Table Mountain II
September 1, 2017
Mountain
height: 2225 m
Elevation gain: 740 m
Ascent time: 1:40
Descent
time: 1:15
Solo
scramble.
You know you are desperate for a summit when
you leave Calgary at 4 am, in order to get up and down a mountain and then be
in Waterton by noon to help build a retaining wall! Given its short length and forgiving elevation gain Table
Mountain seemed to be a logical choice for this mission. Plus, it’s a mountain
I've always wanted to repeat anyway.
I decided to follow the trail
all the way to the summit as opposed to taking the scramble route. The trail
was great - easy to follow, trail markers everywhere and very scenic, once a
little elevation was gained. Upon arriving at the ascent drainage I opted to
stay in the drainage instead of the trail on the left side. The steppy terrain
here was fun to ascend and preferable to the scree trail. Of course, once
you get into a good water-worn, but water-free drainage, it’s sometimes hard to
leave it. As such, I ended up going to the way to the ridge between the Western
Plateau and the summit, via this drainage.
Perhaps the most interesting
aspect of this trip (besides of colourful and awe-inspiring views throughout)
was the forest fire smoke. I was fully expecting a full-on haze/smoke fest,
with limited to no views at all. However, the skies above me were a beautiful
clear blue. It was only upon gaining the ridge that the smoke made an
appearance, in a clearly defined line to the north – quite surreal looking. The
top of Mount Darrah was just peeking over the smoke line.
Hiking to an intermediate
highpoint I was also surprised to see that the larches were already changing to
yellow – unusual for September 1 of any year. A handful of them had also
shed their needles.
The easy hike to the summit
was great – I had completely forgotten how amazing the Western Plateau looks
from the final ascent slopes. After a length summit stay, I hiked over to the
Western Plateau and then followed the excellent trail back down the mountain.
My timing was perfect, as the forest fire smoke started to envelope the area. I
arrived in Waterton an hour later than expected, at 1 pm, but the wall was successfully erected anyway!
A wonderful return to a wonderful mountain.
Stuck in the shadow of the mountain, but a surprisingly clear day
The smoke layer to the north
On the trail in the ascent drainage
More enjoyable travel right in the drainage
And some more challenging sections
Barnaby Ridge
Casting a long shadow
Distant but distinctive Castle Peak
Bypassing the Western Plateau on ascent. Mount Darrah can just be seen at the upper limit of the smoke
Starting to turn yellow
Looking back at the Western Plateau is perhaps the highlight of this trip
From the summit, the atmospheric view to the south
Beaver Mines Lake
A close-up
A more comprehensive look at the view
Victoria Peak
The view to the Western Plateau was simply too good to only photograph once!
Castle Peak again
A very yellow larch
Heading to the Western Plateau
The drop down the north face of the Western Plateau is intense!
Heading down and enjoying the great colours
The landmark tree of Table Mountain
Pleasant hike out. The End.
