| Ref: Alan Kane's
Scrambles
in the Canadian Rockies |
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At the trailhead. |
| Scramble: RT
10.5; 3.5 to North Peak
(3.0 for the traverse). Fabrice was on vacation and the gorgeous
weather persisted. I was very fortunate to be granted a midweek day
off of work to go trekking. Fab had a special interest for this outing;
personally, I was skeptical about making it to the south summit... We
got an early start to beat the heat and minimize feeling pressed. The
trail to Cory Pass is very good, we enjoyed the approach. From the
pass, we veered towards our objective. A relatively short plod took us
to the North Peak and its south facing gullies. The tight gully
climber's right is great going up and down, especially for a small
person; that was one of my favorite sections. Fab crossed the gap to
reach the summit but I opted for the bypass. It was nice to reach the
first peak and take a break before continuing. Mount Louis is
stunning, it dominates the northern view. Mount Edith's remaining peaks
are clearly in sight, so is the trail to Center Peak. Two routes lead
to the top of the middle peak: the somewhat exposed trail climber's
left of the ridge or the ridge crest. We chose to attempt the broken
ridge.
We worked our way up and left of the ridge until we found a crack to
ascend. Then, we continued on the ridge until we got to a dip
preceding
the
summit block (where the other way joins up). We stood on Center Peak
after
a quick, straightforward scramble. I started contemplating trying the
South Peak; Fab was keen on giving it a try and I was wondering if I
could reach the top. First, we
had to make it down the steep descent gully safely. We came to a
drop-off and went around skier's right; that was a bit sketchy... At
the col between Center and South Peaks,
we had another snack and I left my pack behind once again. I was
curious to see the tunnel and I hoped to get to the flake. The tunnel
is
much bigger than we anticipated. Climbing it wasn't that difficult and
I found it offered a sense of protection; another one of my favorite
sections. The traverse on the ledges didn't require hands-on scrambling
but the position is exhilarating; I nervously followed Fab. The flake
is gained after ascending blocky terrain; at that point, my hands were
a
little tingly from breathing too fast. Fab calmly coaxed me to
continue; thankfully, the flake was just ahead. It is an interesting
feature; I didn't hesitate to clamber up and over to stand behind
it. After reefing ourselves up at the other end of the
flake, we stepped on the summit ridge and reached the top shortly
thereafter. I was ecstatic, I never thought I would stand on this peak!
It was hard to relax with the descent ahead but I managed to enjoy this
fine summit visit. This is a great traverse with lots of scrambling and
beautiful scenery of some familiar mountains. |
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We leave Cory Pass
and head to Mount Edith's north peak. |
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Getting closer to
the fun stuff! |
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The south facing
gullies; the one on the right is tight and amusing. |
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Very good grip on
the walls. |
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A short scramble
after the gullies. |
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The gap is visible,
just ahead of the north summit (right). |
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Fab just cleared the
gap. |
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I opted to bypass
the gap. |
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Center and South
Peaks from North Peak. |
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Mount Brewster to
the north. |
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Mount Louis is
stunningly imposing! |
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Leaving the top, Fab
decides to cross the gap again. |
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I aim for the bypass
instead.
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Coming down the
short scramble above the gullies. |
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A little
below the gullies, cairns indicate the traverse to Center Peak. |
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The trail is clearly
visible. |
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We chose to scramble
up the ridge instead of following the trail on the left. |
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Looking back towards
North Peak. |
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Scrambling up to the
ridge. |
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At the dip with
Center Peak in front of us. |
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Looking down Center
Peak's south (descent) gully. |
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Making our way to
the top. |
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At the top of Center
Peak. |
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Descending the short
summit block. |
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Heading to the
descent gully. |
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Coming to a drop-off. |
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Mount Edith's south
peak. |
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Following Fab to the
infamous tunnel. |
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Scrambling section
before reaching the tunnel. |
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The tunnel with its
humongous chokestone, fun bit! |
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The traverse to the
flake on the ledges. |
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The trail can be
picked out on the ledge, several cairns exist. |
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Coming up blocky
terrain. |
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Almost at the flake. |
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The flake. |
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Easy going. |
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Behind the flake. |
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Fab about to reef
himself up. |
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The summit ridge. |
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Mount Edith's south
summit, sweeeeet! |
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Mount Norquay and
Mount Rundle on the right. |
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Another glimpse
towards North/Center Peaks and Mount Louis (far right). |
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The summit ridge
from the top. |
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Further down. |
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Quite thrilled about
the feat! Now, I gotta make it down... |
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Back at the flake. |
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Backtracking on the
ledges. |
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Another view of
Center Peak's descent gully. |
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Descending from
Center/South Peak's Col. |
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A trail is
discernible skier's right of the drainage from the col. |
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The lovely Bow
Valley. |
| Back
to home page |
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