| Ref: Alan Kane's
Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies |
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Skoki Mountain. |
| Scramble: RT 13.0 (including Oyster Peak); 1.25
up from Skoki Lodge.
Following Oyster Peak's descent, we continued on the trail nearly to
Red Deer Lakes campground then towards Skoki. Little did we know, a
trail
handrails Fossil Mountain at treeline and cuts-off 1.5 km. Despite the
little detour, we made our way to Skoki Lodge in
good spirits. From the beautiful lodge, we located the outhouses and
trailhead to Skoki Mountain. The trail is easy to follow and quickly
leads to treeline. The ascent slope is bicolored, we climbed the gray
talus and came down the finer, looser orange scree. It took
minimal time and effort to reach this viewpoint. Fab and I tucked
ourselves behind the cairn; sheltered from the wind we enjoyed the view
for a while. After numerous picture taking sessions and a lot of food,
we started to contemplate returning. Coming down the mountain is
ridiculously fast, the scree run is a riot! We were back
at the lodge in record time. The rest of the hike was pleasant, we
slowed the pace and enjoyed the lovely landscape. The deep
blue lakes in
the Merlin Valley as well as Skoki Lakes south of the Wall
of Jericho are worth visiting some day... The popular trail to
Deception Pass is
fabulous. It was still sunny in the late afternoon. As we
hiked next to rockbands along Ptarmigan Lake, we were greeted by
several marmots basking in the sun. We continued down Boulder Pass and
reached the campsite at 8 PM. Supper was delicious... We slept like
babies... On our way out the following morning, we ran into a grizzly
bear on the trail (50-60 feet away). We automatically backed off
slapping our poles together, I grabbed my flare. As we backed up so did
he. We waited momentarily
and spoke very loudly in french. We eventually nervously proceeded
still speaking loudly, flare at hand and spray ready to use. Returning
was uneventful after that! Even the less than 10 minute bike ride back
to
the car. |
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Skoki Lodge, a historical site.
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Posh outhouses and
trailhead. |
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A very good trail
leads to the ascent slope. |
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The gray talus
offers relatively good footing. |
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Looking back. |
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Beautiful Merlin
Valley and Mount Richardson (left). |
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Last steps to the
top. |
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Redoubt Mountain
(center) beyond Ptarmigan Peak and Skoki Lakes, also labelled as
Zigadenus and Myosotis Lakes. |
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Mount Douglas and
Mount St. Bride with Oyster Peak in the foreground. |
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Red Deer Lakes and
the Red Deer valley. |
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Mount Hector (left)
and Molar Mountain (right). |
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Leaving the summit. |
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Deception Pass, our next destination. |
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Fast and effortless! |
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The trail is dotted
by cairns before entering the forest. |
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Last look at Skoki
Mountain. |
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Deception Pass ahead. |
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Ptarmigan Lake and
Redoubt Mountain from the pass. |
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The trail meanders
into marmot country. |
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One of several
marmots curiously staring at us. |
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Coming down from
Boulder Pass. |
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