Paget Peak II

Paget Peak II and North Ridge extension

June 26, 2011

Mountain heights:
        Paget:                      2590 m
        Extension:               2730 m
Total elevation gain:        approx. 1300 m
Ascent time:
        Paget:                      2:30
        Extension:               1:45
Descent time:                 2:45

Solo scramble.

Alan Kane’s descriptor for Paget Peak, “This non-descript nubbin provides a view and a feeling of accomplishment that far surpass the actual effort involved in the ascent" provided more than enough motivation for me to revisit the summit, 9 years after my first trip. I also wanted to complete Mike Potter’s extension of the trip to a higher summit to the north.

The weather forecast for the day was about as depressing as depressing gets (completely overcast and rainy), however, a clearing trend was definitely on the way. I therefore started the trip at an unusually late 1 pm, in hopes that clear skies would prevail in the evening hours. Another extended absence from the mountains (a solid two months) also prompted me to get out even though the weather wasn’t looking good.

An easy hike to the Paget Peak Lookout preceded a more labourious, but also easy slog up to the first summit of the day. Unfortunately, the clearing trend failed to materialize along the way, detracting immensely from the potentially outstanding panorama. I was so looking forward to seeing the magnificent forms of Cathedral, Victoria, Popes Peak, Balfour, Niles, and Stephen while the area remained covered in snow. All there was to enjoy was some impressive cornice scenery on Paget’s ridge.

The extension to the north GR, though far more time-consuming than predicted, was extremely enjoyable. Again, the beautiful snow and cornice scenery kept my spirits up and feet moving, as heavy cloud cover and limited views continued to be the theme of the day.

Approaching the final ascent slope, the weather did finally start to improve a little. Oddly, even though the skies directly above cleared out, the surrounding scenery appeared to be very hazy – I would later find out a north wind had pushed forest fire smoke from near Fort McMurray south, blanketing most of southern Alberta in a thick layer of haze.

170 vertical metres of pure energy-zapping, slogging concluded the ascent. Fortunately, an amazing view at the top made each one of those 170 metres worthwhile. With clear skies all around, this view probably would have moved comfortably into my list of Top Ten Summit Panoramas. Given the low-lying clouds and haze I would have to settle for an awe-inspiring look at Mount Daly’s south ridge, with the Bath Glacier below and the smaller, but equally impressive Mount Niles, west of Daly. An occasional glimpse of Cathedral Mountain through the hazy skies brought back some cool memories of that (those!) trips. Disappointingly, the other giants in the area refused to make an appearance – a perfect excuse to return again someday.

For descent, I made the mistake of avoiding elevation gains by side sloping more directly towards the Lookout. The terrain was very tedious to negotiate and consequently took as much time and effort, if not more, than the ridge route.

Overall, a disappointing and correspondingly wonderful day out.

A dreary look at the ascent slopes of Paget from near the Lookout