| Ref: Aaron Cameron and
Matt Gunn's Hikes
around Invermere & the Columbia River Valley. |
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The sun rising
through the smoke. |
| Scramble: RT 10.0; 6.0 up. Yet another sunny
weekend! The timing was great for this long scramble on a tall
mountain. The trail is easy to follow; after an hour and a half we took
a break at the "rest spot" mentioned in the book. Soon thereafter
(20-30 min.), we came to a junction and took the right hand fork. It
descends a little but mostly contours into the draw. Out of the trees,
Nelson still appears distant but travel is nice on a faint trail near
the creek bed. From the upper basin, the ascent towards the south-east
ridge is discernable; however, the final section is tougher to figure
out. We started up in the gully and veered climber's right on
ledges to reach the talus slopes. At the ridge, the way up became
apparent. The "second gully" at the summit block was much easier than
anticipated; the traverse leading to it is very short. The last stretch
is pleasant and within minutes, the metal cross is in sight. Highly
recommended outing on a lofty summit. Straightforward with minimal exposure, more moderate than difficult. |
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Breaking out of the
trees, Mount Nelson comes into view. |
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Looking back the
valley is filled with smoke. |
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Further in the draw. |
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Heading towards the
upper basin. |
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Near a snowpatch, we
took a break before the scrambling. |
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A closer look at the
route to the south-east ridge. |
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The leftmost gully
gets steep higher up; we veered climber's right. |
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Talus slopes above
the gullies. The trail skirts the left side of the black buttress
(center). |
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The summit block
reveals itself as we head towards the ridge. |
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Just before the
ridge. "Second ascent gully" on the left. |
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The summit block
from the south-east ridge. |
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Sultana Peak. |
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Last short section
before the top. |
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Fab and the famous
metal cross. |
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A clear view towards
Mount Farnham and Farnham Tower with Red Line Peak in the foreground. |
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Obstructed view down
the valley towards Panorama Ski Resort. |
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The south-east ridge
from the summit block on the way down. |
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Above the "second
gully". |
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Looking down the
easy second gully, straight below is the ascent slope. |
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The very short
traverse to the south-east ridge. |
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Heading back in
finer scree. |
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Above the initial
ascent gully. |
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If only it was
iced-cappuccino. |
| Back to home page |
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