BOU AVENUE
Fisher Peak

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On 4 October 2003, I rode and pushed my mountain bike up the Evan-Thomas Creek trail to the base of Fisher Peak in Kananaskis Country.  After stashing my bike, I hiked up through forest and huge boulder fields to reach a high grassy plateau, a very scenic spot to while away the day.  As tempting as it was to do so, I instead continued up the northwest ridge en route to the summit of Fisher Peak.  The summit ridge was extremely challenging for me--lots of exposure and difficult down-climbing.  Thankfully, I didn't have to also fight the elements as it was a warm and windless day.

While the summit ridge was easier on the return trip, the rest of the descent was far from trivial.  The northwest ridge seemed never-ending, and the boulder fields below the plateau were especially tiresome to descend.  Since it was beginning to get dark, I was also worried about wasting time trying to find my bike after thrashing through the forest.  As luck would have it, I emerged from the trees only a few metres from where I had stashed my bike.  The ride back to the parking lot (round-trip time of 10.5 hours) was bone-jarring and quick.

	This is looking up from the bottom of a boulder field.  It's better to stick to the trees for as long as possible.
	Sonny studies the northwest ridge of Fisher Peak from the grassy plateau.
	Sonny climbs up the northwest ridge.  The summit is much farther away than it looks.
	This is looking along a ledge at the crux step.
	This is the crux step as seen from the summit ridge.  Click here to view Sonny's approximate descent and ascent routes.
	Further along the summit ridge, there are numerous other tricky spots to descend.
	Mentally and physically exhausted, Sonny perishes just metres from the true summit.  Just kidding.
	Sonny sits atop the 3053-metre summit of Fisher Peak.  Click here to see what Sonny wrote in the summit register.
	The trailhead is about eleven kilometres away from the summit.
	The moon rises just to the right of Fisher Peak.