Ref:
Alan Kane's Scrambles
in the Canadian Rockies |
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A bike is a must for this outing. |
Scramble: RT 9.5; 5.5 up. We have not seen much of the sun over the
last two weeks. The forecasted warm and sunny weather in the Foothills
was extremely appealing. We set off from Golden very early and arrived
at the trailhead by sunrise. The bike approach is a cruise, within 1.5
hours we reached the campground. After stashing the bikes, we put on
our runners to wade the river. We crossed where the horses do. The
water is cold, our feet were tingly for a while... We followed a
faint trail along the river and eventually veered north, climber's
right of the ascent drainage. The ultimate would be to find the
"highline trail" described by Gillean Daffern. From the crossing, you
need to continue straight ahead, there is no clear path leading to the obvious
trail. Further west, a cairn indicates the ascent drainage. Higher up in the draw, we headed towards the first gully to
gain the undulating ridge. Except for a short downclimb midway, the
ridge is mainly a walk. The view is great along the way and even though
it was windy, the mild wind was bearable. At the summit, we took a
well-deserved break and signed the register. Three groups came to
visit the day before, Romulus is a busy place! We came down
from the col instead of backtracking the ridge. This is a good option
for a quick descent. On the way down, we came across the cairn
and the "highline trail". We followed it back down; it doesn't lead to
the water's edge, we needed to pay attention not to miss the crossing.
The bike ride back to the car is surprisingly faster, I did not realize
we had climbed that much. This trip is long but pleasant. It was worth
coming out to enjoy this beautiful fall day. |
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Little runners are also a must to wade the river. |
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By the time you reach the other side, feet are freezing! |
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Heading up the ascent drainage. |
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Nearing the ascent gully, left of center. |
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Straightforward way up. |
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On the ridge, a false summit appears. |
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Fab's taking in the view. |
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Mount Romulus (center) and Mount Remus (right). |
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Last dip before the summit plod. |
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Looking back. |
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Enjoying the view, the sun, in good company. Cheers! |
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Mount Remus. |
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South-westerly view, the trail and traverse to the col are visible. |
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At the rockband (downclimbed on the way up), a traverse gives access to the col. Look for the cairn on the other side. |
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Looking back at the traverse from the cairn. |
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The col ahead. |
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Fast way down. |
Back to home page |
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