| Ref: Sonny
Bou's scrambles
archive |
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Pack Trail Coulee to
Grass Pass. |
| Scramble: RT
12.0; 6.0 up. The weather forecast was promising in Kananaskis Country
compared to here. After such a bleak June, Fab and I were quite willing
to drive a combined 7 hours to go visit Mount Head. We left early and
reached Sentinel parking lot before 9 AM. The hike in was pleasant
despite some muddy sections. After losing height from Grass Pass, we
arrived at the approach drainage. We followed a faint trail left of the
creek but soon crossed over to the north side where we found more faint
trails. The bushwhacking is simple, there isn't much deadfall and the
terrain lends itself to easy travelling. Further up the draw, the
drainage narrows; at a waterfall, we started to ascend the south-east
ridge. Once on the ridge crest, we had a clear view of the upper
mountain. We traversed and climbed to the base of the middle sub-peak.
From there, the summit ridge looks straightforward. The sky over Mount
Head had been grey throughout the day but as we neared the top, it
darkened dramatically.
We continued along the ridge and came to a short easy slab section. The
fun part ended all too soon as we reached the summit. Almost instantly,
it started to drizzle. That didn't dampen our spirits, we put on an
extra layer and hung out for 45 minutes before heading out. We decided
to come down the drainage instead of traversing back to the ridge. This
nice option leads back to the waterfall lower down. Then, we casually
backtracked along the creek and once on the main trail, we took another
long break. We were both looking forward to returning on the
well-trodden trail. This outing is long but not difficult. |
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At the pass, we get
a good look at Mount Head (left center). |
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Numerous lovely
cows, we don't want to scare them. |
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Off the main trail,
there's good travelling on game trails along the creek's north side. |
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Further up the draw,
a waterfall prompts us to start climbing. |
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Ascending the
south-east ridge, we'll skirt left at the bluffs (top right). |
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We keep climbing
along the rockband instead of traversing. |
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There's an easy
break climber's left of the hightpoint. |
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Crest of the
south-east ridge; we are aiming for the tiny snow patch, west of the
middle sub-peak. |
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We traversed towards
the top of the bigger waterfall. |
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West side of the
middle sub-peak with the summit ridge ahead. |
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Along the summit
ridge. |
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Just before the
summit, there's a short easy slab section. |
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The summit is in
sight. |
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At the top, it
starts to drizzle but we still hang out! |
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The connecting ridge
to Holy Cross Mountain. |
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Leaving the top. |
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A good view of the
easy south-east ridge and the upper draw. |
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Using the snow on
descent. |
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Back at the top of
the waterfall; another break, with sun this time. |
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We continued down
the drainage instead of traversing back to the ridge. |
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Going around the
rockband. |
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More snow. |
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Staying in the
drainage eliminates some of the sidehiling. |
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Nice fossil. |
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Continuing down the
drainage. |
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Some waterfalls
along the way. |
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Back on Pack Trail
Coulee. |
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Perfect area for the
cows. |
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Grass Pass. |
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