THE APOGEE

Date: July 8-9, 2023 Location: Bugaboo Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada Total Trip Distance: 12.4 mi / 20 km Total Elevation Gain: 4,810 ft / 1,466 m Trip Duration: 2 days Team: With Alex Catalfamo Field Notes: While not difficult in terms of elevation gain / miles that is spread out over two days, the terrain makes up for it. Eastpost Spire is an easy and straightforward class 3 scramble with one exposed move (some would rate this a class 4 move), but our route to the pass above Cobalt Lake was nothing but rock and boulder hopping mixed in with loose rock. Rating: Class 3 GPX File Google Maps Location Road Conditions and Chicken Wire I have long dreamed of going to the Bugaboos. Ever since I saw photos of the incredible glaciated granite spires in the Canadian Wilderness I knew I had to go. The Bugaboos are almost other-worldly. They sit deep in the northern Purcell Range and are vastly different to the surrounding mountains. It's almost as if someone planted a group of glaciated granite spires directly in this wilderness. When we saw them for the first time I couldn't help but yell out. They are bloody inspiring. As with most things these days, when something gets hyped up a lot it seems to not fully meet expectation. Such was the road conditions leading to the trailhead and the chicken wire fence to prevent porcupines from eating your brake lines. This summer, Alex and I rented a low clearance 2wd car. When I read trip reports on getting to Bugaboo Provincial Park, most people said the road was not suitable for a low clearance car. We had no issue. In fact, we actually thought it was good. There is a section in the very beginning that is not great and I would say to go slow. But other than that, it was perfectly fine. Secondly, the chicken wire. There is apparently a history of porcupines eating the brake lines on cars in the Bugaboos. If this is true, that would suck. Big time. I bought into the fear and was a bit anxious but, as I read online, there was plenty of chicken wire that is provided at the trailhead to wrap your car. When we showed up, there was none. Apparently the park service got rid of at all. The majority of the cars didn't have any protection so we said our usual, "fuck it - everything is always fine" and got underway. Approach To Applebee Dome Campground The sun was hot and I was grateful we weren't carrying ice axes, crampons, a full climbing rack, two sixty meter ropes, and seven days of food. This seemed to be the standard of the climbers we saw on our trip. Heavy packs and getting after epic routes. Our plan was the opposite - hike in light, scramble up a peak or two, and call it a mission. The forecast for the upcoming days was calling for rain and we were there for the two sunny days. We bid our brake lines good luck and made our way to Applebee Dome campground, sitting roughly 3,100 feet above the parking lot. The approach was uneventful but beautiful. The trail wasn't shy of going straight up. About 2,200 feet above the valley floor we reached Kain hut and paid for our stay. From there, we reached camp three hours from the car park. We checked out a variety of different spots to pitch the tent and eventually landed on one we were stoked on. I've gotta say, they aren't messing around with this alpine camp. There were boxes to store food and gear, places to hang your things away from rodents, access to glacial fed water... I can understand why climbers lug 7 days worth of food up here. This place is epic. A climbers mecca. I will return here one day for bigger climbs. Alex and I set up camp, cooked dinner, took photographs, and chatted with an Alaskan climber with an eccentric personality. Right above camp sat our objective for tomorrow. I read there was a "4th / 5th class move with a lot of exposure" and I was wondering how it would turn out. Eastpost Spire We woke up early to see the alpenglow hitting the granite spires. A sign of a good day ahead. From camp, there are two obvious access gullies to Eastpost spire. If one goes climbers left, it will become technical. We went climbers right (see route map). Once you reach this col, the climb begins by ascending the obvious ridge sticking mainly to the climbers left of the ridge. The climb was very straightforward with basic scrambling. At times there is exposure but the rock is excellent with many easy handholds. The route was also heavily cairned which made navigation simple. Just below the summit we reached the crux. Many trip reports will describe this move as class 4, some even low class 5. Personally, I'm not sure nor do I care that much to discern between class 4 or easy class 5. At this point it becomes very subjective and if you fall on either you're in big trouble. I started up the crux and the climbing was very simple. The rock quality is excellent and there are many spots for hands and feet. To be honest, I didn't even know it was the crux until I was standing on the summit just a few minutes later! If you asked my opinion - this was class 3 scrambling because you could down climb the crux facing outward (away from the mountain) and it never became even close to vertical which is typical when you enter class 4 terrain. I called down to Alex to start up and he made easy work of it. Now we were both on the summit admiring the granite spires. It took us maybe 45-minutes or so to reach the summit from camp. We started our descent going one at a time. The down climb presented no major difficulties and we were past the crux heading back to the col. Cobalt Lake Pass Once we had made it back to the col we decided to drop down off the backside and head towards the pass that overlooks Cobalt Lake. I would argue this section was harder than the Eastpost spire crux. It was extremely steep with very loose rock. A fall here would be very bad. I went first, kicking off huge rocks. I had a brief "oh shit" moment where I was thinking about turning around, but eventually found a way down. Alex came down next, hating it just as much (authors note: I've left this section off of the GPX track and route map. It is not recommended). Once out of this scree gully we made our way down to a basin by sliding and post holing through snow. From here we rock hopped for the next 3-4 hours going to the pass and back under a scorching sun. There isn't too much to report here - the terrain was awful and the view wasn't one to dream about. We made our way back to camp by heading up the col between Eastpost and Crescent Spire (different col - see route map). Here are hard efforts were rewarded - the view was simply spectacular. We had a view right above the glacial fed lakes staring at the incredible Bugaboo and Snowpatch Spire. It is one of the most amazing views I've seen in a long time. Howser Spire towered in the distance like the Lord of the high peaks. This view felt like the moment of the trip. The moment of a long drive, a hot sun, and two days hard days all coming together to give you that drip of reward. The drip that keeps one coming back to the mountains over and over in hopes to quench the thirst. From here, we made our way back to camp. We packed our things and made the walk out, being sure to take an ice cold dip in one of the glacial fed pools just below Conrad Kain Hut. Happy days... Authors note: our car was fine. Everything is always fine.

Date: August 26, 2023 Location: Fernie, British Columbia, Canada Total Trip Distance: 5.74 mi / 9.23 km Total Elevation Gain: 3,312 ft / 1,009 m Trip Duration: 4 hours 24 min Team: With Alex Catalfamo Field Notes: Maybe the most accessible scramble in the Fernie area as 99% of this trip is on trail. Although the scrambling is only a short section before reaching the true summit, do not be fooled - it's a solid 40 feet / 12 meters of no-fall class 4 scrambling. A fall here would be catastrophic and the climbing at times is vertical. You could argue the crux is easy class 5. There was still a small stream running at 5,800 feet / 1,767 meters in late August on a low snow year. Rating: Class 4 Download GPX File Google Maps Location Approach The Ghostrider Mountain scramble is one of the most popular in the Fernie area. With that being said, when most people think of going up Ghostrider, it is typically via the hike that stops at the false summit. The true summit is about 30 meters higher and is a class 4 / class 5 scramble depending on who you ask. The trail is accessed via Hartley Lake Road that is a bit rough for our low clearance 2wd car, but is totally manageable if you go slow. Being that we've been down this road two times before to do Mount Hosmer and Three Sisters we were at the trailhead in no time. We were surprised to see the small lot almost full! The trail up to Ghostrider is extremely efficient and we found ourselves at the false summit in 1 hour and 45 minutes. Once you break treeline the scenery becomes beautiful with expansive views of Mount Proctor, Three Sisters, Mount Bisaro, and more. As we reached the final ridge connecting to the false summit, you get an amazing view of Mount Hosmer (which is an awesome scramble). Ghostrider Scramble Once at the false summit we eyed up our objective. Not going to lie, I was a bit taken back. There was a near vertical crack and exposed climbing that led up for about 12 meters. The two other people at the false summit eyed us as we put on helmets - "you guys are going up that?" At this point I was in the mindset to just go look at it first and make a decision. We climbed up and around a few short but exposed pinnacles before reaching the base of the crack. As we looked up at the crux I said "holy shit." This was way steeper than I was expecting. Not only steep, it was quite a long section. My heart was pounding. I figured I would work up the first 4 meters and see how I felt. From what I saw, I felt confident in the holds that I could spot from ground level and if there was any issue I could down climb. I took a minute or two visualizing the route and moves. For the sake of this post, let's call this class 4. I think it's really easy to say "it's only class 4." But with that said, there is almost no difference between class 4 and easy class 5. The difference is typically subjective and in the mind. Here's the catch - if you fall on class 4 you're either dead or really badly fucked up. I fell from about 6 meters and shattered my heel bone that took 7 years of obsession and dedication to get to the point where I can even write trip reports again. So don't make mental mistakes. I called down to Alex - "you absolutely can not fall on this." That was more of a note to myself than anything. As I climbed above the crux I worked my way right (barely) to a narrow ledge. From there, I waited for Alex to come up. I was super impressed. He was climbing really well. He looked strong and confident. I think climbing Mount Tekarra solo in icy / snowy conditions gave his mountain confidence a bump. As he reached the ledge I climbed up to the summit. Shortly thereafter, Alex arrived. We gave a high-five and took in the views. Honestly, I couldn't enjoy it! I was absolutely nervous about the down climb. Like I said, the steepness and length caught me way off guard. I realized my mind was on a mission to produce fear, so I took control of my breath and quickly visualized successfully down climbing the route. I looked at Alex and said "let's get out of here." He was 100% on the same page and started the down climb first. As mentioned earlier, Alex was looking great today and was at the bottom in no time - "Safe!" Now it was my turn. With heart pounding, I locked into the moment. I down climbed the rock leading to the ledge, worked my way left, and made a move to place my left leg on the opposite side of the crack. From there, I worked my way down to the base. Alex and I both breathed a sigh of relief. Now the endorphins surged. From there we climbed back across the pinnacles and sat on the false summit where we could truly enjoy a well-deserved break and food. If one does go up this route, there is a rappel ring right off the summit to avoid the exposed down climb. We enjoyed our lunch, the clear air, and the company of two other hikers on the summit. Happy days...

Date: August 27, 2023 Location: Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada Total Trip Distance: 12.31 mi / 19.81 km Total Elevation Gain: 3,939 ft / 1200 m Trip Duration: 8 hours 9 min Team: With Alex Catalfamo Field Notes: This is a great scramble! Although airy and exposed at times, the climb up the ridge is straightforward. Hard sections of the ridge can typically be bypassed on the face. The descent gully down the face is fast and highly recommended. Water can be found when crossing the Elbow River. Rating: Class 3 Download GPX File Google Maps Location Approach Via Elbow Lake Alex and I were fired up on the idea of back-to-back scrambles this weekend, rather than doing an overnighter. With clear skies in Fernie, we scrambled up to the true summit of Ghostrider Mountain on Saturday. When Sunday gave us another descent forecast, we made the drive up north to give Tombstone Mountain South an ascent. I had originally come across this peak by way of the Explor8tion blog - which is absolutely fantastic if you're looking for scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. We decided on a later start as I had a feeling this scramble wouldn't take much longer than eight hours round trip. So we loaded up and left Fernie around 8:30 am to make the three hour drive up north. After a quick stretch we left the trailhead around 11:45 am and made our way to Elbow Lake. This area is a gem and Elbow Lake seems like a nice place to camp if you have a family (FYI - I don't think it's a quiet campground by any means as I heard children crying and it seemed very busy). As we passed Elbow Lake, I took the view in of Elpoca Mountain. From my perspective it seemed massive and the summit so far away. Were we really climbing just 100 meters less than that today? Perspective is everything and from a distance the ridge on Tombstone looked very steep. Was it really just class 3 scrambling? As we got closer to our objective, we made a slight left to go directly towards Tombstone. We crossed the Elbow River and tried to follow a rough path that goes towards the base of the climb. We kept losing it, but didn't care much as it was easy terrain to navigate and we were very close anyways. I've written about this before, but Gaia GPS is simply amazing. I wonder - how often do you really need a paper map now? A sign of the times. We popped out of the woods, met with the Piper Pass trail momentarily, and then began our assault uphill. And the assault did not stop for the next 1,100 meters. Sensing we were going to have a nice march in the sun, Alex had the awareness to take a water break in the last chance for shade before we really started climbing. We made a prediction of reaching the summit in 2 hours. Tombstone Mountain Via the South Ridge As we made our way up the ridge, we ran into our first obstacle that looked like a gendarme - a rock pinnacle blocking our route. As we climbed higher it was easily bypassed on the climbers right. The climb is very straightforward and if one has any descent route finding skills there shouldn't be any major issues. We worked our way up the ridge, enjoying the consistent cool breeze. Any exposed or tricky parts of the ridge were easily bypassed by simply sidling onto the face. I couldn't help but keep looking back and taking photos of Alex. The scenery was just freaking awesome. I felt super energized and strong and was loving this climb. One thing that surprised me was that this scramble wasn't a total scree bash. There were definitely moments of loose rock and scree, but I found the climb to be quite enjoyable. About 250 meters below the summit the ridge becomes much trickier and exposed. We decided to sidle climbers left onto the face, bypassing this section of ridge, and eventually climbing straight up the face. From here we were just 50 meters or so to the summit. A short and scenic ridge walk, a final move and we found ourselves atop the peak all by ourselves. What a moment. One thing to note is that this is not the main summit of Tombstone Mountain. We were a bit fooled by the maps, but the main summit (Tombstone Mountain North) is actually just north and you can look directly at it. It is a beautiful peak that seems to demand a high level of technical skill. What we climbed today is actually 60 meters or so smaller and is referred to as Tombstone Mountain South. Regardless, it's a great prize for anyone who makes the top. Descent We enjoyed sandwiches, chocolate and a meat stick while soaking in the views. For sure one of my favorite trips of summer. The views are expansive in all directions. Canada sure has some damn good scrambles. After thirty minutes or so on the peak, we reluctantly decided to head down. As we were coming off the summit, I looked straight down the face. It seemed to be a very fast descent with epic scree-skiing potential. I thought I could see the valley bottom which means it wouldn't cliff out (I didn't know that this is the descent route in the Kane scrambles guide). It took Alex and I about two seconds to say "lets go for it." An hour later we were at the valley floor. One hour. The scree-skiing as almost as good as being on skis. Not really, but it was probably the best descent I've ever had off of a mountain without being on skis. One important note about the descent is to traverse skiers right as you near the big waterfall / chasm (so it is on your left for the descent). We emptied our shoes of scree for the last time and met up with the Piper Pass trail. We followed this for a bit until we found the turn off back towards Elbow Lake. Just before meeting up with the main trail we took a cold plunge in the Elbow River. Unreal. As we neared the lake, something magical happened. The golden hour appeared. The mountains were cloaked in that beautiful summer golden glow. Silence fell. No one was on the trails. The temperature dropped. An owl called out in the fading light. Tears filled my eyes. This is why. Only in the nature are things are what they are. And only here can one find the absolute truth. Happy days...

Date: September 9-10, 2023 Location: Purcell Mountains, British Columbia, Canada Total Trip Distance: 10.36 mi / 16.67 km Total Elevation Gain: 6,400 ft / 1,951 m Trip Duration: Day 1: 2 hours 17 min | Day 2: 6 hours 55 min Team: With Alex Catalfamo Field Notes: We did this trip with a fast and light bivy about 1,000 meters below the summit. However, most will do this in one long day. This is a very steep mountain. However, if one pays attention to route-finding it is nothing more than class 3 scrambling. If you find yourself on class 4 terrain you're off route. There is plenty of water on the ascent until the actual climb begins on the southwest face. Rating: Class 3 Download GPX File Google Maps Location Last Minute Decisions It's funny that one of the best trips of summer almost didn't happen. This was our final weekend in Canada. Alex and I are heading back home to a wedding and then I'm going to move to New Zealand in October. So with one last weekend, we wanted to continue our flow of great trips. We talked about what we wanted to do this weekend and I was in favor of an overnight trip because the weather was perfect. Alex had talked about doing Nelson all summer, but this is really a day trip. I figured we were going to do a traverse of Warrior and Cordonnier in Peter Lougheed National Park, but Alex wanted to go somewhere different. The plan was then to drive up to Glacier National Park and climb Mount Afton. It looks to be a spectacular climb but is also a day trip. When I woke up in the morning I thought, "why the fuck are we driving 5 hours to do a day trip?" There is no right or wrong here - it's all personal preference. Alex and I have different goals and motivations in the mountains. We all do. For me personally, the last thing I want to do is work all week and be gifted a near perfect weather forecast, only to drive five hours to a place to do a day trip when there is so much to do with a significantly shorter drive. This would mean we would spend more time driving than hiking. I figured I would just suck it up and go with it as Alex wanted to go to a place we've never been before leaving Canada. Again - different goals and motivations. Two hours into the drive with three more hours to go I was thinking what a mistake this was going to be and wanted to get out of the car. Then something magical happened. We were nearing Invermere I looked to my left and saw a massive, stunning, beautiful peak. Immediately I thought, "that's Mount Nelson." I checked my GPS and sure enough it was. I looked at Alex and suggested we should climb that instead. About a minute or two of back and forth he made a u-turn. He didn't need convincing anyways. We were going to climb Nelson, I was going to avoid driving another three hours, and Alex was going to summit the peak he desired most. Happy. Days. A Very Steep Approach After our low clearance, 2wd car bottomed out on Delphine Creek Road we reached the trailhead. My energy was back and I was psyched to head up the mountain. I was a bit nervous I'll admit. From the road, Nelson is a beast. I had read a few trip reports and others have made it out to be a "no fall extreme exposure" type of climb. After a quick stretch, we packed up our things and got moving. I was experimenting this weekend with a fast and light approach. I was able to fit all of my gear into a Black Diamond Speed 22 liter pack (and I didn't have to cram anything in). The more and more I am in the mountains, the less I want to carry things around. I have a very minimalist mindset and want to be light on my feet. The beauty of this trip was getting to bring the tarp instead of a tent. Once we left our car, the trail starts by crossing over a creek and then turning immediately to the climbers right. If the trail isn't obvious, there is a cairn and orange flagging tape. From here, the trail is relentlessly up for about 650 meters. I'm not kidding, this is the steepest trail I've ever been on in my life. We did 650 meters in one hour and we were not moving fast by any means. On our way up we passed two different groups - a couple and a solo dude. Neither had summited as both had issues with route finding. Before doing the trip, Alex and I had both looked at the description and reviews of Mount Nelson on the All Trails app. Personally, I try to avoid using that app for beta on climbs / scrambles. The reason is because the majority of the people using that app have very limited experience in the mountains and will provide information that is either not useful or can hinder a trip. Scrambling is not hiking just like alpine climbing is not scrambling. Neither is "superior" but requires a different level of fitness, skills, and experience. All Trails is a hiking app, after all. On one review of Nelson in the All Trails app, a person wrote "fears like I've never experienced." This is written by a person who most likely did their first ever scramble on Nelson (nothing wrong with that). As I'll write later on, this is nothing more than a class 3 scramble. This is not to be judgemental but rather to aid in better trip planning (which is why I don't use All Trails for these types of trips). Better trip planning results in more summits, less headaches, less danger, and less time off route - all of which leads to a better experience. This is something I really value after spending a lot of my early years missing out on summits because of poor trip planning. Again - to each their own. After the first 650 meters, the trail mellows and finds its way into a basin. We broke out of the trees and got a view of Mount Nelson in the distance. It is indeed a steep mountain. We kept climbing up, following a stream on our right. After climbing 1,000 meters from the valley floor, we eyed the last patch of green in the valley and made camp. The night was simply perfect. There was almost no wind, there were no bugs, and the temp really cooled off. We didn't even pitch the tarp and opted to sleep under the stars. We had our first fire of the whole summer in a protected cove of some rocks and watched the stars slowly come out overhead. It was probably the best night of the whole summer and I went to bed thanking God for the gift of being alive. After counting five shooting stars I tried my best to fall asleep. Mount Nelson "Hahahahaha." It was 4 am and I was wondering why Alex was laughing just like he was wondering why I was moving around at 4 am. It was cold. When I walked near his bag he broke out in laughter and said that he hadn't slept all night. Neither had I. We've been cursed this summer with very poor sleep in the hills. Oh well! We were absolutely stoked to go up Nelson. I grabbed the fuel can and made a coffee. I sat in my sleeping bag, laid back against a patch of grass, and drank a delicious hot coffee under a blanket of stars. You wonder in these moments if you're dreaming. Alex then had the idea of the summer and relight the fire from last night. So here we are at 4:30 in the morning under the silence of a looming dawn and a looming Mount Nelson. Perfection. I almost enjoy these moments more than the summits. Once we had enough light to move without headlamps we made our way towards Nelson. As we neared the foot of the southwest face Alex commented, "most mountains get less steep the closer you get, Nelson seems to get steeper the closer you get." This seemed to be the case. At the bottom of the face I thought I had scoped a good line to the summit block. There is an obvious gully / rock ramp that leads through the cliff bands. At the top of the gully it meets a wall. From here, go climbers right to bypass this wall and climb above it. Then sidle back climbers left onto the face where unimpeded travel meets the summit block. From there, we would make a decision on how to reach the top. We took this proposed route and began our climb. Indeed it was steep, but never more than class 3 scrambling. I only used my hands for balance, but not for climbing. At the top of the gully, we sidled climbers right and got onto the face. From here it was a straight grind to reach the summit block. The view behind us towards Sultana Peak was amazing. At the top of the face we reached the summit block. There was a big cairn that someone had marked with a piece of flagging tape indicating the route. The route goes up to the climbers left through an obvious gap in the face. I looked at Alex - "take us to the summit bro." You could tell how fired up he was to be here. He had wanted to bag Nelson all summer and here we were just fifty meters from the top! Alex charged up the easy class 3 slopes and yelled down for me to come next. Once past this obstacle, the climb goes up easy ledges to reach the summit ridge. Alex cheered out as he spotted the cross on the summit. I snapped a photo of him alone on the peak and then went to join him. Mount Nelson, 9 am, all alone in the Purcells. Magic. Descent This peak made for my 19th Canadian summit this summer. For Alex, number 20. Before we came out here I didn't think that we would have had so many amazing trips. It seems like everything fell into place. Nelson was just another domino to fall. Perfect weather, perfect camp spot, no issues with route finding, and a good slog. We snapped our final photos and made the decision to walk the 2,000 meters back down to the car. We practiced good mountain sense by not descending on top of each other for the descent. When coming off the face, one has to take care here. The rockfall danger here is no joke. It seems like the Canadian Rockies are one massive pile of loose rocks. Both of our new shoes are literally falling apart after five or six weeks of scrambling out here. The terrain is super rough. I'll spare the details, but I was relieved to get off the face as its rough going. We got to the bottom and I stripped down to just shorts for the walk out. We rock hopped our way back to camp and threw our things into our bags. The final jaunt back to the car was one thing - steep. My quads were annihilated on the final 650 meter descent to the car. Holy shit! This was so steep - did I say that enough? At the car we had one last objective - a cold plunge. If anyone actually reads this blog besides my mom, you know I love cold water. So we found a pullout and laid down into the frigid Toby Creek, ending an epic final trip of glorious Canadian summer peak bagging. Happy days...

Date: September 16-19, 2023 Location: Pasayten Wilderness, Washington State, USA Total Trip Distance: 31.42 mi / 50.56 km Total Elevation Gain: 9,814 ft / 2,991 m Trip Duration: 4 Days Team: With Alex Catalfamo Field Notes: An incredible 4-day trip over remote, rugged terrain that includes a 6 mile long alpine ridge connecting two summits with a class 3 scramble. Osceola peak makes a worthy objective as well with absolutely stunning views over the Pasayten Wilderness. Water is abundant (except on the ridge lines) and the camp spots quiet and undisturbed. The Pasayten is a place I hope to revisit in the future. Rating: Class 2 / 3 Download GPX File Google Maps Location On Friday we left for the open road and left behind a special three month stint in Fernie, British Columbia. This summer had been a classic. I got to live with one of my closest friends, we didn't kill each other, and we went on tons of incredible trips in the Canadian Rockies. All of this was just training in my mind as my ultimate goal is to be back in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. To be honest, it's been hard to be present this summer...even with all the incredible trips. The stronger I felt, the more excited I became to return to New Zealand in October. As we drove back to Seattle to return our rental car we had one final destination: The Pasayten. The Pasayten Wilderness is a 531,000 acre wilderness zone that has more than 150 peaks above 7,500 feet in elevation. The area is a habitat for deer, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, the gray wolf, and is home to the largest population of lynx in the Lower 48. This is my type of trip. Off the beaten path. Remote. Quiet. We drove up the road to the "famous" Slate Pass and were surprised to see a lot of cars. There were a shit ton of cars actually. We quickly packed up our belongings and got started. It was two in the afternoon and the temperature was in the mid 60's. We had a near perfect weather forecast for the next four days. It felt like we could do no wrong this summer. From Slate Pass we descended down to the Middle Fork of the Pasayten River and then headed north up Robinson's Creek. After 5 miles or so, we turned right and made the ascent up to Furguson Lake. When we arrived at the lake, the sun was setting and the temperature was dropping off. I knew it was now or never so I jumped into the lake. Cold magic. We set up our sleeping arrangements for the night, collected firewood, and got a fire going. We hung out by the fire accompanied by the wind, trees, and last light hitting the western slopes of Wildcat Mountain. You could feel it - this was going to be a spectacular trip. By nine I was completely fried and went to go to bed. As I was drifting off I heard pounding on the ground near me and I shot up out of bed... "HOLY SHIT!" I scrambled to get my headlamp and turn it on. I flashed it in all directions while Alex was asking me what the hell was going on. It was a deer. Jesus. The deer scampered off into the woods. Fifteen minutes later the pounding came back and on went the headlamp. The deer again. This scenario repeated itself (and no, I'm not kidding) until three in the morning. This deer would come right into our camp. I'm not sure if this was where it feeds, or sleeps, or both...but it would not leave us alone. Alex was particularly bothered. We woke up to cloudy skies on day two. As we had breakfast I realized it was wildfire smoke. I think we were a bit downcast because we thought we had left that behind in Canada. As we worked up the climbers right ridge of Wildcat and got above treeline, the sky was blanketed in smoke. There was still a view and we made our way to the summit. We both agreed that "it is what it is" and vowed to make the best of it. The summit of Wildcat has some amazing views, even though visibility was clearly limited. We looked north in anticipation at the alpine ridge that awaited us. We made our way off of the summit and took on the ridge. Almost immediately we were met by loose, crumbly rock combined with loose terrain. I hoped this wouldn't be the theme for the day. It turned out that the majority of the ridge was nice going. Most of the ridge was nothing more than a class 2 scramble with some sections of class 3 that I will describe later on. An added bonus was that the more time we spent on the ridge, the more the weather cleared. A few hours later we had perfect visibility and could see the glaciers in the Northern Cascades. Just in time for the summit of Rolo. We easily bypassed a tricky section and made our way up the south ridge of Rolo. The summit was spectacular. Just a few hours ago we woke up in wildfire smoke and now we stood alone atop a 7,800 foot peak in perfect conditions. This area was magic and I was drooling just thinking of the backcountry ski potential out here. Mountains surrounded us in all directions. After a nice break on the summit we decided to head down to camp at Lake Doris. The crux of this entire route is coming down the North Ridge of Rolo. There were some very steep and exposed sections where a fall would not be a good idea. This is where the route becomes class 3. However, navigation is easy and we just stayed on the North Ridge. Anytime it got beyond class 3, we simply found easier terrain to bypass it. Six hours on the move with overnight packs on loose rock and scree had me looking forward to getting to camp. Just before we hit the seventh hour, we arrived at the stunning Lake Doris. The larches were starting to turn a golden color, the lake was crystal clear, and there wasn't a soul in sight. You could tell fall was knocking on the door waiting to be let in. We set up camp so we had a view of the surrounding peaks - Osceola, Largo, Blackcap, and the stunning Monument Peak. Alex got to work with the fire and I soaked my legs in the lake. Dinner was a steaming hot red curry with chicken. The fire crackled, the wind blew, and the earth turned. All was well with the world. My body baked in the glory of rest from a day spent working in the hills and my belly was full. There is not much else a man needs. The tarp tent flapped noisily as it was battered by strong winds. At least I had slept for a solid five to six hours. Little did I know Alex hadn't slept a wink. It was 3 am and I willed myself back to sleep for a few hours. Eventually we got up, quickly packed up camp, stashed our gear, and headed for Osceola Peak. From camp, there is a loose trail that sidles along the slopes of Osceola. At the bottom of a forested gully there is a small cairn and a path that leads up towards the peak. Take this as it travels diagonally right up the mountain. Once above treeline travel remains straightforward as we angled directly at the face of the mountain. Above the forest, the views were nothing short of spectacular. The clouds mixed with the early morning light and blue skies. A photographers dream. The higher we climbed, the more inspiring it became. The view of Lake Doris and Mount Rolo was just freaking awesome. As we crested the ridge, we reached the false summit. Five more minutes had us standing on the true summit with a 360 degree view, all alone. It's hard to describe the feelings and sights of being on a remote peak with such spectacular views, so I'll include a bunch of photos below. But this is one of my favorite summits of summer. We stayed on the summit for awhile. If it wasn't for the cold wind I would've built a shelter up there and never left. Coming back down to earth is always the hardest part. Alex led the way down and I soon followed. Travel is fastest by sticking close to the skiers right ridge. At camp we packed up our things and made a warm breakfast. To my dismay, an animal had chewed through my folding cup and put my morning coffee in jeopardy. For those that love coffee, this is a serious problem. However, I found a solution (addicts always get their fix). The morning was really opening up now. The weather was perfect for hiking. We left Lake Doris and made the descent past Freds Lake to the valley bottom until we met Robinson's Creek. We then traveled south back towards Slate Pass. After close to eight hours on the move we set up camp at the Middle Fork of the Pasayten River and enjoyed one last fire. The trip had been a wild success. The night was our coldest yet. After another night of poor sleep, Alex got up and made a fire at 4 am. I was out of my sleeping bag by 5 to sit by the fire and made a quick breakfast. I was sad to go and didn't want to leave the wilderness. It had been a perfect trip. Under the glow of dawn, we worked up towards Slate Pass. We considered bagging Haystack Mountain or Slate Peak, but it was lightly snowing and the views obstructed. I passed on the invitation. As we got near the top of the pass it really opened up and again, the lighting was amazing. At the top I suggested we bag Old Trail Peak. Alex needed no convincing and we left our bags at the car. It took about thirty minutes or so to stand atop the peak. The last thirty feet or so is a class 3 scramble. The views at the top were great and a fitting way to end a sensational trip. Happy days...

Date: July 1-2, 2023 Location: Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada Total Trip Distance: 13.7 mi / 22 km Total Elevation Gain: 4,800 ft / 1,463 m Trip Duration: 2 days Team: With Alex Catalfamo Field Notes: This trip is easily completed in a day. We wanted to break up the long drive and had a strong desire to camp in the alpine. The tarns we camped at were magical. The ascent is straightforward and helmets are not required. The only difficulty is the steep, loose scree on the final 1,000 ft. The summit view was spectacular and there is plenty of water on route. Rating: Class 2 Download GPX File Google Maps Location As summer started to take hold, Alex and I began to explore deeper into the Canadian Rockies. This wound up being one of our favorite trips of summer. The approach was beautiful and took only a few hours to get to camp. Our camp-spot located at the tarns in the alpine valley below the summit remains one of the best camping spots of summer. The climb to the summit the following morning was spectacular. We woke up at sunrise and found ourselves above the clouds. There have been a few memorable Canadian summits from this summer... namely, Mount Daly, Mount Niles, and Mount Nelson. However, this one may have topped the lot for me. The clarity in the sky was perfect, we were above the clouds, and were completely engulfed by jagged peaks. Enjoy the photos below and happy days...