Grizzly Peak

Grizzly Peak - Canadian Rockies

Mountain Photography > PRINTS < Grizzly Peak

July 21 2006

Grizzly Peak is my first new scramble for 2006, five years and a day since I scrambled Cascade Mountain. Mark Brisseau was  on vacation from Ontario and gave me a call. Mark scrambled with me once back on July 4th 2001 when I scrambled Paget Peak.

Grizzly Peak is located in Kananaskis Provincial Park. I had thought of doing Mount Norquay but decided on an easy scramble with limited vertical gain to start the season out. Grizzly Peak is about 800 meters vertical and has a summit altitude of 2500 meters.

The trail starts next to a small creek about 4km south of the Fortress Mountain ski hill turn off. It climbs rapidly for the first half hour or so, then you climb a small ledge and start to contour around the south side of the mountain. The ledge constitutes the crux and is the only real scrambling.

Mark takes a break for some water. Here we traverse the side of the mountain on our way to the steep grassy slopes of the east side.

Mountain Photography > PRINTS < The coal seam can be seen at the col below

After about 30 minutes of traversing the trail reaches grassy slopes an the south east aspect of the mountain and you have to find your way up through grasses and the occasional scree gully. A col is reached after scrambling up through a coal-shale seam.

Some Sheep on the plateau

Mountain Photography > PRINTS < Here's the Coyote

Once at the col you'll probably want to have a break and enjoy the scenery. A plateau of meadows will give you the opportunity to spot wild-life. We identified some sheep and a coyote.

The Plateau

Kananaskis Lakes on the right, Mount Joffre is the snowy summit at the far right

From there it's about 15 minutes to the summit.

On the way to the summit mark spotted the lone larch. This Larch is mentioned in Alan Kane's "Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies".

Summit views of the Kananaskis Valley are fantastic. On July 21st the summit temperature was about 70 degrees and only a gentle breeze was blowing.

Mark and I sat on the grassy summit and chatted for about 45 minutes before deciding to go down.

The red arrow points to the car parked next to the road far below.

The Wedge. I did this scramble a few years ago. You can read about it on my The Wedge page.

Here are some before and after pictures. As I said, Mark was on a scramble up Paget Peak with me five years ago.

Mark "Spidey" Brisseau		Me on the Summit
Before - July 4th 2001

Mark "Spidey" Brisseau		Me on the Summit
After - July 21st 2006

On the way back down our feet were treated to a beating and on the lower slopes the temperature was sometimes very hot.

Mark and I will probably go scrambling again soon, the next time he passes through town.

Famous Quotes   <-- click

never worry about action, but only inaction.

Winston Churchill
1874-1965, British Statesman, Prime Minister

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Friday February 08, 2008 11:27 AM