CR2015: Wasootch Ridge

For August 8th, Joan and I decided to climb Wasootch Ridge. This hike, a round trip of 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) with an altitude gain of 1010 meters (3315'), is longer with more climbing than our hike yesterday of King Creek Ridge, but except for the first kilometer or so, not as steep.

There was a group of rock climbers having a briefing as we started up the trail. There are some popular cliff faces along Wasootch Creek for those who enjoy ropes and pitons.

Joan and I could soon see the rock and gravel fan of the creek, a result of the June 2013 floods.

Those stripes in the distance are the runs of the Nakiska Ski Resort. The brown skyline above them displays the Olympic Summit and then, to the far right, Mount Allan. We hiked most of the way to Mount Allan last year on the Centennial Ridge Trail.

From the parking area the trail heads straight up the west end of the ridge. After the initial rugged ascent, both in the woods and on slab faces,

there are a series of bumps, or small summits, as you continue up the ridgeline. Like a stegosaurus' back. Some altitude is lost after each bump, but each successive one carries you higher. This unevenness isn't always large enough to be reflected on a topographical map.

With a little altitude we could see north to Barrier Lake.

The flood gravels have filled the valley bottom.

Here Joan is climbing one of the first small summits. Usually they aren't as daunting as they appear. Yes, Joan's in the picture, climbing the second hump; click on the photo to enlarge.

Looking back to that summit.

After almost two more hours and a snack stop, much of the ridge is now snaking behind us.

There was one stretch along a narrow shelf with a dropoff that made us careful, attentive, and unwilling to stop. You can see how much higher we've come. It's sunny and hot today, and we're consuming a lot of fluids.

Others are coming up on the trail.

This cairn doesn't mark the end, but we're getting closer. A few more uphill stretches to go.

We pass a double-cairn summit, but it doesn't signify anything. Keep going!

Here is the final trail cairn. Joan is looking for a good lunch spot. 

Joan momentarily inspects the post-trail route. Most hikers declare this the turn-around point.

Gillean Daffern's description of the scrambling route to the final summit, far right, includes phrases such as "down to the col between the fin and the rocky top, where another percentage of hikers call it a day," and "descend right ... scramblers who follow the ridge crest at this point almost always come unglued at the notch." This image zooms in on the final tower. There's a hint of a trail at the bottom of the steep rock faces.

We have lunch and enjoy the view. In this panoramic shot, Porcupine Creek is visible on the north side of Wasootch Ridge.

We'll meet the group of four coming up behind us not long after we shove off from lunch.

This formation looks as if it's about to fall over, especially the boulders on the lower right.

There's a whole new floor to the Wasootch Creek valley, made up of rock. Just thinking of the force of water needed to move this much stone compels us to take another peek:

Our bird sightings on this hike included Clark's nutcrackers, white-winged crossbills, northern flickers, yellow-rumped warblers, and (audio only) golden-crowned kinglets. The photo I have to offer is of Clark's nutcrackers.

Going back is a slog compared to the adventure of heading up. And many of the steep sections have footing just as bad, if not worse, headed down.

Joan and I encountered more people coming up as the afternoon wore on, including some who had no idea how much further they had to go. Fortunately there are views to be had all along the way. Two young women were sitting at such a spot, snacking and chatting away. When we approached they asked if we could take their picture -- their iPhone timer wasn't up to the task at hand. There was a dead tree, gray and leafless, across the trail from their perch, and they wanted a photo of themselves up in the tree as if chased by a bear. They clambered up a body length or two, and the photo shoot went off without a hitch. However, I failed to take a photo of them clinging to the tree, smiling, with my own camera. This is my most-regretted photo neglect of the past several years!

We reached the bottom without mishap. The round trip took just under seven hours, including our snack and lunch stops. Not bad for a pair of flatlanders!

Tomorrow would be our last full day in Canada.