BOU AVENUE
Stanley Peak
After scrambling up Mount Ball and Beatrice Peak the previous day, Bob Parr and I got up reasonably early on 27 August 2006 in hopes of tagging the summit of Stanley Peak from our bivouac site at the head of Haffner Creek in Kootenay National Park.  The idea for this route, which is different from the one described in Alan Kane's guidebook, came courtesy of Paul Russell and Dave Stephens.  Before setting off for Stanley Peak, Bob and I decided to eat what was supposed to have been our dinner from the previous night.  The water in the pathetic little karst bowl near our tents looked rather grim.  Thus, I hiked back up to the last trees to fetch water from the spring I had stumbled across in the dark.  Although Bob seemed to enjoy his spaghetti breakfast, my Lipton Sidekick pasta left a lot to be desired (just adding boiling hot water is not good enough).  I choked down my still-crunchy pasta anyway because I knew I would need every last bit of energy to get through this day.  We were on our way by 8:45 AM.

Our ascent of Stanley Peak was very enjoyable and problem-free.  As Dave already noted in his trip report, the scrambling here is only moderately difficult, and there are no serious route-finding issues.  Bob and I tagged the summit at 12:25 PM and were thankful for the gloriously clear views in all directions.  A leisurely descent had us back at our camp by 3:07 PM.  We then took a short break before packing up our camping gear under the hot afternoon sun.  By 3:49 PM, we began the long arduous journey back out Haffner Creek.  Although we now knew what to expect and were a little more mentally prepared, the bushwhacking was no less aggravating.  Among the most annoying things we had to thrash through were these curved, blackened stakes protruding about three to five feet from the ground and tapering off to a pointy end that sported several nasty barbs.  On one particular occasion, one of these things got snagged in the crotch of my stretchy pants, and I was in such an awkward position that I simply could not untangle myself.  I asked Bob for some assistance, and after telling me to bend over, he quickly added that he never imagined he would be saying something like that to another man in his life!  It was a classic Bob Parr quip.

We eventually had to climb up the slope to bypass the canyon at the mouth of the valley, but rather than following the winding loops of Marble Canyon Campground, we endured a little more bushwhacking alongside Haffner Creek until we regained the gravel road we had originally started hiking on the day before.  Back at my car at 8:15 PM, we were weary, sore, and thankful to be leaving Haffner Creek behind us for good.
There are lots of possible route variations here. This is looking up the relatively easy south face of Stanley Peak.  Bob and Sonny would ascend the rib on the left and eventually descend the adjacent gully to the right.
That section above the staircase is very steep and loose. Bob descends a stone staircase to access the hanging valley just south of Stanley Peak.
Easy plodding so far. Bob takes a break on the lower slopes of Stanley Peak.
That glissade was a lot of fun. Here is a close-up view of Mount Ball from the lower slopes of Stanley Peak.  Sonny's glissade tracks from the previous day are visible.
But only a little! It's certainly not the beast that apparently is Kane's route. The terrain is a little more challenging on the upper mountain.
Ahh...fond memories of my very first backpack trip... The Rockwall is visible to the west.
Another attractive 11,000-footer! This is a zoomed-in shot of the Howser Spire Massif in the Purcell Range.  The north tower (3398 metres) is the highest summit in the Bugaboos.
Lotsa fun here! Bob ascends typical terrain on the upper slopes.
What a superb day to be up here! Bob takes the last few steps before the summit.
This closes out the Banff Area in Kane's guidebook for both Bob and me. Bob and Sonny show off the register at the 3154-metre summit of Stanley Peak.
It was very satisfying to be able to see many of the other Banff Area Kane peaks from the summit of Stanley Peak. This is looking southeast toward Mount Ball.  Also visible at left are Pilot Mountain, Mount Brett and Mount Bourgeau.
Mount Vaux deserves some serious consideration for a future trip... The Goodsir Tower and glaciated Mount Vaux attract the most attention to the west.
Seems like eons ago when I scrambled up Temple and Whymper. A sea of peaks stretch away to the north.  At right in the foreground is Mount Whymper.  Behind it is Mount Temple.
Looks like a long scree slog without any snow. Storm Mountain looks bone-dry to the northeast.
Actually, he was thinking, "We're an awfully long way from the nearest outhouse!" Bob pauses to admire the view to the west before turning his attention to the descent.
A lot of tedious down-climbing here... Bob carefully picks his way down the upper mountain.
Some of the scree here is good for surfing. This is near the top of the broad descent gully.
My pathetic bowl of water had completely dried up by this time. Bob returns to the bivouac site.
Adios, Mount Ball! Here is one last look at Mount Ball (centre) from the bivouac site.
Four hours of hell coming up! Bob begins to descend the headwall.
Let's come back and do this again next week! Bob bushwhacks.