Burns, Mount
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elevation: 2,936 m. | height gain: 1,300 m. |
area: Kananaskis,AB |
map 82 J/10 |
2017-Jul-22 |
Ref: Andrew Nugara's More scrambles in the Canadian Rockies 2nd edition | |
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Taking the iron steeds partway. |
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Scrambles:
RT 19.0; 9.0 up.
Mount Burns has been under my radar for quite some time but because of
some issues with the approach I kept putting it off. The Sheep River
Trail suffered great
damage during the 2013 flood and it's never been restore; past the
8-kilometer mark, the trail is practically non-existent. Also, there's
been reports of hikers being turned around by the owners of
some private property along the trail. For the record, Marta and I
never saw any "no trespassing signs" or anybody for that
matter! The approach to the main bridge is good; beyond there, multiple
creek crossings are encountered. We left our bike about half way (6
km),
there seemed to be little advantage of having them at this point; if
anything, they slowed us down. The next couple of kilometers weren't
too bad as we still followed crude trail segments. The last third of
the approach is tedious, we trudged in tall shrubs unable to see the
ground; we dealt with unexpected dips, marshes and more creek
crossings. When we veered
towards the forest to reach the ascent drainage, a trail offered
respite from bushwhacking. Once in the targeted drainage, we flagged
the trail
and had a good break. It was great to finally see the start of our
ascent after 4.5 hours. Gaining the highpoint above treeline is
straightforward, then, the ridge to the false summit grants the
scrambling part of the trip. We stayed off the ridge crest initially
and dealt with some minor rockbands and slabs. Further along, near a
rock pinnacle, we climbed closer to the ridge proper and circumvented
difficulties when we couldn't keep to the ridge crest. The scrambling
is
delightful, too bad it is so hard to get to. From the false summit, the
traverse to the top is simple and quick. At the true summit, we
began to look for a wind shadow. It felt cold with the breeze, we put
on
extra layers and huddled near an outcrop while we ate our lunch. This
wasn't what we had planned for this summit stay, we had to
postpone our shenanigans for another day. The sky had become
increasingly overcast, we suspected it might rain on our way out; this
would make an already unpleasant return even more miserable. We took it
in strides and enjoyed the mountain; it wasn't worth hurrying, we knew
we'd be returning in the dark no matter what. Back in the drainage
where we marked the trail section, we took another break before
undertaking the worst part of
the return. We hoped the trail would save us some hardship but
unfortunately it seemed to suddenly peter out so we resumed
bushwhacking the valley bottom. We had enough daylight left to
backtrack to the trail
segments at the 8-kilometer mark. After that, we
continued by headlamp. When we reached the bikes, we realized we had
lost most of the advantage of having them as it was difficult to bike
on
the rocky trail in the dark. As we neared the bridge, biking got
easier and we finally enjoyed a bit of coasting on the iron steeds. We
reached the parking lot past 1 AM after a 19 hour trip. This is a tough
adventure, eat your shreddies before heading out! |
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Several
creek crossings need to be negotiated. Picture courtesy of Marta Wojnarowska. |
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After 3
hours, we finally see the access ridge in the distance. |
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As we go
further, trail segments are fewer. Picture courtesy of Marta Wojnarowska. |
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Joking about
the fate of some poor scrambler getting lost. Picture courtesy of Marta Wojnarowska. |
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Finally
nearing the ascent slopes that lead to the ridge. |
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It's a good
feeling to be gaining treeline. Picture courtesy of Marta Wojnarowska. |
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The ridge to
the false summit of Mount Burns. |
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Avoiding
difficulties by sidehilling talus slopes. Picture courtesy of Marta Wojnarowska. |
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Posing in
front of a window. Picture courtesy of Marta Wojnarowska. |
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Fun
scrambling on the ridge with the rockbands in the background. Picture courtesy of Marta Wojnarowska. |
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Climbing
loose terrain to breach the rockbands. |
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Above the
rockbands, a short distance away from the false summit. |
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The
connecting ridge to the true summit. |
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At the top
of Mount Burns after 9 hours of hiking. Picture courtesy of Marta Wojnarowska. |
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View
south-east over the Sheep River. |
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A limerick
for Ania. |
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Northern
view along The Foothills. |
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Leaving the
top with Mount Rae in the background. |
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Stellar view
towards Elpoca and Tombstone Mountains. |
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Marta
descending from the false summit. |
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Some slabby
sections. |
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Peering over a sheer drop off. Picture courtesy of Marta Wojnarowska. |
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Scrambling
along the ridge. Picture courtesy of Marta Wojnarowska. |
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More
scrambling. Picture courtesy of Marta Wojnarowska. |
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Nearing
treeline. Picture courtesy of Marta Wojnarowska. |
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Little
bluffs well into the trees. |
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Good thing
we brought high-heel shoes for this one!!! |
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