Canada's Mountains

On the Rim of Rimwall Summit

	Rimwall Summit from the Trans-Canada Highway near Canmore Rimwall Summit 6 hours later This picture is from the parking lot

Sunday September 28th 2003

After having enjoyed a smokeless peak the other day on Gap Peak, I awoke this morning with the idea to get out to Rimwall Summit.

After 21k of gravel road I was at the base of the mountain. It starts at the trial that goes to West Wind Pass.

Once under way I was moving fast up the trail. I started a bit late as usual and didn't have my watch today but left Calgary around 11:00 AM and so was probably under way about 1:00 PM.

The air was cool to begin with so although the sun was out the sweating didn't get too bad.

I felt like I had good power.

The trail split and the upper branch took me to slabs that I was forced to climb. This eventually took me to the first wall to overcome. As luck would have it I was right at the bottom of the wall where it's easy to just walk around.

After some traversing I found myself wondering which way to go. I didn't take Alan Kane's guide book with me and was trying to remember what the picture looked like. I remembered him saying to resist the urge to gain altitude so I opted to climb directly the next rock wall by way of a weakness directly across the slope from me.

That went OK, just a bit steep to start but no problem.

Then I was out on the final slopes to the summit. These slopes are excellent firm scree. This scramble was shaping up to be a great one. I was concerned abut Kane's "wall" near the summit though.

Once I was near the top I easily overcame a couple of short rock steps without the need to traverse out over the wall but even if I had to, the wall is back from the final slope to the summit. It would be dangerous if snow were present though.

Once on the summit I was surprised to find that the wind that had pestered me occasionally on the way up was gone. Hummm???

I just sat there.

What a peaceful place. The clouds started to move in and swirl around me and the crows enjoyed cruising above me. I could hear a dog barking somewhere below. That dog was a long way away.

7 MB MPG movie
"On The Rim"

The scrambling down was good, I decided to bypass the cliff I climbed and kept going down the ridge until the cliff gave way as they usually do. This one did.

Then I traversed back to the trail to Wind Pass, then hiked out to the car. I caught up to some folks and asked what time it was. They said it was about 5:00 PM. I made good time.

I was alone the whole day but had a solid scramble and a good workout. I recommend this scramble to scramblers. If you're a hiker, get help for the route finding.

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes. By the deep sea, and music in its roars; I love not man the less, but nature more.

George Gordon