| Park at the Gorman
Lake trailhead, 892877 and follow a well-defined trail to Gorman Lake,
described in Golden
Hikes.
Hike around the lake (the south shore is quickest) and continue into
the
draw. Head in a south-west direction, veering left to gain
the Gorman-Holt Col,
862873. From there, continue towards Holt Lakes, 875847, losing height
gradually on the natural ramp traveller's right. Traverse through a
boulder field without descending too much (cliffs); we aimed for a tiny
flat
area at the top of a treed slope just beyond the boulder field, 871856.
A trail
suddenly appears and traverses the steep mountainside to the lakes.
Look for it, it's a good game trail that saves time and effort; it's
visible on Google Earth! Once at a small meadow near the lakes, 872851,
ascend easy terrain (climber's right of bluffs) that leads to Holt
Peak's north-west facing slopes. Be mindful of cornices along the upper
bowl. |
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Gorman Lake is just
beyond the outflow. |
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Still some snow! |
Scramble: RT 10.75; 4.75 up. Yet another
fantastic outing via lovely
Gorman Lake. Holt Peak can probably be reached from Kicking Horse
Mountain Resort or Holt Drainage
but we chose to travel via Gorman Lake due to active logging in Holt
Drainage and a closure to motorized access which adds almost 14 km. The
hike to Gorman Lake was fast as usual, some snow patches
remained. We
travelled around the thawing lake and easily climbed
to the col on sun-cupped snow. From there, we traversed towards the
boulder field. Hiking through the large boulders is the challenge of
this whole trek. We started to look for the trail we noticed on Google
Earth and luckily found it just beyond the boulder field. The trail
soon led us to a small meadow near Holt Lakes. The straightforward
ascent follows the path of least resistance, avoiding bluffs. Higher
up, we stayed on snow until we reached the bare north-west slopes.
After a quick jaunt, we reached the top. It didn't look like the
forecasted afternoon thunderstorms
were going to materialize; we stayed on the summit for two hours
before considering leaving. It felt warm with the absence of wind, we
enjoyed the sights complete with layers of clouds. Our return trip
went well, the weather remained good and the gradual climb back to the
col was pleasant. On our way back to the lake, we picked up a lot of
debris from snowmachines rolling and crashing during the winter.
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Going around thawing
Gorman Lake. |
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Veering towards the
col accessing Holt Drainage. |
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The snow slopes are
not as steep as they look. |
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Nearing the col. |
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Holt Peak and Dawn
Mountain (right) from the col. |
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A natural ramp
grants pleasant hiking to the boulder field. |
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Negotiating the
boulder field, looking across Holt Drainage. |
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We aimed for the
tiny flat area at the top of a treed slope. |
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From the tiny flat
area, Fab finds the trail and flags it. |
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The trail is worth
looking for. |
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A small meadow at
the mountainside. |
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Easy terrain leads
to the upper bowl. |
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The upper bowl, the
summit is on the left. |
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At the top. |
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North-west view
towards Roger's Pass. |
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The Molars (left)
and Canyon Creek. |
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View to the south. |
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Leaving the top. |
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Zombie Peak (center)
looks impressive from here. |
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Dawn Mountain in
front. |
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Holt Drainage is a
stunning place. |
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Sun-cupped snow is
great going up and down. |
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Holt Lakes are
tucked away on a plateau. |
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Back at the meadow. |
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Backtracking on the
trail. |
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We enjoyed the
gradual climb back to the col. |
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Last glimpse at Holt
Peak from the col. |
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The opposite col
leads into Lang Drainage. |
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Swooshing down the
pink snow with the smell of watermelons, feels like summer! |
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Almost back at
Gorman Lake. |
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Following the trail
around the lake. |
| Back
to home page |
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