Mount Cavalier

All photos:  Bob St J

On the eighth day of our Dais Glacier ski camp, Doug, Sandy and Bob set out to climb Mt. Cavalier from the Cavalier Halberdier col. The day dawned clear but very windy with some blowing snow. As the morning progressed, the wind began to die, and by 10:00 when we set off the wind was calm with occasional gusts to 40 km/hr at camp - by the time we summited, it was virtually dead calm and very warm.

This was our second attempt on Cavalier; the first attempt was on day 2, where we approached from the north, climbing the crevassed glacier to the Cavalier-Jester col and then attempting the east ridge. We were stopped less than 100 vertical meters short of the summit by an exposed traverse and steep, exposed slope with not-so-stable winter snow conditions.

From camp (GR375925 92N/6, 2080 m) on the Dais Glacier, we skied south across the glacier and gained the glaciated west ridge of Cavalier. We ascended the ridge (short section of step kicking due to frozen snow) to about 2300 m and then left the ridgeline and skied up the centre of the glacier and through the col to the SW of Cavalier (GR383900) to gain access to the south slopes of our objective.

The south face of the peak is a reasonable snow route that is probably 40-45 degrees at its steepest. Due to our late start and the very warm day (now that the wind was gone) we deemed the avalanche hazard on these slopes to be rather high by the time we reached them. After considerable diddling and skiing hither and tither, we decided on using a rock step to gain the lower angled ridge that separates the south and east faces of the peak. Bob easily led the 10 m of solid rock (slinging two horns along the way), and then we all kicked and wallowed easily to the summit (very wet snow with boot penetration from 30-100+ cm).

We basked in the hot sun and rubber-necked at the views for well over an hour before begrudgingly returning to camp. After reversing the wallow, we rappelled the rock step and skied roped until past the bergshrund found just NW of the Cavalier-Halberdier col. After passing the 'shrund, we unroped and skied down the ridge in increasingly soft and wet snow.

Mount Romulus

On Sunday October 15 three of us headed out to scramble Romulus via the route described in Kane's Bible of Scree. We picked up an excellent trail as soon as we had crossed the Elbow River at the Romulus campsite. Assuming it to be a "Kane Effect" trail, which would deliver us speedily to the summit avoiding any annoying scrambly sections or exposure, we tightened our pack straps and strode on. In our haste to hit the scree, and speeded by this most excellent trail, we completely missed the first drainage exiting the south slopes of the mountain and went on to the second.

Part way up the second drainage, even with our blind route finding, it became obvious that we were one drainage to the west. Not to be deterred, however, we continued up meadow and gained the southwest ridge of the peak, which we followed to its join with Kane's south ridge. The terrain along the ridge was actually very good, with some pleasant scrambling on firm (yes firm) rock. Scree devotees could, however, turn anything that could possibly be perceived as difficult or exposed on the left.

From the ridge, I was able to point out Rick's and my route over Evan Thomas Pass to Highway 40 in the winter of 1998 (I think) to the others in my group. I was also able to describe in detail the bottomless snow, complete lack of any trail through the bush, and the particular spot where my dog's heart almost gave out (his tongue was purple). Apparently, this also courtesy of Collier, dogs have very small hearts. But I digress.

Too soon our southwest ridge dumped us unceremoniously onto the talus of the south ridge, and from there it was a simple plod to the summit. From the minor bump along the ridge to the top we saw one other party of two on the southeast ridge (similar route finding skills?), but they apparently grew weary of the toil and turned back long before the summit.

The views from the summit are actually quite fine, and this really was a fairly pleasant route to the summit. The front ranges are very dry, but there did appear to be more snow to the west, although the cloud level to the west was really too low to be sure. We noted that the summit register had been placed by the old goat himself on the occasion of his 500th summit! As we were feeling a little scree deprived, we followed the south ridge down to a particularly grotty looking gully, which we descended to the creek below. This provided the obligatory knee bashing and rock dodging one comes to expect on scree grovels.

Smith Dorrien to Highway 40: The Long Way

On the map, it seemed a really good idea. Start at Sawmill parking lot on the Smith Dorrien Highway and trek over to Highway 40 via unnamed (9,600 feet), Inflexible and Lawson. In practice, it's a very long trek and the rock is very loose. Nevertheless, we six and my much abused black Labrador, Kumo, left the Sawmill parking lot at 8.00 am on Saturday July 14 enroute to Highway 40. Almost immediately, we took the wrong trail and zigzagged through the forest for a time before deciding to head up a cut line to the open meadow. I knew, or thought I did, exactly where the trail descended from 9,600 having come down it just last spring after traversing the Mount Kent ridge. However, aluminum pots have taken their toll and nothing was recognizable. Maybe Kumo's idea of scent marking isn't so dumb after all. Soon enough we broke out of the trees to a wildflower dotted meadow. A slight 200 foot loss of elevation brought us to a small col, however, we still had a long way to go, so pressed on sans refreshment.

More meadow and talus slopes brought us to the summit of 9,600. There are good views over to James Walker, an infrequently climbed peak whose talus slope is every bit as loose as it looks. J ust two years ago, Kumo had steadfastly refused to go an inch higher on the talus of James Walker and I had been forced to abandon him on a large boulder to pick up on my return. We stopped for a short break and added our names to the summit register before pressing on.

On the map the slope down to the col to the west of Inflexible appears straightforward. However, after picking our way around numerous gendarmes we were forced to descend south east facing slopes to get around some intractable cliff bands. A short but loose climb brought us back up to the col below Inflexible. Another quick bite, and we were off again, this time easily climbing up sound slabs and talus to the summit of Inflexible. The summit register on Inflexible is a worthwhile read, mostly consisting of expletives against Alan Kane and his supposedly "straight forward connecting ridge to Mt. Lawson." Some went as far as to decry the honesty of all climbers!

We were undaunted however, and soon started off again for the final summit in the trio. In truth the connecting ridge to Lawson is not overly difficult. Coming from Inflexible there are a few short down climbs, and some stretches of hideously loose rubble. Conversely, there are also some nice solid slabs you can walk down. At one point we were forced to descend below the ridge to surmount a cliff band, and then strained back up dreadfully loose rubble in a two steps forward one step back fashion. Finally, we reached the last ridge to Mt Lawson and strolled to the summit. One last summit register to sign and we were off looking for the route down Mt. Lawson.

Unfortunately, we were a little to the north of the standard scramble route, on the wrong side of the snow gully. I'm not sure whether or not this made any difference as the entire face seems to be made up of precariously balanced boulders ready to hurtle down slope at the slightest provocation. There were definitely many "remote triggers" as boulders crashed down before we even approached them. Needless to say it was a trying descent at the end of a now 10 hour day. Eventually, we did reach the steep meadow at the base of the face. I had lost my watch on descent (a very old and battered but still functional Seiko dive watch, if you find it, please return it), there had been a minor hand injury from falling rock, and Kumo had whimpered like a poodle the entire way (or was that me?).

There are some minor waterfalls and cliff bands to scramble around as you head down the drainage, some how they felt very tiresome as I now just wanted to plod. Once the drainage became too choked with vegetation to be passable we found an excellent flagged trail, but continuing the theme of the day we soon lost it and were forced to blunder haphazardly through the bush. Twelve long hours later we emerged on the Fortress ski area road and staggered back to the cars. The most positive comment I had from the others was "Well, it was a very different trip with lots of exploration."

Canyon Creek To Wasootch Peak

We three, and a dog, left Canyon Creek off Powderface Trail at about 7.45 am on June 9 planning to traverse all the ridges and peaks between us and Baldy Pass. About two kilometres up Canyon Creek at the first major fork we turned right. Here our paths diverged somewhat, with Marc and I heading straight up the ridge to our right, while Doug, whose knees were paining in anticipation of a lot of scree bashing, continued up the drainage. Marc and I hiked up to a minor summit on the ridge (82J10, GR436422) and then followed the ridge first north then west to meet up with Doug on another minor summit (GR413443). The only difficulty we encountered was a series of gendarmes on the ridge at around GR421440. We got around these by dropping down a couple of hundred feet, traversing across loose slabs and then regaining the ridge. Doug meanwhile turned right at the next forks on the creek and followed this valley all the way up to the col at the head of the valley and met up with us on the 8,300 foot summit (2530m).

Unfortunately, the terrain between this summit and the next peak along the ridge to the northwest is bristling with cliffs. We were stopped a short way down from the peak by a cliff band, and it appeared that the only way to continue towards Baldy Pass would be to drop right down into the valley to the west and grovel back up on the north side of the next summit. This really did not seem like much fun, so we decided to turn south and head towards Wasootch Ridge instead. We hiked along the ridge and over another small 8,400 foot summit and then dropped down snow slopes to the head of the valley on the west.

Then it was back up again to a short northerly trending ridge above Porcupine Creek, which we followed to a small blip on the ridge to the east of Wasootch Ridge. From here we saw that we could have stayed high and got to the same location by going over the next minor summit to the south. In deteriorating weather we descended to a col, then scrambled the final 600 feet up to the summit of Wasootch Ridge. Hiking out down Wasootch Ridge we were treated to horizontal rain, snow, graupel and howling winds. We got out to the road at about 6.00pm and staggered down the road to our second car at Baldy Pass trail head.

Mount Howard: Southeast Ridge

We had a 9.15 am departure on a warm spring day and cycled the first few kilometres up the Little Elbow River to the Nihahi Creek trail. Although we attempted to cycle up the Nihahi Creek trail, at my insistence, the trail is way too steep. For the first couple of kilometres up Nihahi Creek, the trail climbs over a forested ridge to avoid a canyon. After a couple of kilometres, the trail drops into the Creek and soon disappears. Nihahi Creek is quite broad and travel is easy to the forks (about one hour). We took the left fork (west) and soon passed the ascent ridge for Mt. Fullerton (still a fair bit of snow). Two kilometres past the forks we gained a small subsidiary ridge running off the main south east ridge of Mt. Howard (GR433333). This is a bit steep and treed at first but soon climbs above treeline and gains a broad shoulder which is followed to the main south east ridge at GR436340. We followed the south east ridge (broad and easy going) to some easy scrambling a few hundred feet below the summit. When the terrain became too steep we contoured easily around to the south ridge which is followed on blocky talus to the final summit ridge and an easy stroll to the summit.

After spending an hour scanning nearby peaks for other climbers we headed off the west ridge to a col (GR418349) then gained the curving north ridge in a descending traverse down snow and easy scree. The north ridge soon turns to the east and we strolled along this pleasant broad ridge in increasing wind to a col at GR435361. At this point we had completed a U shape with the summit of Mt. Howard at the base of the U. The descent from the col into the valley was easy on our knees as it is not very steep. In the upper valley we found a seasonal tarn among pretty meadows. Nihahi Creek is then followed back to the forks. A canyon in the Creek just above the forks requires a traverse high along the east bank on an animal trail. The walk out down the creek bed seems long on tired feet. A pleasant rambling ridge traverse with a multiple of route possibilities. No crowds.

The Bivouac Files

For years I put all my trip reports on Bivouac.com (The Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia). These days the site looks clunky, particularly compared to flash “influencer” pages, but true to its mission, Bivouac.com has always been the definitive source for mountaineering, climbing, hiking, ski touring and even a little bit of sea kayaking information. My friend, Robin Tivy, runs the site, but Robin is getting old, and one day, I fear, Bivouac.com will disappear.

Robin demonstrating impeccable creek crossing technique

on a ski traverse through Manning Provincial Park in BC

In addition to dozens of trip reports which exist on Bivouac.com and nowhere else, I’ve also contributed dozens if not hundreds of route descriptions. I don’t want to completely lose all this information so I am going to endeavour to repost all my Bivouac.com trip reports here. This means lots of trip reports with few photos (digital cameras did not exist when I started climbing, and I don’t have access to a high quality slide scanner – plus I’ve got thousands of unlabeled slides) most of which are from Canada. Skip ahead if you want.

Robin delaying the inevitable exit from a warm tent 

on a cold morning, Maligne Range ski traverse, AB

Back to The Budawangs: Profile Rock Hill and Yurnga Lookout

Once. One time. Numero uno. That’s how many times I’ve carried an overnight pack in the last year. It’s just over one year since I almost died from an anaphylactic reaction to a tick bite and, with ticks being endemic over much of eastern Australia, I’ve had to change my bushwalking habits just to stay alive. Some places, I simply don’t go anymore, other places I go with (what I consider) extreme precautions – 80% Deet from head to toe (including in my hair), permethrine treated clothing (long sleeves, long pants tucked into socks) and backpacks, and I avoid bushwacking as a general rule as that increases my chances of picking up one or more of the small but deadly parasites. Cautiously, however, I decided to take my chances on an overnight bushwalk into the Budawangs. I’ve done a lot of bushwacking in the Budawangs and I’ve never got a tick, but they are there – recent reports from volunteers working on the old northern trail up Didthul confirmed the presence of ticks. I was hopeful, however, that if we walked into the higher elevation areas of the Budawangs from further inland, I might be safe.

Doug came along. I’m never sure these days if he comes because he wants to or because he is afraid I’ll die somewhere in the bush after getting a tick bite and not getting epinephrine quickly enough. Certainly, if I am out bush for a long time – a not uncommon occurrence – I’ll frequently get a text from him checking to make sure I’m still conscious!

We decided to walk into the Burrumbeet valley and camp by Burrumbeet Brook. We thought this trail would be mostly free of overhanging vegetation, the campsite is open without dense vegetation, there’s a pleasant stream running right by camp and a toilet. For those that like camping caves, there are plenty of those as well. I’ve walked in this way multiple times in the past and it is one of the easier ways into the heart of the Budawangs as the trail has little elevation gain and is reasonable (by Budawang standards). I had hopes of getting up on top of Mount Bibbenluke and Profile Rock Hill. Once upon a time I had a plan to climb all the Budawang peaks but, in the absence of another massive bushfire, I’ve given that up. The Budawang bush is back, probably worse than it was before the 2020 fires and with the increased possibility of getting tick bites and the general suffering involved in trying to penetrate the scrub, the appeal of that goal has declined precipitously.

The walk into camp went smoothly enough except that Doug accidentally walked up and over Corang Peak while I took the track that skirts around the east side. There is a good view from the top of Corang Peak as the vegetation has not got too high yet but the first time I went up Corang Peak in 2012 the bush was so high and dense that there really was no view even if you climbed atop the cairn. We found a good camp beside Burrumbeet Brook, put the tent up and made a lovely large jug of tea to accompany lunch. I had carried a camp chair in so that I did not have to sit on the ground and possibly encounter ticks, which was a pleasant but heavy luxury!

In the afternoon, we walked back along the track to a saddle south of Profile Rock Hill where we traversed easily (the bush was reasonably open) along the eastern side of Profile Rock Hill until we were able to walk to the top avoiding the cliffs that line the south side of the hill. The top is (at this time) only lightly vegetated and provides good views.

Next morning after the requisite jug of coffee, we packed up for a day walk to Mount Bibbenluke. The track beyond Burrumbeet campsite is considerably rougher than the section out to Wog Wog. The vegetation is thicker and beginning to ingress onto the trail much as it did before the fires, the track is heavily eroded into a deep channel, and the presence of 30 cm high boards across the trail (presumably originally designed to manage water flow) makes walking along the trail a mini-obstacle course. As we got near to Mount Bibbenluke, the scrub got thicker and denser. In parts, it was a complete wall of thick, spiky, virtually impenetrable scrub. By the time we got to the spot we had picked out from the map as a possible route up, we had gone completely off the idea of thrashing through bush to gain the upper plateau which looked as scrubby as the valley.

Instead, we walked across to what is now known as Bibbenluke camp which I have always called Corang camp as it is at the start of the Corang River (this camp is named Bibbenluke camp on the map at the trail head). The camp looked much as it had when we camped here in 2012. On the way back to camp we found the trail up to Yurnga Lookout. I do not remember this track from 2012 but it appeared some time after the fires. I bashed up to the cliffs just south of Yurnga Lookout in 2019 on a solo trip around the Corang circuit. At that time, the track up the valley to Bibbenluke camp was hellishly overgrown and it was almost indistinguishable from just bushwacking. The Yurnga track now is pretty clear – take the lower (left) turn at a fork which although it looks as if it descends actually leads to a good lookout on slabs and pagodas.

After sitting about at the lookout for a while we walked back to camp for tea. At around 5:00 pm, a large group of youth (presumably school students) walked past and camped somewhere past us (possibly the camp caves) from whence they proceeded to make an outrageous amount of noise.

On the third day we walked out taking the Canowie Brook/CorangRiver route. The track is reasonably well walked in but can be tricky to follow in a few locations. Notably, at the first fork when one trail goes up and one goes down, follow the uphill track unless you want to visit the cascades. If you choose the lower fork, you will eventually have to walk uphill to join the through trail which traverses the slope about 30 metres above the river. At Broula Brook, it is easy to miss the trail which heads out of the creek slightly upstream from the campsite (nice campsites here).

Corang lagoon is off limits now and a fence marks the private property line. I believe that people are still accessing the lagoon via the north side of the river which is national park (check the Bushwalk forum or the Facebook group). There is a good track that follows the fence line to Goodsell Creek where the new route joins the old track. The new route climbs up and down multiple times, never very big elevation gains but enough to feel a wee bit tiring (at least if you are as out of shape at pack carrying as me). At Goodsell Creek, the regrowth is very, very thick and we lost the trail for a bit but managed to locate it by backtracking and following the eastern most tributary of Goodsell Creek for a short distance until the track climbs up a small ridge. There is a bit of pink flagging but it is easy to miss. The remainder of the trail is clear. The walk out took us almost an hour longer than the walk in. I suffered along walking in long pants and a long sleeve shirt until we got to the main trail junction (I hate walking in excessive clothing) and had sweat running profusely down my arms and legs. The final four kilometres of the trail is very clear and I felt eminently better once I changed into shorts and a tee-shirt.