| Drive to Kindersley/Pinnacle
FSR, 16.5 km north of Radium. Follow for about 8 km to a fork, 633249,
turn right to an equestrian camp. Park here. The rest of the road is
washed-out and is now a horse trail. Hike along the trail until it
veers south-east and intersects the ascent drainage, 648258. Ascend
climber's left of the drainage. Bushwhacking is not bad; with luck,
finding several game trails assists in travel. It is best to aim above
the creek bed, avoiding bluffs. Higher up, back in the drainage we
encountered more bluffs, 653264. Again we moved climber's left and
found a weakness up a moderate chimney (other options probably exist).
Above, we came out of the trees into the open slide path. Easy hiking
leads to sheer slabs and the ascent ridge. A steep grassy ramp, 655271,
conveniently traverses up and through the slabs to the ascent ridge.
The summit ridge is soon reached and easily heads to the top. |
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Aquaduct along
Kindersley FSR. |
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Dressed as a
pumpkin, ready to go! |
| Scramble:
RT 6.5;
4.0 up. Another "hit and miss" trip planned from
Google Earth. We brought the quad, it looked as if we could possibly
use it to get to the ascent gully. On the way there, the weather wasn't
really nice, when we parked the drizzle intensified. We slowly got our
stuff together, unloaded the quad and hung out in the truck for a bit.
The forecast called for clearing in the morning, therefore we kept our
hopes high and pursued the goal. We started by heading out on the wrong
service road, after a couple of kilometers we found the right
trailhead: the equestrian camp. Soon thereafter, we were forced
to leave the quad behind. The good trail quickly led us to the ascent
drainage. It is hard to describe our route exactly: a lot of
bushwhacking intersected by game trails with some travelling around and
through bluffs. Although the route is fairly straightforward, the
hiking is not the most pleasant. The trip becomes
enjoyable nearing the slide path. We pursued the summit with
replenished energy. The grassy ramp offered a direct route up to the
ascent ridge. The ground was still soft and offered good purchase; it
is not a good place for a slip! Finally, at treeline, the race for the
top was on. The wind picked up snow and pack straps, whipping them
around. Without goggles, we put our heads down and plodded up. We were
happy to see the rimed summit cairn and relieved we didn't have to
venture along the broken ridge further north. We stayed no more than 5
minutes before retreating back down to treeline. After a nice break, we
backtracked almost the same way we came up. |
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The trailhead and
Mount Crook in the background, left. |
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On the horse trail,
along the creek. |
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In the drainage,
avoiding bluffs pushes us high above the creek bed. |
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High bluffs. |
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Looking back at our
approach. |
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Finally out of the
trees, we veer left, up an open slide path. |
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The nice slide
path. Ahead, across the slabs is the grassy ramp. |
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We ascend the grassy
ramp. |
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It is steep; luckily
the ground isn't frozen yet. |
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The summit comes
into view, yeah! |
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We
gained the ridgeline on the left hand side. |
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Summit ridge. |
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Blistery wind at the
top. |
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The
southern view. |
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Heading back down
the same way. |
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Almost back in the
trees for a sheltered break. |
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The slide path. |
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Back on the horse
trail. |
| Back
to home page |
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