Ironstone Lookout
December 9, 2017
Mountain
height: 2073 m
Elevation gain: approximately 500 m
Ascent
time: 1:25
Descent
time: 0:55
Solo snowshoe.
It’s
always great to get beta right from “the horse’s mouth”.
In this the case the horse was none other than famed author, Joey Ambrosi. Mr.
Ambrosi has written several guidebooks, including the outstanding Southern
Rockies Trail Guide, and he is an expert on the mountains of southwest
Alberta and southeast BC. Dave McMurraywas
kind enough to connect me with Joey and we started a correspondence
regarding hiking trips in the southern Canadian Rockies. Ironstone
Lookout made
it into Joey’s list of “best trips” in the Crowsnest area and after
completing the ascent I can see why – the ascent is easy, sceinic and
the summit view fantastic!
Fortune
was definitely in my favour for the day:
- I was able to drive all the way up to
where the lookout trail diverges from the main logging road, shaving several
kilometres off the trip each way;
- the forecasted 80km/h winds never materialized
and I reached the summit in almost perfectly still conditions;
- the weather improved as I made my way up and
I was rewarded with a magnificently sunny summit view.
After a
lengthy summit stay, I traversed north to a nearby lower summit, but returned
to the col afterwards, recalling Bob
Spirko’s extension to the same point and beyond. The descent was one of the
easiest I’ve ever done – all downhill, at just the right grade to make it
effortless.
Big thanks
to Mr. Ambrosi for this one!
The view of the north end of the Flathead Range is one of the trip's best features
Low clouds fill the valley to the west near
Crowsnest Ridge (lower right). It would be have pretty sweet to be on
that summit in the morning!
Distinctive Mount Washburn is quite distant but still dominates the horizon.
Cloudy conditions persist as I reach the ridge, but clear weather to the west is soon to arrive
Washburn and the valley look even cooler as the sun rises
The lookout in sight
Last look at Washburn and the valley before the clouds dissipate
Ironstone Lookout
Summit view to the north and west
Andy Good Peak
The east summit of Mount Coulthard
Summit view to the west and south
Coulthard, Andy Good and scary Mount Parrish!
Leaving the lookout
Mount Parrish - make sure your will is in order!
Enjoying the Sun and the easy descent
Another look at the terrific mountains of the Flathead Range
Snow scenery
The perfect geometry of nature
The End
