Fossil Mountain
July 27, 2005
Mountain height: 2,946 m (9,663 ft)
Elevation gain: 736 m
Ascent time: 2:15
(from Hidden Lake)
Descent time: 1:05
Solo scramble.
Believe it or not, I was actually hoping to wake
up to a cloudy day. I was still quite exhausted from last week’s 5-day trip,
the hike in to Hidden Lake, and Richardson,
Pika, and Redoubt, and I was experiencing problems with my feet. If it was
cloudy, we would just pack up and walk out. However, one doesn’t waste a
blue-sky day in such a beautiful area, and so when I did wake up to see only a
single cloud over Redoubt, a summit was in order. I chose Fossil Mountain
because of the promised great summit view. Not only was the summit panorama
fantastic, but the scenery en route to the summit was breath-taking and my
ascent was greatly slowed by innumerable photo opportunities. A great end to a
great 3-day trip, in the spectacular surroundings of the Skoki area.
