat. Because of an inversion, we would ascend out of the clouds. Sure enough, when we exited the tram, we were greeted with a vast plain of clouds perforated with peaks.

The vision was short-lived however and after going up and over Whistlers summit, the clouds closed in. It was a pleasant enough hike with an easy grade and a good trail; it just lacked any views. After climbing higher we were hit by rain followed by sleet.

When we neared the summit it stopped sleeting and cleared a bit. Ahead a small cornice topped the ridge and beyond that rose the summit. After edging in snow along the steep slope below the cornice we stopped to consider our next move. It was not the easy scramble that I was expecting.

Because of the snow, a clear route wasn't evident. My first attempt became too treacherous so I dropped down and tried another. Dinah followed me but she soon became uncomfortable and decided to turn back. I watched her as she picked her way down when suddenly she fell backward and began rolling down. The slope wasn't overly steep so thankfully she didn't pick up speed and soon stopped after tumbling down about 12 feet.

Pumped with adrenaline I reached her in seconds and grabbed her by her pack to prevent her from falling any further. She began babbling, as is her way of dealing with shock. She told me that the rock she had been holding onto came free. She was surprised as she had tested and used this rock on her ascent. But on her descent when she paused to consider her next move this rock suddenly became lose. The tumble had left her with cuts and bruises as well as a sore knee. After taking a few minutes to collect herself we dropped down to a safer perch.

She assured me she was okay so I decided to try another way up while she hung back. It had starting snowing a while ago and now the flurries were really flying. Nonetheless I slowly made my way up toward the summit, kicking in the snow and testing the rocks. I hadn't gone very far when Dinah called out to me that her knee was swollen and quite sore. While pausing to consider if I should push on or if I should turn back to see if she needed assistance, a thunderclap made up my mind for me. Like my experience on Loaf Mountain, we had to descend immediately. I was 20 metres below the summit when I turned around.

Soon after I started my descent I heard a buzzing. Unlike my previous experiences in a thunderstorm, though, it wasn't my GPS receiver that was buzzing but my head! Soon it was followed by something even more alarming. Sharp shocks assailed the back of my neck and head. In sensation, they ranged from pinpricks to bee stings. I picked up my pace.

Meanwhile Dinah wasn't experiencing any of this. She wondered why I appeared frightened. I explained to her that I was being zapped but I was puzzled why she felt nothing. I must be a better conductor (maybe I should reduce the iron in my diet!).

As we continued our retreat down Indian Ridge it was apparent that Dinah's knee was getting worse and slowing her down. Given the gentle grade of the ridge and Dinah's slowness, we didn't dropped down much. Fortunately the storm passed quickly and the electric assault on my head ceased.

When it appeared safe to stop we took a closer look at Dinah's knee. I had given her my trekking pole but it was apparent she would need a lot of assistance in getting down. She could barely bend her knee and she found descending on it was quite painful. I strapped her pack to mine and we started down again. When I came across some snow I filled a ziplock bag with it and wrapped it against her knee.

Dinah hobbled back to the tram car station and we were soon at the hospital. They gave her shots and put her leg in a brace. The x-rays came back negative but little could be determined because her knee was so swollen and inflexible. For the five-hour drive back to Calgary, she sat in the back seat with her leg elevated.

Postscript: By the following day Dinah's knee showed improvement. Much of the swelling had gone down and flexibility began to return. She decided to dispense with the brace. Instead of twisting her knee it's likely she suffered an impact injury that should mean a relatively quick recovery.