BOU AVENUE
Boundary Peak
On 25 November 2023, Zosia Zgolak and I
scrambled up unofficially-named Boundary Peak located on the border
between Alberta's Kananaskis Country Public Land Use Zone and Elbow-Sheep
Wildland Provincial Park. Zosia proposed this trip after reading a
report by Bob Spirko, and we would use the same approach via South
Lusk Meadows which is detailed in Gillean Daffern's Kananaskis Country
Trail Guide. Another impetus for this trip was to take
advantage of the eastern access for Lusk Pass prior to the annual closure
(December 1 to May 14) of Powderface Trail (2WD gravel road).
Joining us on this day were a couple of Polish hikers--Malgosia and
Marcin--that we met on our recent Halloween
hike.
Starting from our parking spot along Powderface Trail (50.98701,
-114.95587), Malgosia, Marcin, Zosia and I walked north along the road
for about 100 metres to the signed eastern trailhead for Lusk Pass.
We then hiked the official trail for about 500 metres before turning left
onto an unmarked path which is easy to miss especially with any
appreciable snow cover. Heading southwest, we followed the path along an unnamed
tributary of Jumpingpound Creek, and we had no issues with creek
crossings and boggy sections since everything was mostly frozen.
About 1.3 kilometres from the turnoff, we passed through the campsite
mentioned in Spirko's report. The campsite is located at a split in
the tributary, and we had to muddle around a bit here before picking up
the path again alongside the northern branch. Because of some
downed trees, we briefly lost the path about 700 metres west of the
campsite, but after checking our GPS, we were able to make a course
correction and get back on track. We eventually reached a narrow
cutline which led us without fuss to the head of the valley where we made
an abrupt right turn and climbed out of the trees onto South Lusk
Meadows. From there, we crossed a brief dip before climbing up a
steep snow-covered rubble slope below what happens to be the extension of
Boundary Peak's north ridge. There were a few deep pockets of snow
mostly around the last trees, but fortunately, we did not have to
post-hole too much. Upon gaining the ridge crest, we turned right
and quickly tagged a minor high point which is labeled on
OpenTopoMap as "Boundary Ridge".
We took a short break here before backtracking to where we first gained
the ridge crest and continuing onward to Boundary Peak. Other than
one moderately steep but short section of easy scrambling, the north
ridge of Boundary Peak presents no serious challenges, and we easily
reached the summit about 70 minutes after leaving the high point of
Boundary Ridge.
Malgosia, Marcin, Zosia and I stopped for a
longer break on the summit of Boundary Peak before commencing our
descent. Retracing our footprints, we had no issues returning to
where we first gained the ridge crest. Interestingly, we
encountered a bighorn sheep here going in the opposite direction, and as
it kept coming toward us, we stood still and wondered if it would simply
walk right past us on the ridge crest. As it turned out, the sheep
veered off the ridge crest at the last moment and quickly detoured around
us before continuing on its merry way toward Boundary Peak. After
our close encounter with the sheep, we dropped down the steep
snow-covered rubble slope back to South Lusk Meadows. We had to be
careful with the slippery footing here, but thankfully, we all made it
down safely without any mishaps. The ensuing hike down the cutline
and out the valley felt monotonously long but was otherwise
straightforward and uneventful.
Malgosia joins Zosia and Marcin on the high point of unofficially-named Boundary Ridge (2181
metres). At left is Midday Peak while
Mount Baldy is
visible at centre.
|
Here is the view of Boundary Peak from
the high point of Boundary Ridge. |
|
The group hikes along the connecting
ridge to Boundary Peak. |
|
Zosia scrambles up the steepest
section of Boundary Peak's north ridge. |
|
The remainder of the ascent is just an easy hike up snow-covered
rubble. |
|
Much of the approach can be seen
behind Marcin and Malgosia as they finish their climb. At far
left is South Lusk Meadows, and the approach valley is visible at
centre. |
|
Malgosia, Marcin, Zosia and Sonny
stand on the summit of Boundary Peak (2440 metres). |
|
In the foreground to the southeast is
Belmore
Browne Peak. |
|
Here is the summit view to the south. |
Numerous familiar peaks stretch across the western horizon.