Rowe East III
February 16, 2024
Mountain height: 2330 m
Elevation gain:
680 m
Ascent time: 2:40
Descent time: 1:00
Solo snowshoe.
Options are
limited when your start time is 2:30 pm in mid-February. With about 3.5-4 hours
of daylight available 
I went immediately to a new but old friend in Rowe East. Old, because my first ascent occurred in 2006, new for a second ascent 17 years later and a variation only two weeks earlier that completely ignited my interest in
this outlier of Mount Rowe.
A good dump of
new snow ensured the ascent would be somewhat strenuous and it was. Needless to
say, I had to break trail for the majority of the route. However, avalanche
concerns on this route are minimal and those that do exist can be mitigated –
another reason for the chosen objective.
With completely
clear skies, views were spectacular throughout – I’ve taken a record number
of photos of three of the four Buchanans in the past two months! Likewise for the
summit view.
Instead of
descending via the drainage (where avalanches would be a concern), I
simply retraced my ascent route – an easy task that took exactly one hour to
complete.
At this rate Rowe
East could challenge Prairie Bluff for Southern Alberta supremacy!
The objective from the parking lot. The route I took two weeks earlier goes from left to right, below the rock band
Mount Rowe in the distance. Also a winter favourite.
The ridge I will eventually be on and some skier/boarder tracks
Here we goes with the Buchanans!
Tracks
No tracks. Broke trail from here to the top.
The burnt trees offer as much scenic interest as everything else
Tree shadow
The trees on the other side of the drainage. That side leads to Mount Rowe.
The view to the southwest is starting to take shape
The tracks in the snow could be from Dave and Brad, 5 days earlier
The Senator, Buchanan Ridge, and Mount Carthew
Nothing better than a clear, deep blue sky
Mount Rowe gets lots of photo attention throughout
A black and white of the Buchanans and Carthew to shake things up!
Lone red argillite boulder and The Senator
Pano of the improving view
Tree
View
A little wind-sculpted snow
\
View again
Much of the colourful rock seen in December of 2023 was now covered in snow or dangerous to get near
Some of the only significant rock I saw
This too
Back to that snowy view
Better get the rock when its visible!
My favourite tree of the day
The fact that the east face of Rowe is already completely in shadow means it must be late in the day
The trees are becoming silhouetted in that direction
Finally on the ridge
View to the north
Magnificent Mount Lineham is in-your-face here
The summit is only a few snowy minutes away
Rowe and the Sun
The snow in front is sort of imitating the ridge behind. The Peak of Despair at the far left and Lineham Ridge in the centre.
Summit at the right
View to the west
View to the south
Bigger view to the west
Southwest
North
East
Mount Crandell's west ridge route
Buchanan Northeast (very recently repeated) and The Senator
The Senator and Buchanan Ridge
Mount Carthew
Close-up of The Senator. Excited to repeat that ascent when avalanches are not a concern (i.e. not now!)
Chapman Peak and Mount Custer above Cameron Lake
Carthew Minor in the foreground - another Southern Alberta favourite (are they really favourites if they are ALL favourites!)
Descending, as is the Sun
Bye-bye Sun
Late-day pink hues on Carthew
Minutes away from the parking lot and thoroughly satiated
The End
LOG
