Ref: Rocky
Mountain Forest District trail index
Drive past Lussier Hot Springs and Whiteswan Lake. At 107570 turn left
and at 097583, head north on Moscow Creek FSR. Follow to a clearing
just before the
kilometer 36 road marker, 091622. Turn left and drive as far
as you can, staying along the creekbed.
Park and hike. Once at Ptarmigan Lake, head south along the shoreline for a short
distance; lack of a decent trail quickly pushed us up the treed rib
through alder brush. Continue towards the draw, 045592. A couple of
steep gullies can be ascended on the north side of the east ridge,
046583. From there, a climbing traverse on the south side of the ridge
leads to the summit block. I picked my way through blocky terrain,
staying near the ridgeline. An easier option avoids the gully ascents,
it is quite circuitous. From the draw 045592, head east towards the end
of the east ridge,
057587. Follow the ridge, dropping on the south side to avoid
difficulties. A substantial loss of elevation is required to circumvent
a sub-peak, 050584. After regaining the ridge near 046583, head for the
summit block. |
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The access road has
a closed sign, happy hiking. |
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The trail to the
lake is pleasant. |
| Scramble: RT 6.0 (including Blue Knight Peak);
1.75 up (from the south end of Ptarmigan Lake). This trip with the dogs is
one to remember. The really warm temperatures made us seek an alpine
lake for an overnight stay. We had to hike the 4 kilometer road due to
a slide. The sun was burning hot but luckily the dogs had access to
water from the creek. The trail in the forest is quite nice, passing by
a beautiful waterfall before climbing steeply to the lake. Once there,
the lack of a trail around the lake is disappointing.
Bushwhacking through alders wearing shorts was definitely unpleasant
and slow. At our resting area, in the draw, we started to unpack
and unwind. The scenery is spectacular; it was very much worth the
effort! The hounds were exploring, just being happy dogs. I looked at some
gully options not really knowing if I would be able to climb one of
them. The following morning, I got an early start and quickly stood at
the bottom of one of the gullies. It appeared manageable, so I
proceeded to climb it. Beyond the rock step, it got steeper so I moved
climber's right. I soon got nervous and realized as I continued that
there was no turning back. I pursued the safety of a moat. Checking that every step was on firm snow, I managed to traverse
towards the cornice. A short section was interesting: bridging half on
snow, half on rock (with the crampons). A gap between the
cornice and the rock wall offered a good way up to the ridge,
finally! That was a bit too much excitement for me, I'll be coming down
the long way! I continued to the summit block unsure about finding a
way to the top. I found a fun line of ascent in the blocky
terrain near the ridgeline. Yeah, I'm at the top...or am I? From my
research I thought I was on the summit but north-west of me is another
summit of equal height??? The topo map in the truck can't help me with
this dilemma. In doubt, I continued towards the other peak, which turns
out to be Blue Knight Peak, 3 meters higher. This extension of the
outing took about an hour. |
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At the waterfall,
nice place for a rest before the steep climb. |
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Ptarmigan Lake and
White Knight's east ridge. |
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Possible ascent
routes. |
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From this angle, I
made the decision to climb this gully on its right. |
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The sun is still not
shining on the camp below. |
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On a moat, I look
back down the bridging section which seemed safer than the snow slope. |
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You can see why I
didn't want to be on the snow slope! |
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My ascent gully from
Blue Knight. |
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Just after cresting
on the ridge, left of center. |
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Climbing traverse on
the south aspect to the summit block. |
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The summit block. |
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Picking my way up
blocky steps, enjoyable scrambling. |
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The official White
Knight Peak. |
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I thought this other
peak might be White Knight; in doubt, I included it before heading down. |
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The abrupt south
ridge. |
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The east ridge and
my alternate descent route. |
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Coming down the
summit block. |
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White Knight from
below the slabby sub peak. |
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The east ridge must
be regained. |
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Snowy Blue Knight
and the sub peak that forces height loss. |
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Our camp below is
barely visible (circled). |
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Precipitous north
side of the ridge. |
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At the end of
the ridge, I descended to treeline. |
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Lower in the trees. |
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Looking back at the
traverse to the east ridge. |
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Continue
on to Blue Knight Peak |
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