Elevation: 2760 m / 9053 ft
Degree of Difficulty:
Difficult exposure near the summit
Time to Complete Round Trip:4 - 7 hours
This mountain is cursed for me.
In 2001, a friend and I made the attempt. Our first mistake was bushwhacking, which was unnecessary if we had just kept walking another few minutes on the Burstall Pass trail to find a better path. Then, the second bit of bad luck (or good luck, depending on how you look at it) . . . we emerged from the trees to find a bear foraging for food, probably chipmunks or bugs, in the scree. And this was not a black bear, no . . . this guy was a Grizzly Bear in all his glory: hump-backed, silver-browned, and huge. He gawked at us for a second, then continued to paw at the ground. Figuring caution to be the better part of valour, we bravely turned tail and fled. I managed to get a few pictures of the big lug, which I will post eventually. The pictures below were from my second attempt in August 2003.
Again, on this second attempt, something was telling me to stay away. First, I started away late, and actually turned my car around a few minutes after leaving my home. Then I decided to head out anyway. Then, on the mountain, a rock zinged by my head like a bullet. Stones kept rattling down from on high, menacing me all day. Finally, a mere few feet from the summit, something in my gut told me to not continue. I've been on equally scary exposed sections of other mountains many times, but this time I listened to my gut and turned back without actually attaining the summit. So, I will have to go back when it feels right. For now, look at how awfully close I came to gaining this summit (sob!)
Where to Park:
On the Smith-Dorrien / Spray Lake reservoir road, highway 742, park at the Burstall Pass parking lot.
The Route:
Hike the Burstall Pass trail for about a half hour until you come to a big rock. Keep going for another ten minutes and look for a small rockpile cairn on your left, which indicates a trail. This rough turkey trail leads you up to a broad avalanche gully.
Head up the avalanche gully to the col. Do not go up the right side which hugs the cliff, like stupid me. A few stones came tumbling down, and when I looked up I saw two mountain goats. They eyeballed me for awhile then disappeared. But rocks and stones kept tumbling down and I actually had to scramble for cover behind a rock at one point. One stone whipped by my head too close for comfort before I found protection.
Once at the col, the route is straightforward and fairly easy, until you get near the top and peek over a slab. This is the only way up, and here a fall would result in you pushing up daisies. This mountain is easy until the final section. I admit it, I backed off.
Disappointed, but still alive.
I'm coming back when it feels more welcoming.
Above, the exposed final push to the summit. One slip, and it's all over.
