# How I Was Benighted on the Rockies' Most Straightforward Route

> A climber gets lost on Canada's easiest mountain route, spending the night in a dangerous corner.
- Title: How I Was Benighted on the Rockies' Most Straightforward Route
- Summary: A climber gets lost on Canada's easiest mountain route, spending the night in a dangerous corner. A climber spent the night benighted on Mt. Indefatigable's…
- Keywords: mt indefatigable, joy route, canadian rockies, climbing, trad climbing, mt. indefatigable, kananaskis, alberta, climbing route, rocky mountains, climber, benighted
- Source: Climbing — https://climbing.com/culture-climbing/epic-easy-rock-climb-canada
- Author: Anthony Walsh
- Published: 2026-09-26T14:15:05+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: mt indefatigable, joy route, canadian rockies, climbing, trad climbing, mt. indefatigable, kananaskis, alberta, climbing route, rocky mountains, climber, benighted
## First summer as a climber
I was deliriously excited about climbing, working five days a week in Lake Louise, Alberta.
## David and I planned Joy climb
David, a confident climber with experience in Yosemite, invited me to climb Joy on Mt. Indefatigable.
## Joy route description
Joy is a 2,000-foot limestone corner that gains steepness with height, with no bolts but a walk-off trail at the top.
## We start climbing Joy
We began climbing Joy’s corner, swapping leads and building anchors with minimal gear.
## We lose momentum
We lost momentum 200 feet from the summit ridge and tried to climb a loose slab instead.
## David tops out the corner
David reached the summit ridge but found it impassable, requiring us to go down immediately.
## We rappel down the mountain
We rappelled down the mountain, finding bolts and building anchors in the dark.
## We spend the night benighted
We spent the night benighted on the mountain, hanging from a rappel rope with no protection.
## A rat scares us
A rat scurried up my rope, making me panic and causing David to think our anchor had failed.
## We reach the approach trail
We reached the approach trail by 5 a.m., having downclimbed the loose slab side by side.
## I return for a rematch
I returned to climb Joy again, now a more experienced climber with confidence.
## We successfully complete Joy
We successfully completed Joy in a couple hours, finding mellow terrain and a calm slope.
## The story's consequence
The climber learned to think for themselves after a night benighted on the most straightforward route.
## Key takeaway

A climber spent the night benighted on Mt. Indefatigable's 'most straightforward' route after getting lost in a technical corner.