Ref: The ExplorNorth Blog
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Breakfast and a typical casual start.
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Scramble:
RT 9.25 (includes Mount Saint Paul); 2.5 up. Milan's favorite road
trips are Death Valley during the winter months and the Yukon in the
fall. He often talks about how beautiful the North is, bound in its old
ways, and historically meaningful. This late summer came the
opportunity to go on a northbound two-week road trip. I was really
looking forward to it, I hadn't travelled past Prince George. We left
on September 3rd, it was 35 degrees outside. Just passed Kamloops, our
vehicle sprung a leak in the cooling system and started to overheat; we
towed it back to Salmon Arm and went to rent a compact SUV the same
day. The following day, we drove to Dawson Creek, Mile Zero of the
Alaska Highway, and slept in the car before continuing to Summit Lake
campground in Stone Mountain Provincial Park. This campground marks the
highest point on the Alaska highway, and it is likely the nicest place
to stop for rest & play. We arrived in the afternoon, set up
our camp, and enjoyed the sights. On day 3 of the trip, we ventured
into the mountains. Our goal was Summit Peak. Milan had nearly summited
this objective a long time ago with his kids; as we hiked, he recalled
his adventure. The trail was easy to follow, and we soon reached the
treeline. The ridge is interesting, interrupted by rock steps; the
delightful hike to the summit is scenic and over too quickly. To the
east, the Front Range Mountains roll away to flat land, while the other
aspects display magnificent chains of mountains. This objective
is technically a sub-peak of Mount Saint Paul (Mount Saint Paul E2); however, it
is possible to continue to the official summit via gentle barren
ridges. We still had a fair amount of daylight and energy, so I
suggested to Milan that we should continue to the repeater, and he
agreed. After a decent break, we descended the south-west ridge towards Mount
Saint Paul. I was thrilled at the opportunity to include the taller,
official summit while executing a loop and returning via the lovely drainage
below.
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Trail map.
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Making good time on this well-defined trail.
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A lovely drainage parallels the trail.
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Gaining the ridge above treeline.
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The campground and Summit Lake are visible below.
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The trail meanders through minor rock steps.
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Easy travel on the ridge.
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The summit is in sight.
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At the top with an unnamed pointy peak to the north-west.
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To the south-west, Mount Saint George (right of center) rises beyond Summit Lake.
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Looking south-east, along the approach ridge.
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Front Ranges to the east.
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Contemplating a loop to Mount Saint Paul.
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We decided to ascend the ridge on the left instead of continuing along the ridge as suggested by the trail map.
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View North with Stone Mountain's ridge in the background, the summit is just out of the picture frame on the left.
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Continue on to Mount Saint Paul
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