| Ref: Alan Kane's
Scrambles
in the Canadian Rockies
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Raff came to Turtle Mountain's trailhead to celebrate my birthday.
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Scramble:
RT 6.0; 4.0 up. After a long trip in Colorado, I
found myself restless at home; especially given that this weekend was
my 50th
birthday. I reached out to some of my friends to see if we
could get together for an outing in the Pincher Creek area where
conditions seemed favorable. In little time, a plan was in the works
for a nice scramble with several peeps. I decided to head down a day
early and scramble Turtle Mountain solo to make this long drive
worthwhile. Raff also had plans to climb in that region for the
weekend, he
agreed to meet me at Turtle Mountain's trailhead to celebrate with me;
we had a tailgate party! So Nakagawa joined us for a little while,
it was nice to see him. We drank a bit too much as I recall, we might
have dropped a couple of wieners in the coals while roasting them on
the bonfire. The following day, I was up early as usual. I got ready
then knocked on
Raff's truck window to say goodbye before leaving for my
scramble. I felt a little hung over as I started climbing the mighty
Turtle. My body and mind were on the same page, messed up I suppose...
Anyway, I continued to treeline and beyond where the wind was my
companion. The terrain became more interesting as I climbed to the
first summit. Once at the false
summit, I was delighted to see the beautiful traverse to the true
summit, I perked up and embraced the challenge. This was the best part
of the outing, with snow this traverse is by far better in my
opinion. I made it to the summit's platform and enjoyed the
sights despite the wind. Comparing to last weekend's trip on Atlantic Peak in Colorado where I
actually got picked off the ground, this was manageable. I stayed
for a while, I wasn't in any hurry. My return was casual, I didn't
have far to go that afternoon, I was meeting some friends
in Pincher Creek at the pub!!
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So Nakagawa also dropped by to say hello.
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Painted rocks indicate the start of the trail.
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Encountering snow on the way up.
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Packed trail along the way.
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The first summit comes into view.
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Nice day and firm snow.
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The packed trail ends at Turtle Mountain's first summit.
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The traverse to the true summit will be easier with snow!
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Looking down onto the town of Blairmore.
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Careful hiking on snow that is possibly bridging deep holes.
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A glimpse back at some odd dead trees along the traverse.
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Interesting terrain, I followed the ridge crest.
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Looking back at the first summit.
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Travel on firm snow is better than on the blocky terrain beneath.
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Ascending to the short summit ridge.
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Frank Slide (april 1903): 82 million tones of rock came down burying the south-eastern edge of a mining town killing 90 people.
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Summit ridge.
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South-western view, the taller peaks are shrouded by cloud.
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Southern view from the summit platform with Hillcrest Mountain.
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The town of Bellevue to the east.
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Looking north beyond the summit ridge and first summit.
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Heading back with the first summit in sight.
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A gnarly tree along the traverse.
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Bluff Mountain from the first summit.
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| Back to home page
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