BOU AVENUE
Mount Niles
Following last year's successful group scramble up Narao Peak, another small group of us from the Rocky Mountain Books WebForum decided to get together to scramble up Mount Niles in Yoho National Park on 14 August 2004.  Dinah Kruze, Frank Nelson, Bob Spirko and I drove out in Frank's minivan to the trailhead at Wapta Lake picnic area, and we were on the trail by 8:15 AM.  The hike to Niles Meadows is easy but long.  It took us over two hours to reach the meadows where we took a short break before continuing up an obvious drainage at the north end.  Past the drainage, we met a nice couple, Brigitte Greve and Martin Siddles, who had camped in the meadows the night before and were also on their way up Mount Niles.  We accompanied them through a large boulder field to the col west of Mount Niles.  While Brigitte and Martin took a break there, the rest of us continued up the west slope and reached the summit of Mount Niles about an hour after leaving the col.  The weather was so nice on this day that we stayed on the summit for almost an hour before beginning our long descent (by which time, Brigitte and Martin had already joined us at the summit).  Although the return trip was uneventful, the lengthy march took its toll on our feet, and the stifling afternoon heat gave all of us, except for Bob, a slight headache--but nothing a stop at the Dairy Queen in Canmore, Alberta couldn't cure!  Our round-trip time was just a little over 9 hours.  While bagging Mount Niles in splendid weather probably counts for something, the real success of this trip was the great chemistry of the participants.  I had a lot of fun and look forward to the next group scramble.

Check out Frank's and Bob's photos of this trip.
Still a long ways to the summit from here! Mount Niles is reflected in Sherbrooke Lake.
Nice camping spot! Frank and Dinah enter Niles Meadows.  Aiming for the col to the left of Mount Niles, they would eventually head straight up the gully at the far end of the meadow.
Probably not a scramble! This is an unnamed peak west of Niles Meadows.
Where did all these people come from?! It's a race to the col!
About another hour to the summit from here! This is a prominent rock pinnacle near the col.
Nothing too difficult here. Bob and Frank work their way up the loose rubble.
4 hours and 45 minutes from the parking lot. Bob stands on the summit of Mount Niles (2972 metres) while Frank (right) is very close.  The Waputik Icefield can be seen at left.
What does your GPS say, Dinah? Dinah takes the last few steps to the summit.  Sherbrooke Lake and many of the peaks in the Lake Louise area are visible in the distance.
What a view! Frank checks out the Daly Glacier and Waputik Icefield.  Mount Balfour is visible at left.
Another successful group scramble! Gathered around the summit cairn are (L to R) Frank, Dinah, Sonny and Bob.  The snow-capped peak just to the left of Frank is Mount Carnarvon.
Past all difficulties here. A long slog ahead, though... Dinah, Frank and Bob make their way down a broad scree gully on the return trip.