Cougar Mountain
I took Wednesday, July 14 2010 off work and headed to K-Country to scramble one of my last remaining Kane peaks with Keith and So - Cougar Mountain. The weather forecast was dismal for this day but since we had all booked it already it wasn't worth another cancellation. The summer weather so far in 2010 has been dismal at best!
Like it so often happens, as I drove closer and closer to the front ranges the clouds started to dissipate and by the time I pulled into the parking area at 06:30 the sky was blue!
I don't know why it's taken me so long to get to Cougar Mountain. Trip reports vary on this peak. Some people seem to think it's a pile of loose scree and hardly worth bothering with while others talk about it like it's a short day out with good views. I think it's just one of those peaks I wasn't that excited to go and do but now that I've done it, I've formed my own opinion!
My opinion on this peak is that it's a fairly short day (if you're fast you can do it after work in late June) with minimal treadmill scree (most of the scree is firm) and some great hands-on scrambling opportunities on the ridge. There is a nice bike approach with very minimal bushwhacking. The bike ride back to the parking lot is fast too. I enjoyed Cougar Mountain as much, if not more, than other mountains in the Elbow area such as Fullerton, Nihahi and Glasgow. If I think about it now, I definitely enjoyed it the most of any Elbow area peaks except maybe Compression Ridge.
We biked just over the hill as described by Kane. It's probably worth going almost to the bottom of it, simply because there's no route finding that way. The bushwhack was very steep but surprisingly short. The scree field was fairly solid for scree and we climbed up it quickly to the lower ridge. After that we got some hands-on scrambling to the false summit. The true summit looks close but takes a bit to get there. Again, some very nice hands-on scrambling through this section. More than I expected.
Summit views included Mount Rae and other Elbow Valley peaks like Glasgow, Banded, Outlaw and Cornwall. I also developed an interest in Three Point and Rose. The little tarn to the southeast looks like one of the world's nicest bivy spots and probably never gets visited.
We descended quickly and our round trip time, including a 45 minute break at the summit, was 6 hours and 15 minutes.
Keith looks for a clear path after ditching the bikes. He didn't fine one.
So breaks tree line. This was the worst rubble and it's very short lived. Our ascent slope is the upper left of the photo.
Keith approaches the mysteriously placed rain gauge. Who the heck checks this thing?
So took the rubble route while Keith and I headed up to the ridge crest on the first section. Here we're walking towards the easy (but enjoyable) scrambling to the false summit (upper right of photo).
So and Keith approach the easy scrambling on the first ridge. It reminded me of Utopia, but this was much easier.
Looking back at the So and Keith lounging around as I ascend the first ridge. Cornwall, Banded and Glasgow in the background.
This buttress can either be ascended directly or bypassed easily on climber's left.
It was a beautiful morning here, while in Calgary everyone was going to work under a rain cloud. Suckers.
Panorama from part way up the ridge, looking back down to the northeast (click to view full size):
Looking up at the false summit. The scree was solid here.
Banded, Outlaw and Cornwall. Glasgow is hidden behind Banded.
The true summit with Mount Rae looming in the background.
The small tarn.
It's further than it looks but not that far. :-)
So scrambles up moderate terrain to the true summit. You can avoid this on climber's left but it's not really worth it, especially on the way up. I went straight up this ridge and it was enjoyable, but be careful! It's also very, very loose. Two hand holds and one foothold came out on me and a fall to climber's right would kill you here.
Keith and So head up to the true summit.
Telephoto from the summit shows fresh snow deep in K-Country. It's mid July!!
I think this is Mount Bogart or Sparrowhawk.
Tombstone Mountain.
Summit Panorama (click to view full size):
Mount Cornwall (back) and Outlaw.
Vern, Keith and So on the summit of Cougar Mountain.
The first few entries from 1996 include Kris Thorenstein and Alan Kane. This mountain only sees around 3 summit parties per year. Probably because it's a 33km round trip and people think that takes a long time...
Coming back down.
View of the true summit from the false summit (click for full size):
Descending the last slope to the trees. This scree was comfortable for ascent and descent. Not to hard and not too soft. You could sleep on it comfortably, and lots of sheep do just that. Which is probably why the cougars like this area.
The infamous and somewhat spooky rain gauge.
