Ref: Steven's Peak-Bagging Journey
Note: From Enderby Mable Lake Road, turn left on Kingfisher Forge
Trail, 735078. Drive about 12 kilometers and turn left, 764176; I think
the road is labeled as Mara Lookout. Continue until it gets too rough
around 717224.
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Snow stopped me from going further.
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Hike:
RT 6.5; 3.5 up. The weather forecast for this weekend was dismal
everywhere, so I picked an objective close to home. Morton Peak has a
road that climbs to a lookout; that seemed simple
enough. My truck was out of the shop and was running well; I wasn't
concerned about it giving me trouble on the service road. As I drove to
the trailhead, the drizzle turned to light snow. Even though
precipitation stopped when I started hiking, visibility was next to
nil; I couldn't see anything other than surrounding trees. Due to
abundant snow higher up, it was tough to follow the road. I decided to
ascend the mountainside directly using my GPS to assist with direction.
The snow was firm allowing easy travel without snowshoes. I noticed the
lookout only when I got to within 50 meters of it. I entered the
shelter and had lunch, staying for quite some time, waiting for the
clouds to lift. I contemplated extending my trek to neighbouring Mount
Mara but with the predicted deteriorating weather, I decided to
forgo that idea. When I started heading down, visibility improved; I
could see the terrain I travelled earlier on. The multi-layered
clouds added mood while the occasional blue hole brought warmth;
however, it
wasn't long before it started to snow again. I'm looking forward to
coming back this way for a visit up Mount Mara, hopefully on a clear
day, to
enjoy the surrounding landscape and get a view.
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Fresh snow blankets the trees.
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I can barely tell where the road is.
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Leaving the road for a direct ascent.
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Following rising terrain.
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A GPS is an asset in these conditions.
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I couldn't see the lookout until I was almost right by it.
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Short easy hike made more challenging with zero visibility.
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Inside the lookout.
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Map of nearby lookouts.
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The eastern view.
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View south.
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I don't know which direction this is...
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...just kiddin', that's looking south-west towards Mount Mara.
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The lookout needs a paint job.
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Leaving the lookout with improved visibility.
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Mabel Lake comes into view.
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Looking back at the summit.
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Blue sky came and went.
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Backtracking.
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It's snowing lightly again.
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| Back
to home page |
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