Unnamed Peaks At GR332455

BOU AVENUE
Unnamed Peaks At GR332455

Wasootch Tower is a prominent rock pinnacle which stands guard over Wasootch Creek in the Kananaskis Valley. On 30 September 2001, I did a solo trip up the creek to see if it would be possible to scramble up the backside of the Tower. There is a major drainage just south of the Tower, and I thought that a reasonable route might be found here. As I climbed up the drainage however, I could see that the Tower was guarded on all sides by steep cliffs. Surmounting it would require technical climbing which is beyond my capabilities. Undaunted, I continued up the drainage into the upper basin just to see how far I could get. To my surprise, the angle of the scree and slabs in the upper basin were quite reasonable, and I eventually made my way up to a saddle which granted spectacular views of the Kananaskis Village and the surrounding mountains. From the saddle, I headed north and scrambled up the twin peaks located roughly at GR332455. These two unnamed peaks (I estimate their elevations to be about 2300 metres) are actually the terminus of a long ridge extending northwest from Mount McDougall.

At the lower north peak, I had a bit of a mishap when I stopped for a brief snack. I was about to enjoy a nice cold Coke while soaking in the fantastic scenery when a sudden wind gust blew my hat off. When I instinctively reached up to grab my hat, the Coke bottle flew out of my hands and started tumbling down the steep slope behind me. The bouncing bottle brought back horrible memories of my camera bouncing down Vermilion Peak on a previous scramble trip. I was also unable to snag my hat, but I quickly found it only about ten metres below me on the north slope. I curtailed my summit break and descended the easy slope to retrieve my hat. Much further down, I found my Coke bottle, and despite a puncture near the neck, it was still half full with plenty of fizz left. I quickly drank the rest of the Coke and continued my descent by following a drainage running north from the twin peaks to the highway. A short jaunt along a gravel road brought me back to the parking lot. The entire traverse from start to finish took me 5 hours and 38 minutes. More importantly, I found a profound satisfaction in being able to complete this trip solo and without the aid of guidebooks.

Not a scramble! This is the view of the backside of Wasootch Tower from the upper basin.

Another gorgeous day in Kananaskis Country! Mount Kidd is in the middle while snowy Mount Bogart is further right in this view from the saddle.

Surprisingly easy terrain... The route up the south peak follows the easy slope at center before finishing with some moderate scrambling just before the summit.

Not done yet... Sonny sits contentedly on top of the south peak.

Two peaks for the price of one! Sonny nears the top of the north peak after traversing from the south peak behind him.

	This is the view of the backside of Wasootch Tower from the upper basin.
	Mount Kidd is in the middle while snowy Mount Bogart is further right in this view from the saddle.
	The route up the south peak follows the easy slope at center before finishing with some moderate scrambling just before the summit.
	Sonny sits contentedly on top of the south peak.
	Sonny nears the top of the north peak after traversing from the south peak behind him.