BOU AVENUE
Turtle Mountain
On 2 July 2001, Dan Millar and I ascended Turtle Mountain (2204 metres) in the Crowsnest Pass region.  This mountain is forever linked with the Frank Slide of 1903 which partially buried the town of Frank and killed about 70 people.  Frank Slide (1990, Barker Publishing Ltd.) by J. William Kerr is an excellent source of information regarding the catastrophe.  Almost a hundred years later, the slide is as sublime as ever.  It's even more sobering to realize that most of those who perished are still buried under that rubble.  Meanwhile, Dan and I had to avoid some deep chasms while traversing between the two summits.  On several occasions, we peered over the edge of the abyss and could see the scars from a small slide that happened very recently.  This small slide was well-publicized in the media and undoubtedly renewed concerns about the safety of the local inhabitants.  After signing the summit register, we hiked a short distance to another knob further to the east.  This knob appeared to be slightly higher than the summit with the register.  Of course, some might argue that the true summit of Turtle Mountain lies somewhere in that pile of rocks down by the highway.  On the descent, the blazing heat of the sun was stifling, and both Dan and I appreciated the trailhead's close proximity to an ice cream/soda pop stand.
Standing on the brink of disaster...
Dan stands near one of the large rocks teetering on the edge.
This is the true summit!
The first summit is at left while the summit with the register is closer at right.
The traverse is not as easy as it looks.
Dan contemplates the return trip.  The scars from the recent slide can barely be seen in the shadows above Dan's head.