Ruby Ridge II

Ruby Ridge II

January 17, 2010

Mountain height:         2430 m
Elevation gain:            870 m
Ascent time:                4:40
Descent time:              3:30

Snowshoeing with Mark and Keri.

It’s always a good thing when you experience totally amazing scenery and views before you even arrive at the parking area. Such was the case as we drove to the Lineham Creek trailhead, in preparation to ascend Ruby Ridge. Another phenomenally brilliant Waterton sunrise had us stopping several times to capture the vast array of vibrant colours above. This made the day a huge success and we hadn’t even parked. As I said "good thing", because the already suspect weather continued to deteriorate throughout the day and we ended up doing all of the ascent and most of the descent in bleak conditions, with limited visibility.

This was Keri’s first snowshoe trip and she performed remarkably well, considering the icy snow conditions and fair amount of elevation gain. Although the lousy weather was a constant source of disappointment, the red argillite rock on the slopes of Ruby was not. Neither were other varieties of colourful rocks underfoot.

As expected, the upper slopes were wind-blown and we finished the ascent on foot. The summit view was of course disappointing, but the clouds did lift enough to reveal Cameron Lake to the south and the forms of many familiar peaks.

Considering the time of the year and a pretty brisk west wind, the wind-chill was surprisingly tolerable. Usually a windy day atop a mountain in January would have everyone dashing down the mountain for warmer temperatures. However, we were able to stay up there for a fair amount of time, watching the rapidly changing weather. On descent, the skies did clear slightly in a few directions – enough to illuminate the beautiful snow and argillite.

Despite the gloomy weather, an excellent trip.

The Good Stuff - A Waterton sunrise