BOU AVENUE
Anthozoan Mountain
I returned to the Skoki area of Banff National Park on 2 July 2007 to scramble up Anthozoan Mountain.  Having been at a wedding reception the night before, I slept in and got off to a late start (as usual).  I had previously hiked, skied, and been driven by both truck and snowmobile up the Temple Fire Road, but this time, I brought my bike along for what turned out to be quite a workout.  Although I managed to pedal most of the way to the trail head, I had to push my bike up one particularly steep section (just before the horse corral).  I arrived at the trail head about 45 minutes after leaving the Fish Creek parking lot, and after ditching my bike, I promptly started up the trail to Skoki.  At Boulder Pass, I left the trail and worked my way along the south shore of Ptarmigan Lake until I circled around the north end of Heather Ridge.  Although traveling cross-country to the base of Anthozoan Mountain was generally easy, my boots and socks eventually became soaked by the moist ground and abundant snow patches.  I was also somewhat annoyed at having to lose and regain elevation because of the undulating terrain.  I climbed a big snow slope at the north end of Anthozoan Mountain, and it seemed to take me forever (actually about 50 minutes from the base of the slope) to reach the north summit.  Traversing to the south (true) summit along the connecting ridge was much more enjoyable.  I spent less than twenty minutes at the summit before turning around and retracing my steps.  Most notable on my return trip was the exciting glissade down the aforementioned snow slope (6 minutes to descend) and the even more exciting bike ride back to the parking lot.  The return ride took 8 minutes but could have been even quicker had I not been applying the brakes with much sanity.  My overall round-trip time was less than 9 hours.
The weather doesn't look promising though! A rare bit of sunshine hits the glacier on Mount Temple.
Looks rather somber with the dark clouds overhead. This is the standard view across Ptarmigan Lake of Fossil Mountain, Mount Douglas and Mount St. Bride.
The snow was generally good for walking. Sonny marches through some snow as Brachiopod Mountain and the north end of Anthozoan Mountain come into view.
Looks like it's in good shape for scrambling! Here is a closer look at Brachiopod Mountain.
That north summit on the left is further away than it seems. Sonny contemplates the long traverse of Anthozoan Mountain.
Snow might make the ascent easier. There is still a lot of snow on Mount Richardson.
Also looks good for scrambling. This is Oyster Peak as seen from the north slope of Anthozoan Mountain.
This cairn is more impressive than the one at the south summit. Sonny stands beside the cairn on the north summit of Anthozoan Mountain.
Look at all the snow I had to walk through to get here! This is looking northwest from the north summit toward Mount Richardson and Ptarmigan Peak..
Probably don't want to be stepping on any of this snow... Snow still clings to the east side of the ridge between the two summits.
There are a couple of annoying false summits along the way. Sonny trudges along the ridge toward the south end of Anthozoan Mountain (the south summit is not visible here).
Bob Parr was the last person to sign the register. Sonny holds up an Alberta Centennial Mountain Expedition register at the 2695-metre south (true) summit of Anthozoan Mountain.
It took me about 45 minutes to traverse the ridge between the two summits. This is looking back at the north summit of Anthozoan Mountain.  Also visible are Brachiopod Mountain and Fossil Mountain.
Heather Ridge is an easy scramble. The view to the northwest includes Redoubt Mountain, Mount Richardson, Ptarmigan Peak, and Heather Ridge (foreground).
I had thought about approaching Anthozoan Mountain from Baker Creek. South of Anthozoan Mountain are TV Peak (far left on horizon), Protection Mountain, and Baker Creek.
Ptarmigan Peak is the last Kane scramble I have left to do in the Skoki area. The sun tries to break through above Ptarmigan Peak.
Brings back lots of cold memories for me! Fossil Mountain is illuminated by the late day sun.
Coolest-looking mountain in the Skoki area. The north end of Redoubt Mountain is reflected in Ptarmigan Lake.
Looks sorta like the international space station... The ice floes in Ptarmigan Lake form some interesting shapes.