Ref: Rob Eastik's Album Archive
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Locate this sign and follow the wide trail to the river crossing.
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Scramble:
RT 11.0; 5.25 up. I've been wanting to visit Junction and Pyriform
Mountains for quite some
time but
the distance from Golden made these objectives difficult to plan.
Having 3 dogs with no dog-sitter means bringing the troop with us or
leaving Fabrice behind to stay with them. Given that Rupert has gone
lame and that Fabrice was still recovering from a shoulder separation,
I chose to go solo. I left Golden
with my hiking gear and drove to Bragg Creek where Wendy was throwing a
party before her departure to Nepal with Marta. I retired late after
drinking perhaps a bit too much wine but that didn't stop me from
getting a pre-dawn start on the day. I left Wendy's before 5 AM and
drove to the trailhead. I started hiking as it got
light. Just a few minutes after, I easily crossed the Sheep River and
picked up the Junction Creek Trail on the other side. The plod on the
popular horse trail is long with very little height gain. I hiked
mindlessly past the ole sawmill site and reached the 3-Creek Junction,
604043, shortly thereafter. I crossed the creek and kept following the
main trail. As I neared 3-Tier Falls and the outfitter's camp (which
are located 7 kilometers in) I knew to start looking for a trail that
veers east. That trail can be missed, it's about 200 meters before
reaching the falls and camp. When you come to a bonfire site, look for
the trail; it goes down to the creek and is discernible on
the other side (see pictures). I got lucky and noticed the trail but by
doing so, I didn't get to see the 3-Tier Falls; I figured I would go
see them on my way out. The good secondary trail, that I call the
Junction-Pyriform Trail, led me to Junction's west
flank, I
left it when it started to dip down. I climbed to treeline and
sidehilled before I could ascend into Junction's amphitheater. From
there, I hiked to the back of the draw and climbed talus climber's left
of the summit. I located the breach that Rob Eastik describes, it was
a bit tougher than expected but I managed to reef myself up safely. I
continued towards "The Cleats" on the ridge crest. At that point, I
handrailed a massive gendarme on the west ridge; the summit
is a short distance after that. Confident scramblers that have extra
energy
and time can traverse to Pyriform Mountain, that wasn't an option for
me. I enjoyed my stay on the summit before descending the south ridge
and beelining down scree to the amphitheater. After another break in
the grasses, I resumed the long
trek back to the truck. This route is a good alternative to the one
described in Andrew's book "More Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies";
although not as scenic, it is sheltered and easier.
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Crossing a drainage about half way on the Junction Creek Trail.
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About 200
meters before the 3-Tier Falls and the outfitter's camp, you'll come
across this site; look for the Junction-Pyriform secondary trail that heads
east.
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The secondary trail dips down to the creek with these falls on the right (south). |
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The trail continues beyond the creek.
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Another pond a moment later.
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Again, the trail is picked up on the other side.
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Off trail and ascending to treeline before traversing towards Junction's amphitheater.
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Junction's amphitheater with the objective in sight.
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In the back of the draw, I'll ascend towards The Cleats.
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The convenient breach that Rob Eastik mentions is the crux of this ascent.
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A moderately difficult move is required to surmount the step.
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Looking back at the crux.
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Continuing towards The Cleats and the massive gendarme.
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At The Cleats, I'll head towards the towering gendarme.
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Another view of the gendarme that is handrailed on its south side. |
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Looking back as I travel along the rockwall beyond the gendarme.
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Summit ahead.
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At the top, looking towards the Prairies.
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The western view over the gendarme.
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View south with the connecting ridge to Pyriform Mountain and Patterson's Peak in the background on the left.
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The upper section of Andrew Nugara's north ridge route.
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Trap Creek's major drainage also grants a possible way up this peak.
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The Cleats and the gendarme as I head down the south ridge.
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Easy descent to the saddle.
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Looking back at the summit (right of center).
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Picking a line skier's left that avoids cliffs and slabs.
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Back down in the amphitheater.
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Enjoying another break in the grasses.
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Nice loop.
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Traversing to my approach.
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Back on the Junction-Pyriform Trail.
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The lovely pond a saw earlier this morning, as viewed after crossing a small creek.
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Reaching the main trail with the bonfire site visible on the left.
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Travelling on a washed out section.
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The Sheep River is very low and offers an easy ford at this time of the year.
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