Date: July 5, 2021
Location/Route Map: Icefields Parkway (North)
Elevation: 2870 m
Elevation Gain: 915 m
Distance: 7.2 km
Rating: Class 2 - Easy
Notes: Short easy scramble up loose scree to some breath-taking views!
GPS Track: Download
Just the week before, was our first time camping at the Columbia Icefields Campground (the first of what would end up being many times this summer...). When looking across the highway from our campsite, we noticed a small, scramble-able looking peak sitting quietly in front of the mighty Athabasca. The summit of this peak would no doubt sport unmatched views of the beautiful glacier on Athabasca's north face! This peak was unnamed on our map, and naturally, my first thought was that it was just an infrequently visited subpeak of Athabasca. Nonetheless, I was still hoping to see if we could make our way to its summit in the near future! Shortly thereafter, while flipping through Nugara's "More Scrambles", I came across a scramble by the name "Boundary Peak" that matched the peak we saw perfectly! In learning that this peak was another one from the book to knock off, I became even more eager to climb it, and would do just that on our next trip to the mountains!
Boundary Peak Route Map (see link in desciption - or click here - for interactive version).
Kaitlyn and I starting up a dirt trail, after leaving the snowcoach road. After the long drive out from Edmonton, we set up camp at the Columbia Icefields Campground, and then made the spontaneous decision to scramble up Boundary Peak! It was already almost 3:30pm when we started up, and we don't usually climb a mountain the first day, but Boundary seemed short, so we decided to give it a go! Photo credit: Dad
Kaitlyn and my dad hike up the lower slopes.
We would ascend the major rock outcropping (center-left), up scree slopes on the left side.
Just below the outcropping, a storm rolled in, complete with rain and thunder (luckily we didn't see any lightning!!).
We crouched down, under our umbrellas (great tools that are truly breathable, and keep you dry! Probably not the best idea in a thunderstorm though...), and waited out the storm for almost an hour!
And just like that, the storm vanished! :) Lots of snow has melted from Nigel Peak since last week! Hoping to climb it ASAP!
I scrambled up some steeper terrain (just for fun) to gain the top of the rock outcropping! Easier scree slopes lie a short traverse to the left. Photo credit: Dad
Looks like we thought right! Unmatched, close up view of the glaciated Mount Athabasca!!
Cool lil flower :)
Kaitlyn and my dad make their way towards the final climb (approximate route shown)!
Looking across the valley to Mount Wilcox (left) and Nigel Peak (right)! Tangle Ridge and Sunwapta Peak, lie in the distance, just right of Wilcox!
It's a steep grind up treadmill scree! We found ourselves all going different directions, each of us probably hoping to find the best route up this slidey slope!
Looks like I won ;)! Looking back down the slope, almost at the ridge! My dad and Kaitlyn continue to fight their way up the tiresome scree!
Hilda Peak stands out as you top out on Boundary Peak's summit ridge! Cirrus Mountain and Mount Coleman also impress in the distance (just to the left)!
Mount Athabasca!!
Mount Columbia (second highest peak in the Canadian Rockies) is barely visible, over Snow Dome, to the left! Mount Kitchener rises to the right, and part of Athabasca Glacier is just visible below Snow Dome itself!
Super unique angle of Mount Wilcox! Interesting wisps of cloud curving over the summit add to the picture! Tangle Ridge and the mighty wedge, Sunwapta Peak, sit to the right!
Nigel Peak towers beyond the Boundary's summit ridge!
Incredible views for a relatively short outing!
Athabasca's glacier flows down on both sides of Boundary Peak! Glacier on the left...
...and me surfin' on the glacier on the right ;) Photo credit: Kaitlyn
Summit selfie! Looks like my dad's phone has a favourite...Kaitlyn and I are sooo out of focus! Photo credit: Dad
Athabasca steals the show in this summit pano!
Kaitlyn and I on the summit of Boundary Peak! Photo credit: Dad
Kinda looks like my dad is levitating! haha! Photo credit: Kaitlyn
Descending the ridge.
As the trade-off always goes, the scree may have been a real pain to ascend, but the scree-skiing was superb! We left the steep upper slope in the dust in no time (literally...)!
Neat sunset!
This short snow patch added even more fun to the descent!
Neat sunset 2.0! :o
RUN! The clouds are coming for us! It seems we headed down just in time! Thick clouds followed us down the mountain, engulfing everything we left behind! Photo credit: Dad
I look for some more snow to glissade down, while Kaitlyn makes her way down the valley! Rather than follow the ridge back to the rock outcropping, we took a shortcut and continued straight down the valley on our descent. Photo credit: Dad
AHHHH the clouds have found us!
Phew! We escaped! PS. This is a really cool view of Wilcox :)
Athabasca has been absorbed by the clouds!
Almost back down to the snowcoach road, safely below the whiteout above! A peaceful evening walk down the road at 9:00pm would lead us back to our car (looks like we were late enough to avoid the dangerous tourist-filled buses Nugara mentions! lol.). Good thing we have long days in the summer :)
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