Mount Seven

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.

	Kelly hikes the spur road leading to the actual trailhead which is on top of the forested bump ahead.
	The remainder of the route to Mount Seven is revealed at the first bump beyond the actual trailhead.
	Here is the view of Mount Seven from its immediate northwest outlier.
	The route climbs up over the shoulder on the right. Note the hang glider at upper right.
	Sonny reaches the top of the shoulder.
	A deep notch separates this vantage point from the rest of the summit ridge. The summit is visible just right of centre.
	Sonny sits beside the cairn on the 2527-metre summit of Mount Seven.
	Mount Vaux is visible to the east.
	This is looking south across the Columbia River valley.
	Here is a closer look at some of the ice fields that are visible to the south.
	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.
	Further to the northwest is Moberly Peak.
	To the northeast are some unnamed peaks of the Van Horne Range.
	Also visible to the northeast is Mount King.
	To the southeast are some unnamed peaks of the Beaverfoot Range.
	Also visible to the southeast is Kapristo Mountain.
	This is looking west along the summit ridge of Mount Seven.
	Sonny pauses at the big notch along the summit ridge.
	Here is another view of Mount Seven's northwest ridge from the aforementioned shoulder.
	A paraglider flies high near Mount Seven.
	Here is another look at the paraglider.
	The late-day sun reflects off the waters of the Columbia River.
	This is the route as viewed in Google Earth.
	Total Distance: 9.1 kilometres Round-Trip Time: 4 hours 14 minutes Total Elevation Gain: 846 metres GPX Data