Snow Peak

Sat. 18 August:  Burstall Pass/Snow Peak

I hadn’t climbed this high in over a quarter of a century!  In all my hikes around the Canadian Rockies, over a period of thirty one years, I had only broken the 9,000 foot barrier eight times, and not since 1987.  But today I made it nine.

It would  have been unthinkable not to have made use of the perfect weather forecast.  Absolutely no chance of a cloud in the sky, and warm temperatures.  This time the forecast was accurate.  RH and I decided on Burstall Pass, with a couple of options once we reached the Pass.  It would be busy up there today, and so we were on the road before 6 a.m. and on the trail from Mud Lake before eight o’clock.  We weren’t the first. A couple of  climbers were setting out to climb Mt. French (10,610 ft.) as we arrived, and as we walked up the gentle, wide trail past the Burstall Lakes, we could hear another party not far behind us.  They were yelling out warnings to a potential bear, thinking perhaps that they were first on the trail today.  The reflections on Mud Lake, and on the Burstall Lakes, were almost perfect.  There was no wind, but it was not a warm morning, being 3 degrees C as we set out, and chilly on the hands. 

We came out of the trees on the edge of the flats, where the melting glaciers on Mt. Robertson formed rivulets of crystal clear water running across the valley floor.  We crossed one shallow stream thanks to a handy, but narrow tree trunk.  Around us, the low bushes made ideal cover for bears, if there had been any around.

Now the climbing began.  On the far side of the valley we entered the dark cover of the forest, immediately climbing the headwall.  I remembered this section from my last visit back in 1993.  That had been a winter trip, and I had not been here in summer since my first year in Canada in 1982.  So from this point on, it was a new experience for me, as I could not recall the route at all.

The climb of the headwall was in two phases, with a relatively flat section in the middle.  We then came out into an open valley, with steep mountain slopes on each side.  R reminded me that we had ski’d up here and had been well aware of the avalanche dangers.  Back then, we didn’t have any transponders or other safety gear, and just took a calculated risk.

Ahead of us was a steeply sloping mountainside rising to a high summit.  This was Snow Peak.

At the end of the valley, the trail rose again through trees, which opened out into the high alpine.  Here were huge snow patches under the cliffs and on the mountainsides.  The views back down the valley were superb, with Mt. Birdwood (10,160 ft.) dominant.   Reaching the Burstall Pass, we were surrounded by a wild mountain landscape.  Highest immediate peak was Mt. Sir Douglas at 11,155 ft.  Through a gap in the Pass we could see the grand peak of Mt. Assiniboine, known as the Matterhorn of the Rockies, and the highest mountain in the Southern Canadian Rockies at 11,870 ft.  Burstall Pass is on the boundary of Kananaskis Country and Banff National Park.  An inviting trail leads down into the Spray Valley, and the blue waters of Leman Lake far below us.

Here we had to make a choice.  We could climb the interesting ridge to our left, which would lead to South Burstall Pass.  Or we could tackle Snow Peak.  This scary looking ridge looked more like a vertical cliff from where we stood, than an easy scramble.  It would take us over 9,000 ft.  It was only 10.30 a.m. on a perfect day, so we decided to give Snow Peak a go.  We honestly didn’t know whether it would be too tricky for us, but we had the energy to try.

There is an undulating climb over rocky terrain to reach the foot of the mountain.  The views were more breathtaking by the minute.  Here below a cliff-band were the strangely named 3D caves, two of them still clogged by snow, and apparently very dangerous.  The third, called the “elliptical pot” was a dangerous hole in the ground, maybe six feet by ten.  This would be the sort of hole you might easily step into on a foggy day.  I threw a large stone down the hole and we heard it clattering away for several seconds, as it plunged into the depths below.  Definitely a place to avoid.

Now the really steep hiking began.  We generally followed the right hand ridgeline, giving us superb views down into the valley we had hiked up earlier.  The shale was a bit slippery at times, and higher up we negotiated the steepest section, which was more like climbing stairs.  But there was really no exposure, just an exciting but easy scramble.  Finally we clambered up over the rocks, past a snowdrift, onto the narrow summit. 

Here, at 9,150 feet above sea level, we had one of the finest views in the Rockies.  In all directions were waves of peaks and valleys.  Some of the peaks were outlandish spikes of rock, with glaciers and snowfields.  Below were steep-sided green valleys and lakes and streams.  Directly ahead of the summit was the Assiniboine group of mountains.

We found a plastic tube in the summit cairn, and there was just enough room in the visitor book to add our names.  Now they need a new book.  I wonder where they keep these logs, and who replenishes the notebook and pencils.  We lingered on this rocky ridge, enjoying the sight of two hawks which circled overhead.  The black-flies were not put off by the elevation, and a large black spider scurried for cover as I returned the tube to the cairn.

As we left the ridge, we could see five people struggling up the mountainside.  They had decided to take an easier route up, but seemed to be making heavy weather of it.  We took the fast scree slope down, slipping and sliding down the mountain, together with tons of loose rock – but safe enough.  It didn’t take us long.  Further down we saw other people heading up the peak.  By the time we had returned to the Pass, there must have been twenty people hiking up the slopes of Snow Peak.  It would be crowded on that narrow summit today.

It was hot by now.  The flies were a bit of a nuisance, but they weren’t too fond of the mixture of sunscreen and mosquito repellant, and so we held them at bay.  A group of backpackers was gathered on the Pass, and several other people were sitting around on the rocks enjoying the spectacular scenery all around.

Our return journey was an enjoyable downhill stroll.  I had bet R that we’d see 100 people today. In the end I counted just over seventy.  We stopped by the Upper Burstall Lake as a light breeze rippled the waters.  All day we had been treated to a grand display of wild flowers, of all colors, even on the high slopes of Snow Peak.  The season seemed to be unusually long this year.

By the time we reached the car park, it was well over twenty degrees, and Mud Lake resembled a mini-resort, with folks sunbathing and paddling in the water.  The last time I was here, the snow was ten feet deep and nobody would have guessed there was a beautiful lake underneath!

Our day was made perfect by a stop at the Fortress store for an ice cream.  High above on the mountainsides around Fortress ski resort, we could see cranes at work, erecting a set for the next Hollywood movie to be shot here in K Country.  Down in the valley, the tourists were out in full force, on what might just have been the very height of the 2012 summer in the Canadian Rockies. 

More important, by reaching the summit of Snow Peak, I had achieved one major goal of my 2012  hiking year.

Statistics
Snow Peak
Sat. 18 August
Total Dist.	19.8 km (hike)
Height Gain	2,950 ft.
Max. Elev.	9,150 ft.
Time	8 hrs. 12 mins.

Other Stats.
Start:             7.41 am Pass:            10.25 am Arr.Peak:      12.05 pm Dep.Peak:    12.31 pm Pass:              1.50 pm Ret. to car:     3.53 pm	Temp:  +3 to +23 C Cloudless