BOU AVENUE
Mount Seven
Arriving in Golden, British Columbia on the afternoon of 23 July 2010, Kelly Bou and I checked into a local motel and had lunch before driving up the Mount Seven forestry service road to ascend its namesake mountain.  I had gotten the inspiration for this scramble from Wietse Bylsma a few years back, but for numerous reasons, I had yet to make an honest attempt at climbing this peak.  Although the route is evidently well-traveled, the outing is largely overshadowed by two popular activities in the same area--mountain biking and paragliding.  I probably could have driven my car up the very steep spur road to the actual trailhead, but instead, we left my car on the main road just before the parking area for Mount Seven Lookout.  The hike along the spur road was easy, but Kelly was not feeling well and decided to turn around when we reached a flagged route bypassing the trailhead.  This somewhat faint path saves maybe about 50 metres or so of elevation loss/gain at the expense of some added distance.  I soon merged onto the main trail and followed it without too much trouble up to the summit ridge.  Although it is possible to circumvent the difficulties along the summit ridge by traversing rubble well below the crest, I decided to tackle the ridge directly just for the fun of it.  I spent 30 minutes on the summit admiring the pleasing views before returning more or less the same way back to my car (Kelly had made herself comfortable with a good book while awaiting my return).  A quick drive down the forestry service road had us back relaxing in our motel shortly after.
The road is generally in good shape, but some very steep sections probably require a 4x4 vehicle. Kelly hikes the spur road leading to the actual trailhead which is on top of the forested bump ahead.
This vantage point is actually the third bump from where I started hiking. The remainder of the route to Mount Seven is revealed at the first bump beyond the actual trailhead.
There is a locked metal storage box on this outlier (not shown). Here is the view of Mount Seven from its immediate northwest outlier.
There were a lot of hang gliders, paragliders, and even a full glider around the mountain on this day. The route climbs up over the shoulder on the right.  Note the hang glider at upper right.
Go Navy! Sonny reaches the top of the shoulder.
Some moderate to difficult scrambling can be found here. A deep notch separates this vantage point from the rest of the summit ridge.  The summit is visible just right of centre.
A bit of a chilly breeze but otherwise not a bad evening to be up here. Sonny sits beside the cairn on the 2527-metre summit of Mount Seven.
Another one near the top of my "to do" list. Mount Vaux is visible to the east.
The sandy-coloured ridge at left would likely make a good extension to the trip up Mount Seven. This is looking south across the Columbia River valley.
More places to explore! Here is a closer look at some of the ice fields that are visible to the south.
Quite a few ups and downs to get here from my car. This is a comprehensive view of Mount Seven's northwest ridge.  Mount Seven Lookout is at the far tip (centre).  The town of Golden is visible as well.
Another must-do peak in the Golden area. Further to the northwest is Moberly Peak.
Peaks that I will probably never visit... To the northeast are some unnamed peaks of the Van Horne Range.
The more I see this peak, the more I want to climb it! Also visible to the northeast is Mount King.
More peaks that I will probably never visit... To the southeast are some unnamed peaks of the Beaverfoot Range.
Looks just as impregnable from this side. Also visible to the southeast is Kapristo Mountain.
Time to head back down. This is looking west along the summit ridge of Mount Seven.
I dropped down to skier's left here to avoid climbing back up the other side of the notch. Sonny pauses at the big notch along the summit ridge.
See the paraglider? Here is another view of Mount Seven's northwest ridge from the aforementioned shoulder.
Might be a nice way to bag peaks, no? A paraglider flies high near Mount Seven.
A paragliding competition was set to begin in Golden the following week. Here is another look at the paraglider.
A great way to end the day. The late-day sun reflects off the waters of the Columbia River.
The actual trailhead is where the GPS tracks make a right turn. This is the route as viewed in Google Earth. 
The net elevation gain was only 652 metres.

Total Distance:  9.1 kilometres
Round-Trip Time:  4 hours 14 minutes
Total Elevation Gain:  846 metres

GPX Data