BOU AVENUE
Sentry Mountain

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Despite an unsettled weather forecast for 29 May 2004, I headed down to the Crowsnest Pass area to scramble up Sentry Mountain (2410 metres).  Crowsnest Creek was tricky to ford because it was deep and had a pretty fast current on this day.  Once past this obstacle, I climbed out of the rock quarry and up through some intervening trees to the open slopes above.  I then settled into a steady climb up the west ridge.  The weather was a mixed bag on this day although I was fortunate to have relatively clear skies over me while I was on the upper mountain.  The wind unfortunately was a constant throughout the day, and I had to stay extra focused on maintaining my balance on some of the more exposed sections of the ridge.  After reaching the summit, I hastily snapped some photographs and signed the register before retreating down the mountain as some rain clouds moved into the area.  By the time I reached the creek, I was thoroughly soaked by a steady rain.  I didn't even bother changing into my sandals and simply tramped through the creek in my boots.  Thankfully, my car was just on the other side.  My round-trip time was about 6 hours.

	Sonny takes a chance climbing up an old, decrepit ladder left in the rock quarry.
	This is a view of the spectacular cirque south of Sentry Mountain.
	The west ridge is initially quite broad and easy to ascend.
	This is where the ridge begins to narrow and the scrambling gets interesting.  The true summit is not yet visible.
	This is the "triangular rock face" as described by Alan Kane.  It is actually quite easy to circumvent on the left side
	The true summit is visible at this point and is very close.  Traversing the intervening ridge requires some care since it is quite exposed on both sides.  That's Turtle Mountain in the distance.
	This is the most exposed section along the ridge crest.
	Sonny's ice axe is planted in the summit cairn.  Shrouded by clouds are Seven Sisters and Crowsnest Mountain.
	From the summit of Sentry Mountain, it may be feasible to scramble up the adjacent peak to the south.