| Ref: Aaron Cameron and
Matt Gunn's Hikes
around Invermere & the Columbia River Valley.
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The cabin is about half an hour from the trailhead.
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Scramble:
RT 10.0; 4.5 up. With an unstable forecast everywhere, I thought it was
wise to plan a straightforward trip close to home. Although Copperstain
Mountain is some distance away, granting over 25 kilometers of hiking,
there's a good approach trail and the ascent is a "no brainer". We left
early and drove to the trailhead. We quickly made our way to the
outfitter's cabin; just past there, we reached the old footings for the
bridge which no longer exists. Slightly beyond, we found a good place
to ford the creek; the crossing was frigid but otherwise quite
manageable. We picked up the trail on the other side and enjoyed a
pleasant plod through delightful terrain all the way to the old yurt
site where a biffy still stands. We encountered several snow patches
along the way but the trail was never hard to find. Instead of hiking
to the Grizzly Col, as described in the guide book, we opted to
try a direct route up the southern ridge. After crossing the first of
the two small wooden bridges at the yurt hollow, we started climbing
along the creek on its north side. We soon gained height, leaving the
creek well below us. The terrain on the south ridge is surprisingly
easy to negotiate; we travelled through the forest with minimal
bushwhacking while maintaining a direct ascent. We came across a small
drainage before treeline, this is a good place to fill water bottles
and take a good break. From there, the ascent is sustained but never
too steep. The grassy ground offers good footing almost all the way to
the top. We had fresh snow and low cloud cover but it was mild and the
wind was calm; we reached the summit in good spirit and hung out for a
while before backtracking. All and all, this was a fabulous day out in
our local mountains.
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The bridge over Baird Creek is washed out.
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Fording the creek.
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Following a good trail in open terrain.
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Throwing snowballs in a pond.
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Some sections are still snow covered.
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The trail is easily discernable despite the snow, there's also red markers on trees here and there.
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Crossing a drainage.
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Walking among willows in a wide meadow.
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Our objective ahead.
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Typical terrain on the southern ridge.
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Agreeable bushwhacking.
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The ascent is very straightforward.
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Looking towards Grizzly Col.
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Some fresh snow along the way.
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At the summit.
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Fabrice is enjoying a beer at the top.
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Looking east, Moonraker and Dogtooth Peaks are at the far left.
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The obstructed view of Glacier National Park's giants over Bald Mountain.
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View south along Baird Creek and our approach.
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Alpine flowers are as hardy as can be.
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Heading down.
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The biffy at the yurt hollow.
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Several ponds along the way.
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Fording the creek once again.
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| Back
to home page |
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