| Park at Quartz
Creek parking lot on the south side of highway 1, 768035. Drive, quad
or bike
the Quartz Creek FSR to the "Branch 6.6" intersection, 755979 and turn
right. The road climbs steadily. At 746987 avoid a road continuing
straight and follow
the switchback heading south. After another
switchback, the road skirts the mountainside and ends close to an
avalanche
path, 737986. We bushwhacked our way down to the creek and
followed it well into the draw, 717972, where we started to ascend the
south-east facing slopes. From treeline, the summit ridge is a short
distance away and easily leads to Heather Mountain's highpoint, 703983.
The official summit (90 m. lower) is a little over 2 kilometers to the
north. Other route possibilities exist. |
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After 11.2
kilometers, we reach the landing at 1,785 meters. |
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Straight down choked
terrain to the creek. |
| Scramble: RT
11.5; 6.0 up (including ATV). After last weekend's
pleasant fall scramble on Bicarbonate Peak, Fab and I wanted a repeat.
We were quite aware of the fresh snow but we chose
to leave our snowshoes behind. We were surprised how much snow fell;
although
the snowshoes may have helped higher up, the advantage with this amount
of snow can be minimal. The weather was poor but tolerable; we left on
an ATV by daybreak. Snow depth increased as we climbed to the
landing, the quad started to slip a little. I was glad to see the end
of the
road where we park. All dressed up with our winter jackets, we booted
down some nasty terrain to the creek below. We didn't
want to sidehill across alders, we gambled the valley bottom would be
better. Travelling by the creek, at the bottom of an avalanche run out
zone choked with alder and deadfall, was tedious at first. The snow
from tree limbs was falling between our packs, causing us to
stop often to shake it off. We knew the conditions would have to
improve to grant us success; we continued wondering... Eventually the
terrain opened up, we plodded alongside the creek most of the way up
the draw. As we started to climb the south-east facing slopes towards
the ridge, the snow deepened; this trip became an exercise in
determination. Progress was slow but we were getting closer. We noticed
stumps along the ascent line, we were plowing our way up a gladed
heli-ski run! As we neared treeline, the wind picked up and
visibility was next to nil; the summit ridge was hard to distinguish.
Fab planned to wait at treeline, his recently re-injured
knee was bothersome. Promising not to linger, I headed towards the
ridge while Fab chose
a tight tree island offering decent shelter. Travelling higher up was
reasonable with variable snow depths and soft slabs; I enjoyed the
scoured sections along the ridge. Visibility was greatly reduced, upon
reaching a park boundary sign situated on a rise, I though this could
be the top. The ridge dipped down again and I couldn't discern whether
it rose up to a higher point; I pulled out the GPS. The GPS reading
coaxed me to continue along the ridge; only about 300 meters to go!
Indeed,
after the short dip, I started climbing again; as I got closer, the top
revealed itself. In little time I stood on the summit, right on! The
only view available came from the western quadrant but it was
spectacular, complete with mountains framed by multi-layered clouds and
a tad of sun. I
took some pictures and started to head down. The weather
seemed to be improving, the sun poking through more frequently. As
I backtracked, I would
suddenly stop and grab my camera to snap pictures when the clouds
momentarily lifted. This trip was getting better by the minute! Near
treeline, I was excited, the sun was out and it felt like a different
day. Suddenly, I heard Fab yell out and I saw smoke; he
had a fire going. Fantastic, just when you think it can't get any
better! I huddled by the fire and ate lots of food. The feeling of
well-being was rejuvenating. We stayed over an hour before resuming
our descent down the great heli-ski run; I wish we had skis for
that! After catching the last sunrays at valley bottom, we hurried back
to the quad. It started getting dark as we entered the aldery terrain,
Fab led the way up the nasty slope with a hasty pace and we reached
the quad just before nightfall. Yet another fine outing just before
winter sets in! |
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At first, there is
lots of alder in the valley bottom. |
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An opening offers
respite. |
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A nice section of
the creek. |
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Going up a gladed
heli-ski run. |
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Nearing treeline,
the snow is at least knee deep. |
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The summit ridge is
difficult to distinguish. |
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Approaching the
southern end of the summit ridge. |
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A marked landing for
the helicopter. |
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Continuing along the
ridge towards the obscured summit. |
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A park boundary sign
on a rise, a GPS reading confirms I must keep going for another 300
meters. |
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Clouds lift
momentarily, I catch sight of the top. |
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Another park sign
and a small buried cairn at the top. |
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Beautiful scenery to
the north-west. |
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South-west view with
the highway below. |
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Looking back at the
summit as the wind clears the clouds away. |
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Back at the park
boundary sign. |
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The multi-layered
clouds with the sun poking through add interest. |
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Better visibility
while returning to the southern end of the summit ridge. |
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Another glimpse back
at the summit since I could not see it on the way up. |
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Almost at treeline,
the sun is making a huge difference. |
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Following my trench
and rejoining with Fab at a tree isle. |
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A clear view of the
summit ridge. |
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Fab stayed busy and
warm while I was gone. |
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Hummmm, this is
sweet, thanks Hon! |
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Wishing we had
skis... |
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Our return trip is
better by far. |
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A steeper section. |
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Snow study plot or
helicopter landing site. |
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Back down to valley
bottom. |
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Looking up the draw,
enjoying the last sunrays. |
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No more time to
waste... |
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The terrain becomes
increasingly dense as we near the climb back up to the quad. |
| Back
to home page |
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