September 16, 2024
Mountain height: 2670 m
Total elevation gain: 1150
m
Ascent time: 5:35
Descent time: 3:40
Round-trip
time: 10:20
Scrambling with
Raff.
A recent string
of awesome ascents – Iceface, Seward, Michel Head, and GC20 (but not Storm
Mountain!) – left me with the feeling that I wasn’t going to able to top those
trips. I couldn’t have been more wrong!
Buster Ridge easily cracks the Top 5
trips I’ve ever done.
Firstly, a huge
thank you to Raff, for his invitation to attempt this somewhat obscure peak
above the not at all obscure Azure (aka Buster) Lakes. The lakes sit in the
Purcell Range, south of the world-famous Bugaboos. I had heard of neither the
lakes nor the peak.
To account for
the long driving time (approximately 5 hours), we took the two-day approach, arriving at the trailhead
the night before the trip. At 8:15 am the next day we were on our way,
following a terrific trail that takes an unlikely route up and across the mountain in
front of us. Apparently, the trail was forged by a guy name Buster, hence the
name of the peak above the lakes. Hats off to Buster for building it and also to the Summit
Trail Maker’s Society for maintaining the trail.
The trail was
easy to follow and within a few hours we were hiking the final few hundred
metres to the upper lake, full of anticipation. 
Although azure means blue, a super
friendly hiker we met the night before, reported the lake to be more of a green
hue. And green it was, but not a typical green, or one you might expect to see
in a lake. This green was almost surreal – a light yellowish green milky hue unlike anything we
had ever seen. We took an extended break here, gawking not only at the lake but
the very colourful slopes of rock around the lake. And of course, a zillion
photos were taken!
I can’t rave
enough about the next part of the trip, as we made our way up to the ridge.
Views of the lake got better and better, then the other lake appeared and our
jaws dropped even more, then the Catamount Glacier and peaks jutting violently
through its ice were revealed, then the Howser Towers and the Bugaboos, then more lakes, etc.,
etc., etc.!! I have never said “OMG!” (Oh my gosh) more times in such a short
time span!
Reaching the
ridge a little ahead of Raff, I couldn’t resist running up to a nearby
highpoint at the end of the massif. The view here was unreal. Only a handful of
peaks were familiar to me by name, but that did little to detract from my
amazement. I always forget how different the geology of the Purcells is to
that of the Rockies. The colours and general appearance are unlike anything you
would see in the Rockies – not necessarily better, just different. But perhaps in
this specific case...BETTER!
On my way back
to the col, Raff caught up and also went to the highpoint. We were reunited
shortly after and continued with ease to the summit of Buster Ridge. 
Another
awe-inspiring view awaited there – one that we took in for a full hour before
descending.
Unfortunately,
the original plan to continue along the ridge to the next highpoint was not
going to happen, the intervening ridge appearing to be downright scary. We did take an
alternate descent route in order to see the other side of the higher lake and
hopefully make it to the shores of the slightly lower one. Although some
sections of this route were a little intense, the scenic rewards far outweighed
those challenges. 
Once again, the variety and colours of the rock were
stunning, the lake as eye-catching as ever, and we even ran into a small,
solitary larch that had turned yellow - this trip just kept giving and giving
and it still wasn’t over!
The final “wow”
moments of the trip occurred while hiking alongside the stream that drains the
upper lake into the lower lake. Here, the rocks on the side and in the stream
had turned a brilliant shade of orange, probably due to contact with minerals
in the water. In fact, my brother thought that the dramatic change in the
colour of the lake over the last several years could be due to minerals from
volcanic activity leaking into the lake. The incredibly strong taste of that
water certainly gave credence to the supposition (I’d think twice about
drinking any water from the upper lake!).
After a brief hike
alongside the second lake, we returned to the first (the hues on Buster were
stunning at this time of the day), and then returned the way we came.
As stated, one
of the most scenically rewarding days I’ve ever had. Hopefully more trips to the
Purcells will be in my future.
Crossing the first of the two wonderfully constructed log bridges. This one goes across Frances Creek (photo by Raff).
Besides the log crossings, the only close-up encounter with either of the creeks
Raff on the second bridge the crosses the unnamed creek leading to the Azure Lakes
A string of peaks west of the approach valley. They all connect to Buster Ridge.
Looking north, towards Tiger Pass
All of the above. Horeb Mountain at the right.
Frost-covered deadfall
Almost at the ridge, near the left
Raff descends towards the upper lake
First glimpse of the lake and yes it's surrounded by tons of larches.
We were about two weeks to early to see them in their yellow state.
Wow! That is not azure, but it's incredibly cool.
That is azure! A fantastic photo taken by Marko Stavric, 10 years earlier, from a similar vantage point. The difference in the colour of the lake is astounding (photo by Marko Stavric).
The
edge of the lake is an orange/rust colour. Possibly the result of
minerals leaking into the lake (or some twit accidentally spilling a
REALLY big can of orange paint into the lake!).
Gaining elevation above the upper lake with the hopes of getting a look at the lower lake
Raff and the only view we got of the lower
Back to the upper to check out a small peninsula
Raff finds a super cool spot - close-up
Not close-up
Different view of "Raff on the Rocks" (Polish vodka on ice)
Raff heads back to the shore
Stark colour contrast
Hiking around the lake to the Buster ascent slopes (photo by Raff)
The start of an amazing (and sometimes steep) hike to the ridge above the lakes
The route ahead is scree all the way, but is generally quite pleasant to ascend
The view of the lake is MORE THAN pleasant!
Some of the colorful rock that was not scree
The rock at the left was a little too steep for comfort so we stuck to the scree
Say "Hello!" to the Catamount Glacier and the lower lake
And "Hello" to the view on the other side of the ridge
The highpoint at the north end of the ridge is about 600 horizontal and 75 vertical metres away
More glaciation appears at the left and another outstanding view of the two lakes
Buster Ridge but I'm going in the opposite direction
Easy travel to the north highpoint
Beautiful valley to the northeast
Mount Galloway at the left
Mount Gwendoline and Black Fang
Approaching the summit of the highpoint
Summit views
Heading back to the col
Seeing the lakes from different angles was a great excuse to photograph them to death!
The Howser Towers (left) and other peaks in the Bugaboos
Mount Ethelbert at the left
Raff's view of me as I go to the col and he goes to the highpoint (photo by Raff)
Raff is now just a dot on the ridge
Self-timed photo by Raff from his vantage point
Close-up of Raff at the summit
View to the north from the col
View to the west
The lakes again
Raff returns
Another beautiful lake appears on the east side of the ridge
The route to the summit of Buster from the col is straightforward and easy
The view on one side...
...the view on the other
Raff on the ridge
Raff and the lakes
We both got a good neck workout trying to check out the valleys on either side
Buster
Even though the ridge looks fairly monochrome from some angles, it is anything but
Monochrome...
...not monochrome
Love that unnamed lake
Glimpse of Thunderwater Lake
Tons of unnamed peaks that look interesting
The colours on the mountain became even more vibrant as the Sun moved to the west
Case in point
Case #2
Managed to get all four lakes in one shot. The completely different colour of each was amazing.
Raff and three lakes
Alternating sides of the ridge again!
First good view to the south
Another lake!
The summit is minutes away
Taking the last few steps (photo by Raff)
Summit success! (photo by Raff)
View to the south
Raff at the top
Raff and the lakes
View to the west
Big summit pano
The Virgin (centre) and Taurus Mountain (right)
Smaller summit pano, but more detail
Raff and the southern lake
Pretty sure that's a very distant Eon Mountain
Some huge peaks to the northeast that we had trouble identifying
No trouble identifying these two clowns! (photo by Raff)
The Howsers again
Another summit pano
The Bugaboos again
We stayed at the summit for over an hour
Easy to see why with views like this
And this
The connecting ridge to the next highpoint looked daunting - unlikely there's a scramble route
Raff and the south
Raff and the northwest
I
descended the west ridge a short distance to see if there was an
alternate route down that way. The vibrant colours were insane!
View from as far as I got
Same as above
Back at the summit for a few more photos before we descend
And we are off (photo by Raff)
But we'll still be enjoying those views
Looking over to our ascent route
Looking up the first part of our descent route
Even the moss is wildly different here
I've never seen gray moss until now
Traverse over to an easier descent line (photo by Raff)
Same as above
Found one (photo by Raff)
Passing by more cool rock (photo by Raff)
Run-in with a section of white quartzite
Some of it has been oxidized - so has Raff!
We also found the one larch that had turned yellow! (photo by Raff)
Same as above
Looking back to much of the descent route so far
Same as above
Time for some gray rock
...with three larches
Just a fraction of some of the crazy colours seen on descent
Raff and the "Not Even Close To Azure Lake". I guess there were a few more larches turning already, though.
Approaching a very cool section, featuring white quartzite
Neat!
Descending a little bench alongside the rock. Unfortunately, it ended in a drop-off.
My view of Raff
This was the intense part of the descent that I wouldn't recommend. The
boulders here were quite unstable. We stayed well clear of each other as we descended.
However, you can be unstable and beautiful at the same time!
Waiting for Raff to descend the slope
This rock band appeared out of nowhere and was a striking contrast to everything we had seen previously on the trip
Approaching the south side of "I Don't Know What Colour I Am Lake"
The colours of Buster's ascent slopes were so captivating at this time of the day
Circling the lake
It's quite clear that something in the water is discolouring the rock
Almost at the outlet stream
Doesn't look that special from here, but the small stream that connects the upper lake to the lower has many cool features
But first a look back to Buster
The stream and the brilliant orange rocks in it
Raff on the Rocks again
The rocks in the stream are orange, the rocks on the side are white -
doesn't take a geologist to figure out the water must be responsible!
I so loved this short section
Approaching the lower lake, which is more azure than the upper, though still more of a cerulaen hue
Sweet little waterfall
Raff and the stream
Just the stream
Same as above
At the shores of "I'm More Azure Than YOU Buddy Lake"
Raff
Last look
Making our way back to the fake Azure Lake
If all the larches in front were yellow, I may have cried here!
Back at the lakeshore
Last look at the coolest lake I've ever seen
Regrettably leaving
Racing the setting Sun
Same as above. Thankfully we won.
The other peak above the lakes reflected in a small pool
Back across the bridge
Very cool mushroom, but I wouldn't eat it for all the red argillite in Waterton!
The End
LOG
