Yarrow Ridge X














 
March 17, 2024
 
Mountain height: 2106 m
Elevation gain:    approximately 800 m
Ascent time:        3:05
Descent time:      2:30
 
Solo scramble with some mountaineering.
 
The rock scenery on Yarrow Ridge is on par with that of two of my favourite scrambles – Bertha Minor and Mount Roche (Spread Eagle Mountain) – in other words, it’s astounding!!
 
Day 2 of a Southern Alberta weekend, and with a short window, Yarrow Ridge seemed like a good choice – apparently nine previous ascents weren’t enough!
 
The planned route, up and alongside a super colourful rock band on the northeast side of the peak, was one I had been thinking about for some time. The attempt would have to occur on a perfect weather day, preferably with a little snow but not too much.
 
And I could not have lucked out more with the conditions! The next several hours of exploration were some of my most enjoyable yet experienced in this neck of the woods – and that’s a pretty big statement, given the scenic treasures Southern Alberta has granted me over the past twenty years. Characterized by stunning outcrops of incredibly colourful, layered rock, in striking formations, my dropped-jaw stare never seemed to end! I took a few detours up gullies that would potentially lead to the ridge, but backed down each, fully intent on seeing as much as possible from below.
 
Gaining the ridge did require the use of crampons and an ice axe, up steep, snow slopes, but it was short lived, and the snow felt very stable. An enjoyable plod to the summit followed, and then decision time for a descent route. There are several wonderfully scenic routes off Yarrow Ridge, but you can’t use them all!
 
 
I settled for a visit to one of my favourite red argillite rock bands in the Rockies, then a stop at another area that also gets my heart racing (for reasons other than the strenuous exertion of mountain climbing!); lastly, some new terrain on the southeast side of the mountain. Each of these areas was vastly unique, displaying wildly different geologies.
 
What a magnificent day! Ten ascents and this little peak can still knock my socks off!



The objective from the trailhead



Thankfully, recently someone has punched a trail through the deep snow



Within 15 minutes of hiking, Yarrow Ridge is close by



Close-up of the lower section of the rock I will soon traverse under



But first a worthwhile distraction in the form of a random chunk of rock sticking out of the ground
The rock and Yarrow



The rock only



Both again



Same as above, with a shadow



Cloudy Ridge Junior makes an appearance, right of the rock



Back to the objective


Here we go - if endless photos of rocks are not your cup of tea, try coffee!
(limited captions for a while)






























































Went up this gully for a while then backed back. The rock scenery was stunning!







































































Back to the main ascent slope







Put the crampons on here. The terrain is much steeper than it looks.



Someone is monitoring my progress to make sure I don't do anything foolish - clearly, he/she doesn't know me - that ship sailed long ago!!







Approaching the ridge. The slope gets very steep around the corner.



The watcher has a friend



Looking down the snow slope I just came up



The first highpoint of the ridge (left) is a short hike away. Mounts Yarrow (centre) and Roche (right) complete the view.



Close-up of Yarrow



Back onto snowy terrain, but that's because I took a circuitous route in order to avoid....



...this group of sheep, lounging around in the hot Sun



Mount Glendowan



Cloudowan Northeast



Cloudy Junior and Cloudy Ridge



Mount Dungarvan



The summit of Yarrow Ridge ahead



Not much of a cairn there



Vapour Trails and the Sun



Summit view



Heading down already, thinking about the red argillite band!



A little taster



Same as above



And again



Mount Yarrow always looks impressive from this vantage point




Looking over to the first highpoint



The start of the red argillite band
 

Here we go with Round 2 - Red Argillite magic










Too bad I couldn't fit the top in!











This stripe of green argillite is one of the highlights of the band















The ridge I will eventually return to



















The End of the RA magic, but there's more to come



Back on the ridge and looking down to the drainage I'm going to use for the bulk of the descent



Fossilized vegetation



Last look at the view before dipping below the ridge



Part of a big herd of deer hanging out on the other side of the drainage



Descending



Tried to glissade here but it wasn't steep enough




The fork in the drainage



The deer are keeping an eye on me too - perhaps the sheep warned them!



Easy and rewarding travel down the snowy section of the drainage



It doesn't look like much from a distance, but this rock band is one of the coolest I've ever seen, especially with snow



Shame I didn't have time to revisit this little gem


Here we go - Round 3!


































After Round 3, I stayed high on the slopes to check out the potentially interesting rock ahead



That definitely has potential!


Wasn't expecting a Round 4, but here we go!






























End of Round 4. Time to head home.



Ascended alongside this rock band a few years ago, but had to back down due to icy conditions



Looking up that route



Passing more examples of amazing rock



I think this is the gully Dave and I ascended in 2023



There's the route I ascended earlier in the day



Parting look



The end of a mind-blowing day of amazing rock!

The End

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