From where we parked, Zosia and I continued on foot along Ruby Creek Road which actually improved after we passed the initial severely rutted section that prevented me from driving further.  At Ruby Pass, we intersected the proper access road (a lot of cursing ensued on my part) where we turned left and trudged the remaining distance to the trailhead.  Walking the extra 5.6 kilometres (with 380 metres elevation gain) to the trailhead took us an hour and thirty-two minutes.  From there, we followed a signed and well-maintained trail leading to the uppermost of the three Roman Nose Lakes.  A good trail continues partway around the south end of the upper lake but eventually peters out.  We initially began climbing at trail’s end in hopes of gaining Roman Nose’s north ridge, but we soon ran into steep cliffs that were too technical for our liking.  We promptly backed down and continued circling the lakeshore with some difficulty.  We eventually spotted what appeared to be a beaten path heading away from the lake, and even though it also soon petered out, we were able to push through some moderate bush before finally reaching a large talus slope.  We easily climbed up the talus slope and gained the crest of Roman Nose's north ridge without further grief.  The north ridge presents no difficulties, and the remainder of our ascent was straightforward.

Willhite mentioned in his report that others had ascended via the east ridge, and Zosia and I figured that we could complete a traverse and descend this way which would save us some distance and also spare us from having to bushwhack back to the upper lake.  The east ridge is steeper than the north ridge, but with a bit of route-finding, we made it down safely to a dip separating Roman Nose from its eastern outlier.  After climbing over the top of the outlier, we dropped down its very steep northeastern slopes.  Descending here was not as easy as it initially appeared as we had to contend with occasional steep drop-offs and surprisingly bushy terrain.  Nevertheless, we managed to muddle our way down and connect with one of the trails coming from the lakes, and the remaining walk back to the trailhead was stress-free.  The final long walk back to our parked car was uneventful (took us an hour and twenty-four minutes) though we probably garnered a few curious looks—and one facetious remark—from the numerous cars that passed us on the road above Ruby Pass.

	Ruby Creek Road is heavily rutted in places and is not the recommended access route for Roman Nose Lakes trailhead.
	After about 90 minutes of walking on dirt and gravel roads, Zosia finally arrives at the trailhead.
	Zosia follows a well-crafted boardwalk leading to the two upper Roman Nose Lakes.
	Zosia arrives at the uppermost of the three Roman Nose Lakes.  Directly behind her is the peak known as Roman Nose.
	Zosia runs into some steep cliffs after ascending prematurely from the upper lake.
	Zosia retreats back to the shore of the upper lake.
	Zosia finds a more reasonable route to the ridge crest via this talus slope.
	Zosia gains the crest of Roman Nose's north ridge.
	Zosia stands above the impressive north face of Roman Nose.
	Sonny and Zosia relax on the summit of Roman Nose (2220 metres).

Here is a panoramic view to the west from the top of Roman Nose.  To the right of Mount Roothaan is striking Chimney Rock.

 

	Here is an aerial view of the upper and middle Roman Nose Lakes from the summit.
	The ruins of a fire lookout which was destroyed by a wind storm in 1999 can be seen to the right of Zosia.  The fire lookout's access road is also visible further down the south ridge in the centre of the photograph.
	Zosia descends the east ridge of Roman Nose.
	Zosia heads for Roman Nose's eastern outlier (RN1).
	RN1 is evidently recovering from an old burn.
	Zosia traverses over the high point (2136 metres) of RN1.
	Zosia gets a good view of the lowest lake as she descends the steep northeastern slopes of RN1.
	Total Distance:  19.6 kilometres Round-Trip Time:  9 hours 19 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain:  855 metres GPX Data   FROM TRAILHEAD ONLY Total Distance:  8.5 kilometres Round-Trip Time:  6 hours 9 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain:  ~400 metres