| Ref: Rocky
Mountain Ramblers Association
|
|
 |
|
|
Red sky at dawn,
sailors be warned... |
| Scramble:
RT 13.5; 7.0 up. When I lived in Banff and
started scrambling in the early 90's, I never thought I would have the
privilege of ascending this beautiful peak. Over
the years, routes on non-Kane summits have been popping up on the
internet and access to beta has broadened the selection of objectives.
Since the Rambler's trip report, many scramblers followed suit; we
planned to do just the same! With a decent
forecast, we headed to Banff and parked at Johnson Lake. We left by
daybreak and made good time on the trail around the lake. When we
reached the bridge at the back of the lake, we beelined in the light
timber towards the ascent drainage not even 500 meters away. In the
drainage, we simply followed the path of least resistance, mostly
climber's left of the creek; travel was tedious in places but not all
that unpleasant. Further up the drainage, when we came to the split, we started to ascend the steep burnt-timbered slopes to
the alpine basin. Our objective was now in sight. The mild dreary
weather with the odd stint of drizzle had been tolerable so far but we
were expecting windy sunny conditions... As we climbed the rubble
towards the upper mountain, we heard voices; we counted six hearty
souls
making their journey up this somewhat remote peak. We continued to the
top and waited for them to arrive. We had to put on all our layers, the
wind was driving the rain through our clothing. We took some pictures
but the view was greatly reduced. We greeted
the scramblers as they arrived, they were with the Calgary Scrambling
and Mountaineering Club. After a short summit stay, we headed down
together. A short distance after the split in the drainage, they
stopped to take a break while Fab and I carried on. The descent wasn't
that fast but we managed
to reach the Johnson Lake Trail before dark and had to get our
headlamps out
for that last easy stretch. We were surprised to see the group at their
car, they had returned on the opposite side of the lake and apparently
shaved a bit of time. We said our goodbyes and drove off our separate
ways. About 5 minutes into the drive the rain intensified to a
downright downpour; puddles were forming on the highway and
hydroplaning was becoming a concern. It was raining so hard the
wipers could barely keep up and I mentioned we should maybe pull
over... It's never over until the fat lady sings and you're safely
parked
in your driveway!!! |
|
 |
|
Following the
drainage for a while, easy but tedious at times.
|
|
 |
|
Typical terrain. |
|
 |
|
Boulders, rubble and
some deadfall. |
|
 |
|
|
Some sections are
better! |
|
|
 |
|
|
Skirting the side
'cause we can't limbo that low. |
|
|
 |
|
|
At the split, this
creek on the right hand side drains Mount Peechee. |
|
|
 |
|
|
We head up the
burnt-timbered slope climber's left. |
|
|
 |
|
|
The objective comes
into view. |
|
|
 |
|
|
It's drizzling and
the ceiling is closing in on the summit. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Nearing the
objective. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Beautiful alpine
cirque and Mount Peechee. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Ascending on grassy
terrain. |
|
|
 |
|
|
The scree ramp leads
to the summit slopes. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Last stretch. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Fresh snow provided
good footing. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Looking back towards
the Bow Valley. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Banff is clearly
visible, even on this day. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Lake Minnewanka, not
so much.... |
|
|
 |
|
|
Reaching the top in
the driving rain.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
A group of
scramblers join us at the summit. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Heading down. |
|
|
 |
|
|
We rarely see
people... On a day like today, way out here, it's crazy! |
|
|
 |
|
|
Backtracking to the
drainage. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Head down and plod
on! |
| Back to home page |
|
|