BOU AVENUE
Gap Peak
After playing in a grueling volleyball tournament the day before and partying all night at a local bar, I was in no shape to go anywhere after crawling out of bed late on 4 April 2004.  Despite grand plans of eating junk food in front of the TV all day, I mustered up the resolve to go scrambling or die trying.  Subsequently, I was grinding my way up Gap Peak later that day at about 2:30 PM.  Gap Peak is the unofficial name (coined by Alan Kane) of a 2440-metre mountain located about 5 km northwest of Exshaw, Alberta.  Instead of approaching Gap Peak from the north via the connecting ridge to Mount Fable (as described by Kane), I would follow a route up the south ridge (as described by Bob Spirko).  In typical fashion, I briefly climbed up the wrong ridge and had to cross a gully before bushwhacking steeply up onto the proper ridge.  After bypassing a couple of cliff bands and groveling up a tiresome scree slope, I found myself on the summit ridge--a knife-edge in the sky.  I traversed this ridge carefully and topped out at about 6:30 PM.  After the obligatory summit photos, I quickly descended the broad gully to the southwest in order to hike out via Grotto Canyon.  This last leg of the trip seemed interminable, but I finally stumbled back to my car at 9:40 PM.
Still a long way to go... This is the view of the upper mountain past the first cliff band.
Watch for falling rocks! Sonny traverses below the second cliff band.
Just another tiresome scree slope. This is the scree slope beyond the second cliff band.  Gap Lake is visible in the distance.
The fun part begins! The true summit of Gap Peak is at right.  The intervening summit ridge offers a few thrills along the way.
The end is in sight! Sonny slowly staggers toward the true summit.
Another hard-won summit. Sonny plants his ice axe in the summit cairn.
Hmm...maybe some other life! This is the connecting ridge to Mount Fable which is visible at upper right.