The Senator III

    

Lake Dormaar attempt II

 
July 30, 2024
 
Mountain height: 2440 m
Elevation gain:    896 m
Ascent time:        2:40
Descent time:      2:20
 
Solo scramble.
 
That’s probably a wrap for attempts to visit the shores of this somewhat obscure lake beneath the north face of Buchanan Peak. An attempt from the Alderson Lake Trail failed 10 days earlier and so did this route from the summit of The Senator.
 
I took the same route Dave and I had used several months earlier to get to the summit of The Senator. From there, I was hoping to descend the east ridge and then turn south down easy scree slopes to the lake. I didn’t get far. The ridge quickly became quite exposed and although I could see a few potential routes down, I could also see the potential of slipping and plummeting to my death. With a beautiful fillet of fresh salmon waiting for me in the fridge at home, death wasn’t an option! I turned around, descended The Senator, made it back home, cooked that salmon to perfection, and enjoyed every bite, in addition to enjoying my “not dead” status.

I WON'T be back!

Looks like a bushy route near the beginning but it's actually quite easy



Once in the drainage, travel is fun and scenic



Looking back to Mount Lineham



My first time in this drainage with no snow at all



Cool scenery at every turn



A blue sky would have been nice, though










    




Out of the drainage and onto the ridge



Mount Rowe  and Rowe East joins Lineham



Great rock scenery on the ridge too











The skies didn't clear any more than this



The highest summit of Buchanan Ridge



Blakiston and Ruby Ridge



White rock



VERY white!



A foreshortened view of the rest of the ascent



Buchanan again - no scramble route from this direction



The steep upper slopes of The Senator



The VERY steep line Dave took



Minutes away from the top



Buchanan Northeast



A very cloudy summit view - a far cry from my first trip up











There's Lake Dormaar, beneath Buchanan Ridge and Peak



Heading down the east ridge



Looking back to the summit



There's a big drop-off in front. A route down the left side looked feasible, but the consequences of a slip would be severe.



View from as far as I got



Not getting to the lake today



Close-up of where I'm not getting to!



Bertha Peak (left) and Bertha Minor - one of the most colourful and enjoyable trips in Waterton



Heading down the drainage. It's much steeper than it looks near the top.



But full of interesting rock























The grade eases lower down



Still lots of cool rock to see



The view to the north is very rewarding, especially on a clear day







This poor fellow has seen better days







Awesome rock to walk down











The road is still a significant vertical distance below



Hard to believe you can effortlessly walk up this terrain when its completely filled in with snow







More steep terrain that is easy to ascend with snow







Some very bright green moss















Last good view of Rowe East  (and Rowe East Minor) and Lineham







There are several amazing outcrops of rock near the bottom, but clear skies are required to fully enjoy them



Wildflower close-up



There's the cool rock and the cool view



And that's what it looks like with snow and clear skies







Nearing the road



Using the nearby bridge that eliminates the need to ford Cameron Creek. Hard to believe I forded the creek every other time!



Looking back to The Senator

The End

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