Sentry Mountain II


Ostracized Peak
    




 
July 4, 2020
 
Mountain heights:                 2410 m, 2485 m 
Total elevation gain:              1380 m
Ascent time to Sentry:           3:25
Traverse time to Ostracized:  1:20
Descent time:                        1:50
 
Solo scramble.
 
Ostracized Peak is a significant unofficial highpoint between Sentry Mountain and Chinook Peak – higher than Sentry but lower than Chinook. An ascent would not have crossed my mind were it not for SOISTHEMAN’s excellent trip report from 2011. So’s route tackled both peaks from the east side, as opposed to Kane’s west ridge route up Sentry. Mark and I had completed the Kane route on a very wintry day in 2004 – a difficult scramble made significantly more challenging by all the snow and ice – So’s seemingly much easier route, therefore, had great appeal.
 
Without going into too much detail, So’s route was excellent throughout; mostly a steep hike and a few scrambling moves. En route to the col between Sentry and Ostracized, in addition to wonderful views and beautiful greenery, you get to visit the entrance of a fascinating cave on the south side of Sentry.
 
The terrain before the col was steep but once there, a thoroughly enjoyable hike/scramble to Sentry’s summit ensued. I didn’t stay too long at the top, as Ostracized was calling. The higher summit didn’t acquiesce as easily as Sentry did, requiring some route-finding and one short section of exposed scrambling. Another fine view was taken in before I descended, more or less via the same route.
 
A wonderful day and an excellent route – thank you So!  


The objectives (centre and right) and Chinook Peak (left)



Early morning view of Crowsnest Mountain and The Seven Sisters



Close-up of the two



Mount Tecumseh



The Sun lights up Sentry (right) and Ostracized (centre)



There are no bodies of water en route, so I'm taking advantage of a puddle to get a reflection photo!



The north side of Chinook Peak is fierce



Close-up of the ferocity



Beautiful colours



At the base of the ascent route. Many variations are possible. I took a line near the right.



Deadman Peak (right of Tecumseh) joins the view to the north



The east side of Sentry is also fierce



Heading for the gap in the middle



Magnificent rock on the east side of Sentry



Chinook garners lots of attention throughout



Closer look at that magnificent rock



Ended up right of the gap but it's easy to get over to it



Love the rock



Love the colours



There's a cave! (upper right)



Heading up to it



Care is needed to get to the cave



Looking out from inside



Looking down into the darkness. Go no further!



The rock of the roof




Back on track and heading to the col



The bluest skies occurred early in the day



Something is moving along the ridge



It's a herd of sheep



First glimpse of impressive Ostracized Peak



On the ridge, looking west to Ostracized and others to the southeast



Sentry Mountain to the northwest



The west side of Ostracized (left) is very steep



At the summit looking northeast



The view to the northwest is a little less exciting



Crowsnest Lake is an awesome feature of the view



Looking back at Sentry after leaving the summit...



...and forward to Ostracized



With more



The first part of the ascent is straightforward



Lichen and Sentry



A couple of very interesting rock formations



Sentry takes on a more aesthetic appearance as you move away from it



Ostracized isn't too shabby either



Some vertical rock bands on the left side



Western outlier of Ostracized



At the top of a minor highpoint along the ridge



Looking back to the highpoint at the right



A short mildly exposed section on the left side of the ridge. You would not want any snow or ice here.



Back on the ridge with the summit ahead



The outlier is also very impressive



Summit pano



Chinook



Mount Ptolemy - still on the "to-do" list



Close-up of Chinook's summit



Heading back down



The cave I visited (centre) is visible from quite a distance



And some near vertical rock much closer by



Parting look at Ostracized and its outlier



I took a slightly different descent route that boasted many interesting rock features and some wildflowers



...and good views of Ostracized



All of the above



And again with Crowsnest and The Seven Sisters



Ditto



The flowers



The cave (centre) makes another appearance



Three individuals exiting the cave entrance



Another cool rock



Traversing back towards the descent route at this point



More flowers



Last look up the ascent route



The trio look very different later in the day



Iconic Crowsnest Mountain is a welcome sight throughout the latter part of the descent

The End

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