Monday, August 31, 2009
Mount Rae
I have been thinking about this one since my first timid, naive climb four years ago. And I thought it was about time I gave it another go.
I was out of the house shortly after 6:00 a.m. and at the Highwood Pass just before 8:00. Not a soul in the vicinity. In fact the only other traffic I saw after turning onto highway 40 was a car that followed me as far as the Kananaskis golf course.
At the parking lot, I got my gear out and started off. The GPS said 2199 metres, so a little bit below the top of the pass a couple of hundred metres to the south. I walked groomed trail through the meadow toward that point, where it crossed the highway.
It was brisk out, but I left my fleece in my backpack, reasoning I'd be warming up soon enough. Leaves on some of the small bushes were already turning color, a bright red, tinged with white. I took off my glove and rubbed a leaf - frost.
It didn't really feel that cold. The sun wasn't yet reaching the valley, but with not a breath of wind, it actually felt quite nice.
In the forest, it wasn't much different, just darker. I charged up the trail as usual, and after about twenty minutes was out of the trees and into the cirque. I expected it to be green and nothing else, but there were many yellow and blue flowers. Also something that had blossomed into a puffy fluff ball, little white dots all over the meadow.
I kept to the right. I don't know why, but it seems more natural to walk the loop around the cirque clockwise. I've never noticed anyone going the other way. The picture, by the way, is from 2005. At the first waterfall, a trail splits off the loop and toward the back, climbing a little over meadow and slabby chunks of rock that are more like big paving blocks.
At the second waterfall is the sign proclaiming the end of the trail, and an obvious trail continuing up over the headwall. You can see it in the picture to the left. I chugged up that, at first a little steep, but leveling out a little as it went past the north side of the headwall.
Someone had piled a cairn on a large boulder across a small gully and on top of the dome of rubble. Soon I was beside the small snowbank behind the headwall, that feeds the creek that flows through the cirque. Small and dirty, but it was still a couple of acres, and covered in dirt.
I stopped at a couple of large boulders for a water break. Then continuing around the bend I could see the scree slope. It seemed a lot smaller than I remembered. Narrower and not so long. Well, it looked that way. It was still a long climb to the col.
Another picture from 2005. I couldn't see the slab the arrow points to, so it must be buried now. The trail was much better defined this time, although it split into several and faded out once it got into the steeper stuff. There was no snow this time, and I chose one of the rock bands behind the arrow to follow to the col.
It was strenuous slogging. Not nearly as bad as my last trip to the Fortress, but I was getting a good workout. I thought about climbing next to the rock band, but it was down to a thin layer of dirt. I stayed out from it a little and found plenty of small rocks sticking out to step up on. I kept looking for better trails, even looking below, cuz thats when you see them, is after you don't need them. Nada. It was pretty much where ever it looked best for who ever was climbing at what ever time.
It didn't seem all that long to the col, but long enough, about two hours from the parking lot. I topped out and stood for awhile, just looking down the other side. The Little Highwood Pass was incredibly green, and the Rae Glacier, the source of the Elbow River and half of Calgary's drinking water, looked small and dirty. By the way, click on the pictures for larger versions.
Behind, looking back down the scree slope, it looked curiously flat, as in not sloped. My legs knew better.
And then there was the road ahead. On the right, what looks like the summit, is actually a pinnacle on the ridge, and it much lower than the true summit. That is the rounder peak on the left, and it only looks lower because it's about another half kilometre away.
I stopped and snacked for a bit. Forest fire smoke gave the surroundings a haze that quickly hid the view after a couple of kilometres. To the north was a brown layer that only a couple of the higher peaks poked through.
I started up the ridge. I had to climb over a couple of small spikes, and then a trail started off across the scree slope on the north side of the ridge. It was pretty easy going for most of it. At one point there was about three metres of slab to cross, but it had enough cracks and crevasses that there were enough footholds to cross without much issue.
Well past the large pinnacle, but well below it, the path petered out. I searched above for signs of another, and backtracked a little, finding another trail that branched upward. Following that, it soon disappeared too, I scanned above and back a little and found what looked like another trail above. I couldn't see where it started, so instead of backtracking to find it, I simply headed across the scree. Some places felt dicey, but not so much that I felt I would lose my footing. I did kick some rock loose, and that was a concern. No one was below, but I don't like having to watch loose rock bounce down slope. Dangerous stuff for anyone below.
I gained this trail and followed it for awile. Same result. I'm not good at route finding, and I was having a heck of a time seeing where these trails were going. I back tracked a little, found another sort-of-trail switching back, that turned out to be the right choice. Another trail above appeared as the one I was one faded, so another tricky traverse to get to it.
I finally got up to the ridge again, and of course, looking downward, I could see every trail plain as day. The sun had risen enough by that time too, so the ridges on the edges of the trails were highlighted by the low angle of the sun.
From here, I was stuck. I wandered back and forth a little, trying to find a way to go farther. The GPS said I was at 3176 metres, so eventually I settled for calling it a day and having lunch. I sat near the edge of the ridge and dug out some cold samosas and my camera.
This is the view back toward the col. The pinnacle is to the left. It also shows nicely the unnamed peak on the other side, and the ridge leading up to it.
To the north the smoke was obvious, as it left a brownish smog-like layer just at the mountain tops. On the left you can see the southern tip of the Lower Kananaskis Lake and a bit of the Spray Lakes road.
To the south, the smoke obscured much of the view. This is what it looks like behind Mount Arethusa, the rugged peak on the south side of Ptarmigan Cirque. Two tiny lakes at the bottom of the canyon, one a deep green and almost invisible in the picture.
And to the southwest, between the pinnacle on the right, and Arethusa on the left, the green sloped ridge on the far side of the valley. My car was parked at the bottom of that slope. The top of the next ridge beyond marks the BC-Alberta border, so all those ridges fading into the smoke are in BC.
Straight west, I got a nice view of three glaciers hidden from the highway in the peaks just south of the Kananaskis Lakes. From left to right, and I'm not totally sure of this, are Mangin Glacier, Northover Glacier and Lyautey Glacier, if I'm reading my GemTek map correctly.
And while enjoying my lunch and the view, I noticed that I was going to have some company. There's a tiny red speck in the middle of this picture, that is a couple on their way up. And if you look close, just past the big shadow behind them, a third person. This picture also shows how nicely the trails show up when you're above them.
Lunch done and a few pictures taken, I packed up to head back down. It was easy to see where to go from the top. A trail ran almost directly to to col. I started down.
At a long fissure that ran not quit vertically down but sloped a little to the east, the couple paused considering wheather to follow it up. At the same time, my clumsiness jostled loose a few rocks. It's the one thing I didn't like about this slope, is that those rocks didn't stop. Very dangerous. These clattered down well away from the two below, but we did have a quick holler back and forth about how to proceed.
We decided that they stay put at the bottom of the fissure, while I moved farther away and down. No further problems and I met them about half way down the fissure and chatted for a bit.
I continued on the trail and came to that slab again. This time I was higher and the slab was wider. It looked a little intimidating, but the trail definitely continued on the other side. Anyway, it wasn't all that bad to cross, and was quickly done.
From there straight down to the col. I spent a few moments considering which path to take from there. Several small rock bands go almost straight down slope, and it was a matter of considering which would have the best hand holds and footing.
It was a long stumble down from there. I slid a lot, stepping in loose gravel and letting my weight carry me down a little with each step. The gravel slid a little ahead of me each time, and what breeze there was, was coming from down slope. I was getting well coated with dust.
It seemed like it took as long to get down through the rock bands as it did to climb them. Then on to the trail that weaved through the scree, and the angle of the slope lessened with each step.
It was along this stretch that I knew I'd had a good day. I tried to keep the steps short and small, preferring to save my knees from hard jolting to taking big strides to get down quickly. With every step, I could feel a tremble in the leg muscles, so I'd pushed them pretty hard.
I finally rounded the corner and began the final descent to the cirque. It's tourist season in the Kananaskis, and there must have been fifty people wandering around. I passed several groups on the trail below Arethusa, as they aimed cameras in all directions. It was a beautiful day, so the cirque was at it's most photogenic.
The walk down through the forest was quick, although there was lots of traffic. I burst out of the trees and crossed the highway, folding up my poles and looking forward to changing shoes and getting the pack off my back.
The parking lot was packed. Undoubtedly a lot of people were taking advantage of the weather. A constant stream of motorcycles passed by on the highway, making the trip from Longview to the TransCanada, or the reverse, and there were a couple of herds of Harleys in the parking lot too.
I munched a few handfuls of trailmix, and then slid my aching body into the driver's seat. I figured by the time I got home, I'd be so stiffened up, I'd barely be able to get out of the car. It had been a very good day.
Mount Rae
Starting elevation: 2194 m (7198 feet).
Highest elevation: 3176 m (10,420 feet).
Lowest elevation: 2194 m (7198 feet).
Elevation gain: 982 m (3222 feet).
Distance: 9.0 km (5.6 mi).
Time: 5:44.
I was out of the house shortly after 6:00 a.m. and at the Highwood Pass just before 8:00. Not a soul in the vicinity. In fact the only other traffic I saw after turning onto highway 40 was a car that followed me as far as the Kananaskis golf course.
At the parking lot, I got my gear out and started off. The GPS said 2199 metres, so a little bit below the top of the pass a couple of hundred metres to the south. I walked groomed trail through the meadow toward that point, where it crossed the highway.
It was brisk out, but I left my fleece in my backpack, reasoning I'd be warming up soon enough. Leaves on some of the small bushes were already turning color, a bright red, tinged with white. I took off my glove and rubbed a leaf - frost.
It didn't really feel that cold. The sun wasn't yet reaching the valley, but with not a breath of wind, it actually felt quite nice.
In the forest, it wasn't much different, just darker. I charged up the trail as usual, and after about twenty minutes was out of the trees and into the cirque. I expected it to be green and nothing else, but there were many yellow and blue flowers. Also something that had blossomed into a puffy fluff ball, little white dots all over the meadow.
I kept to the right. I don't know why, but it seems more natural to walk the loop around the cirque clockwise. I've never noticed anyone going the other way. The picture, by the way, is from 2005. At the first waterfall, a trail splits off the loop and toward the back, climbing a little over meadow and slabby chunks of rock that are more like big paving blocks.
At the second waterfall is the sign proclaiming the end of the trail, and an obvious trail continuing up over the headwall. You can see it in the picture to the left. I chugged up that, at first a little steep, but leveling out a little as it went past the north side of the headwall.
Someone had piled a cairn on a large boulder across a small gully and on top of the dome of rubble. Soon I was beside the small snowbank behind the headwall, that feeds the creek that flows through the cirque. Small and dirty, but it was still a couple of acres, and covered in dirt.
I stopped at a couple of large boulders for a water break. Then continuing around the bend I could see the scree slope. It seemed a lot smaller than I remembered. Narrower and not so long. Well, it looked that way. It was still a long climb to the col.
Another picture from 2005. I couldn't see the slab the arrow points to, so it must be buried now. The trail was much better defined this time, although it split into several and faded out once it got into the steeper stuff. There was no snow this time, and I chose one of the rock bands behind the arrow to follow to the col.
It was strenuous slogging. Not nearly as bad as my last trip to the Fortress, but I was getting a good workout. I thought about climbing next to the rock band, but it was down to a thin layer of dirt. I stayed out from it a little and found plenty of small rocks sticking out to step up on. I kept looking for better trails, even looking below, cuz thats when you see them, is after you don't need them. Nada. It was pretty much where ever it looked best for who ever was climbing at what ever time.
It didn't seem all that long to the col, but long enough, about two hours from the parking lot. I topped out and stood for awhile, just looking down the other side. The Little Highwood Pass was incredibly green, and the Rae Glacier, the source of the Elbow River and half of Calgary's drinking water, looked small and dirty. By the way, click on the pictures for larger versions.
Behind, looking back down the scree slope, it looked curiously flat, as in not sloped. My legs knew better.
And then there was the road ahead. On the right, what looks like the summit, is actually a pinnacle on the ridge, and it much lower than the true summit. That is the rounder peak on the left, and it only looks lower because it's about another half kilometre away.
I stopped and snacked for a bit. Forest fire smoke gave the surroundings a haze that quickly hid the view after a couple of kilometres. To the north was a brown layer that only a couple of the higher peaks poked through.
I started up the ridge. I had to climb over a couple of small spikes, and then a trail started off across the scree slope on the north side of the ridge. It was pretty easy going for most of it. At one point there was about three metres of slab to cross, but it had enough cracks and crevasses that there were enough footholds to cross without much issue.
Well past the large pinnacle, but well below it, the path petered out. I searched above for signs of another, and backtracked a little, finding another trail that branched upward. Following that, it soon disappeared too, I scanned above and back a little and found what looked like another trail above. I couldn't see where it started, so instead of backtracking to find it, I simply headed across the scree. Some places felt dicey, but not so much that I felt I would lose my footing. I did kick some rock loose, and that was a concern. No one was below, but I don't like having to watch loose rock bounce down slope. Dangerous stuff for anyone below.
I gained this trail and followed it for awile. Same result. I'm not good at route finding, and I was having a heck of a time seeing where these trails were going. I back tracked a little, found another sort-of-trail switching back, that turned out to be the right choice. Another trail above appeared as the one I was one faded, so another tricky traverse to get to it.
I finally got up to the ridge again, and of course, looking downward, I could see every trail plain as day. The sun had risen enough by that time too, so the ridges on the edges of the trails were highlighted by the low angle of the sun.
From here, I was stuck. I wandered back and forth a little, trying to find a way to go farther. The GPS said I was at 3176 metres, so eventually I settled for calling it a day and having lunch. I sat near the edge of the ridge and dug out some cold samosas and my camera.
This is the view back toward the col. The pinnacle is to the left. It also shows nicely the unnamed peak on the other side, and the ridge leading up to it.
To the north the smoke was obvious, as it left a brownish smog-like layer just at the mountain tops. On the left you can see the southern tip of the Lower Kananaskis Lake and a bit of the Spray Lakes road.
To the south, the smoke obscured much of the view. This is what it looks like behind Mount Arethusa, the rugged peak on the south side of Ptarmigan Cirque. Two tiny lakes at the bottom of the canyon, one a deep green and almost invisible in the picture.
And to the southwest, between the pinnacle on the right, and Arethusa on the left, the green sloped ridge on the far side of the valley. My car was parked at the bottom of that slope. The top of the next ridge beyond marks the BC-Alberta border, so all those ridges fading into the smoke are in BC.
Straight west, I got a nice view of three glaciers hidden from the highway in the peaks just south of the Kananaskis Lakes. From left to right, and I'm not totally sure of this, are Mangin Glacier, Northover Glacier and Lyautey Glacier, if I'm reading my GemTek map correctly.
And while enjoying my lunch and the view, I noticed that I was going to have some company. There's a tiny red speck in the middle of this picture, that is a couple on their way up. And if you look close, just past the big shadow behind them, a third person. This picture also shows how nicely the trails show up when you're above them.
Lunch done and a few pictures taken, I packed up to head back down. It was easy to see where to go from the top. A trail ran almost directly to to col. I started down.
At a long fissure that ran not quit vertically down but sloped a little to the east, the couple paused considering wheather to follow it up. At the same time, my clumsiness jostled loose a few rocks. It's the one thing I didn't like about this slope, is that those rocks didn't stop. Very dangerous. These clattered down well away from the two below, but we did have a quick holler back and forth about how to proceed.
We decided that they stay put at the bottom of the fissure, while I moved farther away and down. No further problems and I met them about half way down the fissure and chatted for a bit.
I continued on the trail and came to that slab again. This time I was higher and the slab was wider. It looked a little intimidating, but the trail definitely continued on the other side. Anyway, it wasn't all that bad to cross, and was quickly done.
From there straight down to the col. I spent a few moments considering which path to take from there. Several small rock bands go almost straight down slope, and it was a matter of considering which would have the best hand holds and footing.
It was a long stumble down from there. I slid a lot, stepping in loose gravel and letting my weight carry me down a little with each step. The gravel slid a little ahead of me each time, and what breeze there was, was coming from down slope. I was getting well coated with dust.
It seemed like it took as long to get down through the rock bands as it did to climb them. Then on to the trail that weaved through the scree, and the angle of the slope lessened with each step.
It was along this stretch that I knew I'd had a good day. I tried to keep the steps short and small, preferring to save my knees from hard jolting to taking big strides to get down quickly. With every step, I could feel a tremble in the leg muscles, so I'd pushed them pretty hard.
I finally rounded the corner and began the final descent to the cirque. It's tourist season in the Kananaskis, and there must have been fifty people wandering around. I passed several groups on the trail below Arethusa, as they aimed cameras in all directions. It was a beautiful day, so the cirque was at it's most photogenic.
The walk down through the forest was quick, although there was lots of traffic. I burst out of the trees and crossed the highway, folding up my poles and looking forward to changing shoes and getting the pack off my back.
The parking lot was packed. Undoubtedly a lot of people were taking advantage of the weather. A constant stream of motorcycles passed by on the highway, making the trip from Longview to the TransCanada, or the reverse, and there were a couple of herds of Harleys in the parking lot too.
I munched a few handfuls of trailmix, and then slid my aching body into the driver's seat. I figured by the time I got home, I'd be so stiffened up, I'd barely be able to get out of the car. It had been a very good day.
Mount Rae
Starting elevation: 2194 m (7198 feet).
Highest elevation: 3176 m (10,420 feet).
Lowest elevation: 2194 m (7198 feet).
Elevation gain: 982 m (3222 feet).
Distance: 9.0 km (5.6 mi).
Time: 5:44.
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