Ref: Steven's Peak-Bagging Journey
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Parked on the road near Zum Peak's Rec Site, it is possible to continue beyond this point.
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Scramble:
RT 7.0 (includes Vicuna Peak attempt); 3.5 up. This Canada Day, I
chose to return to the Coquihalla Region, hoping to find respite from
the
extreme heat. I drove to the
Zum Peak Rec Site and parked on the road. I decided against continuing
further after reading reports of
deteriorating road conditions. Instead, I brought my bike for the rest
of the approach to the
trailhead. The road is overgrown further up, and there's a couple
of creek crossings; however, it is feasible to drive a couple of
additional kilometers. The trailhead is well-marked, but there's lots
of deadfall concealing the path in places. Higher up, the trail was
very wet, and snow patches lingered here and
there. Near Vicuna Peak's
slab face, visibility diminished as I climbed into low-lying clouds. I
continued on the trail to the col and
veered towards Vicuna Peak. The route along
the ridge is straightforward, granting moderate scrambling at first. I
made it to the roped section
without difficulty, but the upper part of the crux proved too risky;
consequently, I
turned around and focused my attention on Guanaco Peak. Guanaco's
ascent is easy; nonetheless, it requires care to remain on the right
path. When I reached the top, the clouds slowly dissipated; I stayed
for a while and waited to get a view. When I descended from the top,
the
scenery was unvailed. Vicuna
Peak is stunning; too bad I wasn't able to surmount the 4th class
step... The remainder of my return was uneventful other
than losing the trail on a couple of occasions. By now, the heat of
the day was upon me. The bike ride back was slow. I was
thrilled to see
the truck; I drove off with the AC. It was a fine day in the mountains
despite failing
to gain the remarkable summit of Vicuna Peak.
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Further up, the road is overgrown.
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There's a couple of creek crossings to negotiate.
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The trailhead is well-marked.
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The trail is decent but there's lots of deadfall.
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The trail was very soggy as I neared Vicuna Peak.
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Entering a small boulder field.
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This is a very neat boulder; I climbed the natural staircase.
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Approaching Vicuna Peak's impressive slab face.
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Circumventing the slabs towards Vicuna-Guanaco Col.
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Hiking into the clouds.
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A small waterfall along the way.
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The Vicuna-Guanaco Col ahead.
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Heading to Guanaco Peak after a failed attempt on Vicuna Peak.
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A bit of route finding renders this ascent easy.
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The summit is engulfed in low-lying cloud.
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After a while, the sun appears above the cloud layer.
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The surrounding mountains are still shrouded by clouds.
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Heading back down.
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Vicuna Peak is slowly unvailed.
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Looking back at Guanaco Peak.
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Remarkable summit horn.
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Backtracking to the small waterfall.
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Hiking along the slab face with Zum Peak on the left.
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Getting my feet wet again on the soggy trail.
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Back on the road.
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| Back
to home page |
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