| Ref: Drew
and Mark in the Canadian Rockies. |
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Looking across the
Bow Valley from the trail's end. |
| Scramble: RT
13.5; 7.0 up. Fab and I were very excited about this trip. The remote
summit has a definite appeal and the opportunity to travel most of the
way on glacial bedrock makes this outing extremely special. I recall my
first visit to Castle Mountain's upper basin and plateaus, I felt so
elated just witnessing the scenery. Not that many trips offer this type
of magnificent and ancient landscapes. We looked forward to trekking
the rocky basin. The good approach trail is a bonus. It is easy to
find on the east side of highway 1A (little over 1 kilometer south of
Baker Creek Chalets), opposite to a pull-off. It is indicated on older
maps. When we reached the end of the trail, at
treeline, the sun was still rising behind Protection
Mountain. After some trudging up loose
talus, we gained the ridge crest and got our first glimpse at
Pulsatilla Mountain. The expansive rocky basin is breathtaking, we
were
eager to get down there. We had a quick break discussing a general line
of travel and off we went. Hiking on the karst pavement was delightful;
we relished the experience. With no boring moments, we neared the upper
tarn and got sight of our ascent. We walked along the snowy shore and
started climbing towards the traverse. The ascent is straightforward;
we put in the effort and acquired a great reward! At the top, the
weather
moved in and we soon stood in a snow squall... We had a quick half hour
break and left before our fingers froze! As we returned, so did the
fine weather. We took a more direct line to the basin below, where we
stopped for a while. We didn't want to leave... we lingered...
Unfortunately, we were both aware of how far we still had to go; so
boots went back on to resume our return towards Protection's
mountainside.
Travelling here doesn't get old no matter how tired you are. We used
the last of the rocky benches and snow to gain the ridge of Protection
once again. Ouff, it's all downhill from here. At this point, we were
looking forward to stepping back on the trail! Returning was uneventful
until lower down; we didn't dare slow down as bugs attacked even in full
stride! |
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We traversed above
an old mine shaft, past the snowpatches then we ascended to the ridge. |
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Climbing talus to
the ridge. |
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A small rockband is
easily breached (center). |
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Pulsatilla Mountain
from Protection Mountain's ridge. |
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Coming down the
ridge and setting foot on the amazing rock.
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Crossing a small
creek on the elevated rocky basin. |
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Karst pavement like
none other! |
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Similar to Castle
Mountain's geology, the rock was formed in the Middle Cambrian period,
530 million years ago. |
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Armor Peak (left) is
one of Protection Mountain's northern summits. |
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Hiking towards
Pulsatilla is enjoyable and quite special. |
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Awesome landscape of
glacial bedrock. |
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Benches and small
tarns, very little vegetation. |
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Heading towards a
hidden tarn above. |
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Looking back as we
near the hidden tarn. |
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Reaching the tarn
with the summit in sight. |
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Armor Peak above the
tarn. |
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Ascending to the
traverse. |
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Television Peak in
the background. |
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Traversing easy
terrain. |
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Coming through a
small rockband. |
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Yeah, half way!!! |
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The view north-west. |
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Looking towards
Castle Mountain (center), Helena Ridge (left) and Stuart Knob (right). |
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Badger Pass to the
east. |
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Heading down. |
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This time we skirt
the tarn on the north shore for a more direct line of descent. |
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Copper rock. |
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A good view of the
ascent back up Protection Mountain. |
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Travelling through
this landscape is awe inspiring. |
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The lower plateaus
hold a bit more vegetation. |
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A creek offers a
great area for a break. |
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More glacial bedrock. |
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A larger tarn at the
edge of the plateau. |
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Going back up
Protection Mountain. |
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Using the small rock
benches. |
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Cresting over the
ridge. |
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Getting close to the
trail below... relief... |
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Remnant of an old
building. |
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Back in the buggy
marshes! |
| Back to home page |
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