| Ref: Drew
and Mark in the Canadian Rockies |
|
 |
|
|
Pack Trail Coulee to Grass Pass. |
| Scramble: RT
9.5; 5.0 up. We set out
once again prepared for rain. My good friend Ev was also keen to go
out. This could be one of her last scrambles in the Rockies as she is
moving abroad. From Canmore, we drove out with Ev taking advantage of
the recently re-opened highway 40. The sky was overcast but it was
mild. We parked at Sentinel and hiked up Pack Trail Coulee until it
started to lose elevation. At that point, we climbed the ridge heading
west to another grassy open ridge, 712866.
We followed the pleasant ridge and before dropping to a small creek
crossing, we planned to aim for a grassy knoll. Trails exist but it is
good to have a bearing in mind to avoid plodding in the wrong
direction. We did end up on a blazed trail before reaching the knoll.
From there, the objective is in sight. On our way, we found a
trail leading to the waterfall at the base of the mountain. As we began
climbing to the north-east ridge, it started to drizzle.
We stopped and adjusted our layers. Upon reaching the ridge crest, the
rain ceased. We resumed the ascent after a quick break. The scrambling
was fun even with wet rock. We only encountered snow near the summit
ridge. The traverse on the narrow ridge is thrilling, we were cautious!
The sun was now poking through the clouds with a slight wind. We gained
the summit in good spirits. We were fortunate to have great conditions
and weather. We stayed at the top for a while. Our return was fun. We glissaded down the "shaft" of the cross. This
was Ev's first glissade, she absolutely loved it. We all felt and acted
like kids again, good times. We continued our plod back after another nice break.
The sky cleared and we embraced the warmth of summer. |
|
 |
|
A bit of height loss at the end of this
nice grassy ridge. The arrow indicates the grassy knoll we aimed for. |
|
 |
| Holy Cross Mountain. |
|
 |
|
| Ascending the north-east ridge. |
|
|  |
|
| The drizzle is lessening as we near the ridge crest. |
|
|
 |
|
|
On the ridge crest. |
|
|
 |
|
|
We begin the fun trek on the ridge. |
|
|  |
|
| We circumvented the rockband ahead climber's left. |
|
|  |
|
| A section offers some entertainment. |
|
|  |
|
| The view from below. Go Ev, go!!! |
|
|  |
|
| The approach from the summit ridge. |
|
|
 |
|
|
Short, narrow connecting ridge. |
|
|  |
|
| Ev crouches on a narrow spot. |
|
|  |
|
| Looking back, Mount Head in the distance. |
|
|  |
|
| Last steps before the top, the sun is coming out. |
|
|  |
|
| Crossed alpine axes on Holy Cross! |
|
|  |
|
| The clouds are very dark to the north-east. |
|
|  |
|
| We head down after a very nice summit stay. |
|
|  |
|
| Ev and I with the summit behind us. |
|
|  |
|
| Awesome glissade, follow the bum trench for extra speed! |
|
|  |
|
| The upper slopes are exciting. |
|
|  |
|
| Ev is really taking a liking to this. |
|
|  |
|
| Walking off the avalanche debris. |
|
|  |
|
| Another look up. |
|
|  |
|
|
The weather improves during our return. |
| Back
to home page |
|
|