Mt. Carthew, Waterton Lakes National Park

Sept. 18th, 2015
The Crew: Emily and Me
Overview:
Carthew-Alderson Trail Head to  Summit Lake = 1 hour
Summit Lake to  Larch Ridge = 1 hour
Larch Ridge to Carthew Ridge on par with summit saddle = 45 minutes
Carthew Ridge to Carthew Summit = 15 minutes
Summit to Parking lot = 2 1/2 hours

Special Skills/Equipment: none

General Route:

 We set out to summit Carthew and Buchannan peaks. However, due to extreme weather, we stopped and turned back after the summit of Carthew. The trail is the Alderson-Carthew trail from Cameron Lake parking lot. Very straightforward, popular trail. We were going to take the trail up to the "summit" saddle and then head left/north up Carthew, but saw a tempting clearing up to the ridge much earlier. See the pictures below to clarify. It is a very obvious avalanche path, so only shrubs or small trees, easy to navigate up to the unnamed ridge. There is an unnamed summit, then a nice ridge walk past larches over to the ridge of Carthew. The larches sheltered us from winds and were gorgeous bright yellow. We picked up a trail as we approached the first knob on carthew ridge, followed that most of the way along the south or top of the ridge. Brown rock turns to red, you have a couple very small downs and ups and there you are at the summit. Smallest cairn ever on top of there. Our views were completely obscured by that time  by snow clouds. We descended to join up with the trail that goes to the popular "summit" saddle on the main Alderson-Carthew trail. Trails are obvious in the red shale. We descended via the trail. Enjoy a snack break on the way up and down at Summit lake. Try this hike in the fall and go along what I have officially named Larch Ridge. It was my first time hiking this area in the fall and the colors are astounding.

This is the avalanche path we took up to the ridge, we aimed for the right side of this unnamed peak. You will see this on the left/North side of the trail when you are hiking on the alderson-carthew trail, it is just before you break out of the trees along the path.

The unnamed peak behind us on Larch Ridge

Heading along the end of larch ridge connecting to Carthew

On the ridge of Carthew now, picture looking back west

Summit Lake!!

Emily doing something in the Larches

 

Mt. Kishinena, Waterton Lakes National Park

August 28th, 2015
The Crew: Emily Archibald, and myself

Overview:  
Total Time = 7 hours including 1 hour break up top
Ascent:
Trail head at Red Rock Canyon to Snow shoe cabin = 50 minute bike ride
Snowshoe cabin to twin lakes trail intersection = 40 minutes
Sage pass trail sign to Sage pass = 20 minutes on switchbacks
Sage pass to Summit = 1 hour

Descent:
 Summit to sage pass = 1/2 hour
Sage Pass to twin lakes trail = 15 minutes
Twin lakes trail head to snowshoe cabin = 40 minutes
Bike ride to trail head = 50 minutes (if you ride your brakes the whole time like I did)

Skills/Equipment: Someone please take a cash up there (a container for a log book), was disappointed to not find one there on any one of the multiple summits. I strongly recommend a bike for the 8.4 km ride in on the snowshoe trail, otherwise its a long boring walk in and out with no views etc. No trail finding skills necessary, a faint trail takes you up to the top, cairns built to guide you.

General Route:
 Park at Red rock canyon parking lot. Take the snowshoe trail heading west when you cross the bridge over red rock. This trail is 8.4 km to snowshoe cabin. The trail is one of the few allowable for bikes in Waterton. Taking bikes bites a chunk off of your time, and as this part of the trail is all in trees with no view, its nice to have a quick ride, especially for the way out. It is a beginner mountain bike trail. I brought my cycle cross bike on it, and was able to do it, although more cautiously. There are some patches of loose gravel small and medium sized, section with roots, and otherwise packed dirt. You will ride over 3 gravel filled drainages.

Arrive at snowshoe cabin. There is an outhouse there in the campground, picnic table, and stream nearby. Stash your bikes in the bushes, then head on the trail to twin lakes, by crossing the bridge and following the sign. When you arrive at the intersection for the sage pass trail, follow the sign to go up to sage pass. Nice, long switchbacks take you up to the pass. You gain a view at the pass. You will notice a trail to the left leading south. This is the trail to go up to the summit. There should be a cairn or two along the way to guide you. However, even if you do not find this worn trail. you can not go too wrong. It is just a large slope of a ridge walk, with thin patches of trees. Just head to the highest point!

There are cairns at several spots, the first is apparently not the true summit, the second cairn is the summit. The third cairn is just a yellow park border sign. You should be able to see most of Waterton's mountain peaks from here. Enjoy identifying them with your trusty topo. map. Then down the same way you came up.

The summit in view ahead

Just starting up the ridge from Sage Pass

Identifying those peaks! Mt. Festibur in the background

Mount Boswell, Waterton Lakes National Park

Aug. 13th, 2015

The Crew: Kim and Emily Archie

Overview:

Ascent: 
Crypt Landing to the point of cut off from the main trail = 1 hour and 15 minutes

Cut off, down to the creek, cross the creek, start up the mountain to the point where it opens up from the trees = half hour

From the end of the bushwhacking up to the ridge = 1 hour and a half

From the ridge to the summit = 20 minutes

Descent:
From the summit to the real crypt trail = 2 hours

From the real crypt trail to the docks = 1 hour and 10 minutes 

Skills and Equipment: route finding skills would be helpful as there are many paths up this mountain side and I can't say for sure which is best, you have to figure out as you go. Owning a boat or having friends with a boat would be fantastic, so you can get dropped off early to start the day and decrease the time constraint. If you are on a tight schedule, bring snacks high energy in your pockets and a camel back, we barely ate as we were afraid to spend time taking a break, so eat and drink on the go!

General Route:

Followed directions from Andrew Nugaras book "More Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies". Take the waterton cruise ship at 9:00 a.m., tickets are $22.00 round trip. Arrange to have the 5:30 pick up time. Follow the crypt trail to above "Burnt Rock Falls". I was confused about which falls that was. You pass signs for Hell roaring falls, and a look out for those falls, but that is not what you want. Keep going until you are above the falls you will see on your way that are coming from orange/red rock. We cut off the trail at kilometer_____ there was a well worn path going west/down into the valley, some deadfall had been dragged over the trail to block it (see the first image below).

We descended down to the river in the valley, easy bushwhacking, then crossed the river and started straight up the mountain, difficult bushwhacking. Andrew Nugaras suggested veering south to avoid thick bush and alders, which we should have done. At least the bushwhacking is not long lasting, no matter which part of the mountain side you go up. Once things clear you can see multiple drainage sites that can be scrambled up. We had difficulty deciding which to take. We ended up taking the second to last, or in other words the second most south drainage up. It was wet at spots but that was easily avoided. Easy step up type terrain. Once up to where more trees appeared, we veered at an angle to the north. There was a low point in the saddle that we aimed for. As we ascended there was a point at which I could see a large boulder on the saddle and I then made that my goal.

Once you reach the saddle it is a very short climb south and then very short ridge walk west to the true summit. When you get up top you see an AMAZING view of Mt. Cleveland to the south. Definitely the highlight of the trip for me! There is a log book up top with an entry from 1984! So add your name to this historic document and then descend a similar way. Again, there are multiple drainages you can descend, choose your own adventure. We descended in the most south drainage for no particular reason except that is where we ended up. This meant we got to the valley floor close to a small lake. We thought this would be fine, but turned out the area close to the lake is marsh and alder bushes. These were a hassle to get through, ended up taking off our boots and wading through up past our knees. So I recommend veering north (left) as you hit the bushwhacking on the way down, a little ways from the lake. Rejoin the trail and hustle down to the docks to meet your boat ride home.

Where we left the trail to the right

Ooops, got stuck in a marsh with alder bushes on our way back across the valley

Where we left the crypt trail, there is a well worn path leading into the trees. This is a view from across the valley.

Looking back on the drainage we descended

The Large "Boulder" or out cropping that I aimed for on the saddle

Lone Mountain, Waterton Lakes National Park

August 7th, 2015
The Crew: Me, Myself and I


Overview:
Disclaimer:  I was trail running intervals on this hike so times recorded below are not accurate for just hiking (add on a couple hours total)

Ascent:

Parking Lot to T-intersection with lone lake trail = 2 hours
Lone lake trail to base of mountain = 45 minutes
Base of mountain to summit = 45 minutes

Descent:
Summit to lone lake cabin = 40 minutes
Cabin to T-intersection with blakiston creek trail = 40 minutes
Blakiston creek trail back to parking lot = 1 hour and 35 minutes

Skills and Equipment: trail running will save you time on this long approach (but is of course not necessary). There is no exposure, no hands on scrambling, very tame "bushwhacking", so good for beginners. 


General Route:

I followed the route described in Andrew Nugara's book "More Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies".
The route begins at the Red Rock parking lot at the end of the redrock parkway. Cross the bridge over red rock canyon and take a left to go along the Blakiston falls tail. Continue on the trail past the falls. The trail travels alongside Blakiston creek, flat or gradual uphill, 10 km and is named after the creek. You do a more noticeable uphill climb for 2 km at the 8km mark to the end of this trail. This trail goes to a T-intersection. At the T take a left to Lone Lake (there is a sign at this intersection). This trail is approximately 4km. You will get to the lone lake parks cabin on you right, keep going to the lake which is also on your right, then look left and you will see the food hanging poles. This is where Nugara describes going up the south side of the mountain. I went up directly from here, veering a little bit right, but only slightly, and mostly to avoid a moose. The trees thin out within 10-15 minutes and you are on solid red rock/shale with scrubby trees dispersed throughout. I stuck to the south east ridge (right), so I could have the most open view possible. Only one cairn along this scramble up, which I made, you will probably miss it and that's ok because its not important. Route finding is not an issue for this climb. There is a cairn built up at the summit and a log book full of mostly parks workers who stay at the cabin. Shout out to Andrew Nugara, cause I found his name in there, and he is the reason I knew how to get up this mountain! Enjoy a unique 360 degree view and descend same way. Follow lone lake trail and blakiston creek trails all the way back to the red rock parking lot.

P.S. There is a not so secret waterfall along the way, Km 7.5 ish on your way in on Blakiston creek trail, or Km 3ish on your way out on that trail. Stop on the way out and dip your weary feet :)

Sofa Mountain, Waterton Park

August 3rd, 2015

The Crew: Craig S., Emily A, and Kim Archie

Overview
Ascent: 
from side of road to base of mountain on flat terrain trail = 3km/40 minutes
 to top of falls and emerging from the bushes, with increase in elevation = 20 minutes
from top of falls to south east ridge = 1 hour and 20 minutes
from top of ridge false summit to true summit = 20 minutes
Descent: 
From Summit to side of road where you parked = 2 hours

Equipment/skills: straight forward scramble, could do in running shoes if you had to. If doing in morning dew or after rain, bring gaiters for the brush trail or your feet will get very wet. Be prepared to encounter flies if it is summer, quite a few bugs!

General Route:

You can find the general route in Alan Kane's book on scrambles. The pullout to park at is 1 mile past the first lookout spot if going south on chief mountain highway. The highway is located outside Waterton Park Gates, highway 6. The pullout is on the right hand side.

From the pullout pick out a faint trail worn in the grass. Follow the trail through brush, trees and open grass fields, headed west toward Sofa Mountain. The trail will be overgrown later in the season, expect to get wet if there is morning dew or recent rain. As well, put a brave soul first in line to break all the spider webs formed across the trail. This part is easy going, very little elevation gain. You will see rocky outcropping with a small waterfall ahead, this is where you start to gain elevation. Hike up to the top of this waterfall, the trail crosses to the south side of this waterfall with a very easy creek crossing. Continue up the left hand side of the water. Once the terrain flattens out to the valley floor you are ready to head straight up the mountainside to your left/south.

You may pick up areas of trail worn by people who do this scramble, but nothing significant. It is mostly a pick your own adventure kind of slope. In other words, go up however you like.  You will be headed up grassy slope for a bit and then hit the brown shale. This shale is the kind that is annoying to go up and down, meaning it moves just enough to make it a struggle going up, but doesn't roll enough to let you shale ski down either. Trey to stay on larger rock to avoid struggling up. You will be able to see where there is a general opening in the grey cliff bands near the top, aim for this area as you ascend. Once you hit the grey rock you may encounter some hands on scrambling, but very minimal and possibly avoidable depending on the route you choose.

You will reach the south east ridge of the mountain and find a small cairn there with a pole in the middle. THIS IS NOT THE SUMMIT. Look even further south and you will see the true summit. This can be disheartening but do not lose heart, it is a lot closer than it looks. Only 20 more minutes along the ridge and you will reach the top. There is a cairn and log book on the top. If you are actually reading this description and doing the hike PLEASE BRING A NEW SMALL NOTE BOOK FOR THE LOG BOOK, IT WAS FULL (And then comment below that you did and I will take this part out of the blog).

Descend the same way you came up, make sure you do not descend more west than you came up the slopes. You will encounter cliff bands that way. Stay facing north east as you descend.

Mt. Alderson, Waterton National Park

July 24th, 2015
The Crew: Susan A, Kim Archie

 Overview
 Ascent:
Cameron Lake Parking Lot to Summit ridge (2 hours)
Summit Ridge to Alderson Peak (1 hour 15 minutes)

Skills/Equipment: no hands on scrambling, would be a good introductory scramble for newbies (maintained trail to the ridge, somewhat of trail in the shale from the ridge to the peak)

General Route:
Start this scramble at the Cameron Lake Parking Lot. You take the Carthew-Alderson Trail to what is called "the summit", (it is the summit of nothing, actually a saddle between two peaks). This is a maintained trail, lots of switchbacks up to summit lake which makes for a good break spot. You reach the lake in about an hour, then up to the summit ridge in another hour.

When you reach summit ridge you will see Mt. Alderson, the peak on your right hand side if you are looking east from the summit ridge. Its the big mound of yellow-brown shale. Note that it has multiple small ups and downs before its summit. Take the trail down from the summit ridge as though you were going down to the lake below you. Before you reach the lake simply start walking up the mountain. You will pick up a trail that has been beaten down by people if you stay to the left of the ridge of the mountain at first. There is no need to gain all the elevation of the ridge of the mountain yet. Stay left of the ridge until you can't stay left, then stay right (as a general rule of thumb). You should be able to stay to a worn path, but I found I lost it a couple of times and then regained it again. There is one section of down before the last push up. This down section has cairns (man made piles or shale to mark a path), but they are pretty well camouflaged with the rest of the rubble, so keep an eye out for them. This down bit will help you avoid cliffs.

We took the scenic route on the way down from Mt. Alderson Summit. One of the worn trails took us down to Alderson lake rather than across the mountain and down. It was worth the little bit of unnecessary elevation loss for a visit to the lake. We went around the lake and regained the "summit" ridge, then followed the easy trail back to the parking lot.

Summit Lake, a good break spot on the way up

Descending from Summit ridge, with Mt. Alderson ahead of us

The descent before the final push to the summit

Mount Richards, Waterton Park

July 18th, 2015
Crew: Soutthy O, Susan A, Emily Archie
 

Overview 

Distance: 9 km up to the ridge + more for the circumvent and final ascent to summit
Ascent:
Bertha trail head to Bertha Lake (1 hour, 20 minutes)
Bertha Lake to Summit (4 and a half hours)
Descent:
Summit to the ridge to start the circumvent (1 hour)
Circumvent to ridge overlooking Bertha (40 minutes)
Ridge to SW corner of Bertha Lake (1 hour and 20 minutes)
SW corner to trail head (2 hours)
Skill/equipment: I recommend hiking poles for lots of loose rock, and for balance along steep traverse. Hikers should be comfortable with steep shale climbs/traverse. At least a couple members of the group should be comfortable with hands on scramble/climbing for guiding group over a spot or two close to the summit.

General Route:
We started at the Bertha Lake Trail head at 9 a.m. We took the north way around the lake, but recommend you take the south way around the lake as it has less elevation changes. We reached the SW corner of the lake, and went up the large drainage. Only a few minutes of "bush whacking" needed on this to reach the shale. Then angled to the left and up towards the ridge, aiming to get to the ridge at about where the trees met the beginning of the rocky comb. From there we decided to follow Lockey's advice, as found on his website "Explore Waterton", and circumvented the trickier scramble which would be found if you took a right on top of the ridge and went straight for the summit. Our circumvent included descending from the ridge to the south side of the mountain, traveling across shale and grass, following along where the cliff bands met the shale. We followed this to the most south ridge of the mountain. Once this ridge was gained, we could look upwards and see the summit straight above us. We scrambled up straight to the top, one section of hands on climbing a ledge required, about a 6 foot ledge.

We descended the exact same way in reverse, except took the less strenuous way around the lake, using the trail on the south side,  and were back to the trail head around nine o'clock (refer to the approximate times listed in the overview as we spent ample break time up top and otherwise).

resting up after bushwhacking, about to go up to the left

Following along a little creek up to the shale

This is looking north west. We are still coming up the drainage.

This picture is looking North East towards the ridge we descended from. We are circumventing towards the south to avoid tricky climbing. I recommend hiking poles for this part!

We have just finished our circumvent and see our final push to the summit

                                   

The down climb of the one ledge we encountered