Folding Mountain

BOU AVENUE
Folding Mountain

On 18 May 2019, Asieh Ghodratabadi, Bob Parr, Ali Shariat, Zosia Zgolak and I hiked up Folding Mountain which is located about 22 kilometres southwest of Hinton, Alberta. The route is described in A Peakbagger's Guide to the Canadian Rockies: North by Ben Nearingburg and Eric Coulthard. All of us were staying at HI Jasper hostel for the long weekend, but some of us hardly slept the previous night due to a very loud snorer in our common room (the snorer was moved to another room after another guest complained to staff). As such, I was already feeling quite weary when we started hiking from the trailhead which is located on the south side of Highway 16 about 4.9 kilometres east of the Jasper National Park gates or 23 kilometres west of the junction with Switzer Drive in Hinton (there is a parking lot with restrooms about 500 metres west of the trailhead). The trail climbs relentlessly for the first couple of kilometres before leveling out somewhat on the long northwest ridge of Folding Mountain. I seemed to get my second wind once we got past this initial steep section. There are several open areas along the forested northwest ridge, but on this day, low clouds obscured any far-reaching views. We also encountered numerous snow patches along the way, and while some of the trail had already been broken by a previous party, we still had to post-hole through some sections higher up the mountain. Wet boots were inevitable for everyone. The final slope on the summit block is steep and loose, but fortunately, it was mostly snow-free. Upon reaching a wooden pole marking the summit, we took an obligatory group photo before promptly retreating the way we came. The return trip felt long but was otherwise uneventful. Some of us may even have been sleep-walking for parts of the descent!

	This sign marks the start of the trail up Folding Mountain.
	Bob stops for a rest break while Sonny leans on his poles for a nap. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Although the trail is in good shape, the initial climb up the ridge is relentless.
	Mist envelopes the forested northwest ridge of Folding Mountain.
	Ali, Asieh, Zosia and Bob trudge through one of the many snow patches along the ridge.
	The slope drops off dramatically to the left along this steep section of snow-covered trail.
	The group continues up another snowy section of the ridge under a thick mist.
	The final slope before the summit is steep and loose.
	Bob works his way above some ominous rocks not far from the top.
	Bob, Zosia, Asieh, Ali and Sonny reach the summit of Folding Mountain (2119 metres).
	The mist clears a bit while the group retraces its steps down the ridge.
	Asieh, Ali, Bob and Sonny descend the snowy ridge. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Bob carefully descends a partially snow-covered section of trail with a steep drop-off on the right.
	Bob, Asieh, Ali and Sonny pause during their descent to gaze at some of the distant ridges that were obscured by mist earlier in the day. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Total Distance: 15.5 kilometres Round-Trip Time: 6 hours 50 minutes Net Elevation Gain: 978 metres GPX Data