Park
at the gate located at the east end of Summit Lake, 043024. Hike the
ATV road, which leads to the microwave tower; the Flower Spring Lakes
trailhead is about midway. Follow the trail until the first lake comes
into view, and then, beeline to the objective's north-east ridge.
Ascend the ridge past a highpoint, 003982; the last stretch of the
connecting ridge grants a short section of moderate
scrambling.
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Ready to start early in the afternoon.
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Scramble:
RT 8.0; 4.25 up. Backtracking to Summit Lake was bittersweet; it meant
our road trip was coming to a close. We noticed this objective from the
summit of Mount Saint Paul, across the highway, when we first arrived
in the Stone Mountain Provincial Park. We planned to attempt an ascent
on our way back from Haines Junction if the weather still cooperated.
After a lovely stay at Laird Hot Springs, we left early to get to the
trailhead at a decent time. We parked next to the gate and started
walking on the access road at a brisk pace, reaching the Flower Spring
Lakes trail in half an hour. The well-trodden trail through the meadows
has minimal height gain; it is denuded of trees, granting an unimpeded
view of the surrounding mountains. At the first glance of the lake, we
left the trail and beelined to the north-eastern ridge of our objective
to begin the ascent. Once we gained the ridge, straightforward hiking
on blocky terrain ensued to the first highpoint. From there, the
connecting ridge appears simple; however, the last stretch seemed
challenging. I know from experience that, despite difficult
appearances, a route will often reveal itself once you're up close; so
we continued to have a look. The ridge was pleasantly easy until we
reached the final 100 meters or so. There, the ridge becomes narrow and
broken; we chose to travel on the southern aspect. The scrambling isn't
particularly difficult, but it is a bit exposed in places, requiring
caution. It was thrilling to undertake a bit of scrambling. We reached
the summit in under an hour from the highpoint. We didn't stay too
long, after some pictures, we agreed to backtrack to the highpoint,
where we had our lunch break. With shorter days, we didn't linger to
return to the trail below. We began losing daylight on the trail, but
we still opted to go for a quick dip in the frigid water of a pond to
freshen up. Shortly after that, we stepped onto the access road and
raced back to the car. Little did I know at the time that we had failed
to reach the true summit, which is 2 kilometers to the south. I came to
this conclusion by comparing pictures with Google Earth while writing
this web page. Although I do own a GPS, our outings are sometimes
unplanned and carefree. Milan and I vowed to attempt the true summit
from the third Flower Spring Lake when we return to the Stone Mountain
Provincial Park. Even though the north peak isn't the true summit, this
outing is worthwhile, and it was a delightful way to wrap up our Yukon
road trip.
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The gated service road leads to Flower Spring Lakes Trail and the microwave tower beyond.
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Milan points at the objective.
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After half an hour at a brisk pace, we reached the trail.
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Lovely trail with unimpeded view.
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The first lake comes into view, our cue to beeline to the ascent ridge.
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The ascent to the highpoint is straightforward.
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Hiking in a minor drainage to avoid shrubbery.
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The blocky terrain on the ridge.
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The second Flower Spring Lake.
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Looking beyond Summit Lake.
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The connecting ridge to the north summit.
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Minor dips along the way.
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Scrambling begins as we near the summit.
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Skirting the ridge's difficulty.
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Easy scrambling with moderate exposure.
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Milan negotiating the steep terrain.
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Last stretch to the top.
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Happy to have summited what we thought was the summit.
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To the west, McDonald Creek is a popular backpacking destination.
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Mount Saint George to the south is roughly 60 meters higher.
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From the third Flower Spring Lake, a possible route to the true summit of Mount Saint George may be possible.
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North-western view along the Alaska Highway.
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The glaciated peaks to the south are difficult to access.
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Looking back as we leave the summit.
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Descending from the highpoint.
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Back on the trail.
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to home page
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