| Drive
to Premier Lake Provincial Park just north of Skookumchuck on highway
93/95. Continue along the lake to its south end, park near the trail
maps at the entrance of the campground. Walk down the road towards the
campsites and find the trailhead, about 200 meters. Follow the
well-defined trail to Yankee Lake and the Saddle Back Trail junction.
Take the Saddle Back Trail; it leads to the saddle south of Travois
Peak,
019291. From there, some scrambling is required to travel on the
south-west
summit ridge. Most obstacles are avoided by dropping on the east side. |
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Trail maps at the
campground's entrance. |
| Scramble: RT
12.0; 7.0 up. Travois Peak is not well known. There was no information
available describing an ascent route. However, I came across a trail
map of Premier Lake Provincial Park; it indicated a trail switchbacking
its way up to a saddle south of the summit. Located near Canal Flats,
we were hoping for a high snowline to take advantage of the trail. With
a hefty height gain, we needed all the help we could get! Starting
early, we hiked to Yankee Lake on a very wide trail.
Before reaching the lakeshore, we turned (right) on the indicated
Saddle Back Trail. This nice trail climbs the south-west aspect of a
treed rib with a consistent moderate grade. The trail was free of snow
for
a good 700 meters of height gain. Eventually, snow patches
turned to
snowcover so we put on the snowshoes. As the
snowpack deepened, the trail became harder to follow until we
decided to just make our own way. Snowshoeing conditions were
favorable,
mostly firm snow. That was a key factor granting us the opportunity to
gain
the saddle. After 5 hours, we reached the saddle still unsure of the
feasibility of our goal. The broken summit ridge looked difficult
but after all the effort to get here, we had to give
it a try. We scrambled up the initial rock buttress to get a look. The
summit is hidden and more buttresses interrupt the ridge
ahead. We
carefully continued
on the ridge crest, sometimes dropping on the snowy east side.
Avalanche hazard should be considered. The absence of soft slabs
is necessary and minimal solar radiation is a bonus. We followed
the
challenging ridge towards a highpoint we thought might be the top.
Maybe we will make it after
all! Upon reaching the highpoint, Fab yelled in
disappointment "It's further ahead"... Luckily,
the remainder of the ridge was easier and the top was near. The weather
deteriorated; too bad... Still,
we were very pleased to have made it to the top; that objective seemed
quite far-fetched this morning. We huddled behind a cornice just below
the top. Following a quick break in the winter wonderland of Travois,
we started to head down. At the saddle, we put the snowshoes back on.
The snow had softened a lot, we wanted off the steep
treed terrain. Soon we were on the trail again; we took a very long,
needed break. The rest of the hike was uneventful but very pleasant.
This is a good accomplishment, a summer hike combined with a winter
scramble! |
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The Saddle Back
Trail junction near Yankee Lake. |
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Yankee Lake. |
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Along the nice dry
trail. |
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Avoiding snow on a
rock rib. |
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Now on snowshoes. |
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The terrain is steep. |
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Nearing the saddle.
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Fab coming up to the
saddle.
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From the saddle, the
summit ridge is obstructed. |
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Looking back, a ways
after the initial rock buttress (right center). |
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Along the summit
ridge. |
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Hightpoint ahead, is
it the summit? |
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Looking back again. |
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We climbed to the
ridge crest, avoiding the loaded slope. The highpoint is not the top. |
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Finally, the true
summit in sight! |
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Sweeeeeeeet, we made
it! |
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Taking shelter in
the lee of a cornice just below the top. |
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Travois Peak's
north-west ridge. |
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The ascent ridge and
a sub peak to the south. |
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Leaving the summit. |
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The visibility is
sometimes greatly reduced. |
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Skirting the rocks
wherever possible. |
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Looking back up the
ridge. |
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Traversing on the
east side. |
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The visible
hightpoint hides the true summit. |
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The saddle just
ahead. |
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The eastern view
towards Mount Wirth. |
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Scrambling down the
initial rock buttress. |
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Ptarmigans welcome
us back at the saddle. |
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Back on the
snowshoes. |
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Premier Lake below. |
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Travois Peak and the
ascent rib. Picture taken from Premier Lake's access road. |
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