Date: July 28, 2021
Location/Route Map: Lake Louise
Elevation: 2360 m (2623 m for extention)
Elevation Gain: 490 m (+ 340 m for extension)
Distance: 4.7 km
Rating: Class 2/3 - Easy/Moderate
Notes: Rockfall in the narrow confines of the ascent gully is likely the biggest hazard of this short and easy scramble. Our extension required some moderate scrambling and route-finding.
GPS Track: Download
After a long day in the smoke, traversing Crowfoot Mountain the day prior, we were looking to do something a little shorter, and hopefully less smokey...Waking up from our campsite at Waterfowl Lakes, the smoke seemed to have gotten even thicker than the day before (don't know how that's even possible!) and we couldn't see any mountains while driving down the highway! We decided to keep driving south, hoping we might, at least somewhat, escape the horrendous smoke! We soon arrived at Lake Louise, with little to no improvement in visibility. Although the Tower of Babel is known to have some beautiful views (which we would be missing out on due to smoke), it was something short and easy that we hadn't done, and at least it was another summit to bag! As it turned out, our day wasn't as short and easy as we initially anticipated, but we'll get to that later!
Tower of Babel Route Map (see link in desciption - or click here - for interactive version).
After a short walk through the crowds of people at Moraine Lake (I don't understand why there are so many people...you can't see anything!), we left the trail that continues on to Consolation Lakes. We began heading up to the right, towards the ascent gully, following a loose scree trail. We soon arrived at the confined chute.
We made our way up the gully on the left side (we would check out the other side on descent), using the solid cliffs for good holds to compensate for the loose scree underfoot! Photo credit: Dad
The remainder of the ascent was straight-forward and uneventful. We just stuck to the left side of the gully the whole way up. Eventually, right at the top, the gully narrows considerably, and there is actually some hands-on scrambling on solid rock to be found!
Me scrambling up the last bit of the gully. Photo credit: Dad
From the top of the gully, turn left, and it's an easy walk to the summit! I also saw a faint trail heading straight up to the right...
Relaxing on the summit of the Tower of Babel! Quite the set-up up here! Photo credit: Dad
Summit selfie! Photo credit: Dad
Bident Mountain and Quadra Mountain barely visible in the smoke, rising at the end of Consolation Lakes! Mount Babel towers over some cool pinnacles to the right!
Mount Temple's sheer south-east face! Looks like an old faded picture!
Looking down 500 vertical meters to the crowds at Moraine Lake!
Mount Bowlen, Tonsa Peak, Mount Perren, and the almost completely faded away Mount Allen (left to right). Only four of ten are visible!
Looking down to the beautiful blue Moraine Lake! A splash of colour in the grey smoke!
Woah! My dad's on TV! Never knew you were famous! ;)
Close up of Consolation Lakes!
Cairn over six feet tall! Let's make it six and a half :) Photo credit: Dad
Looking down the tower's vertical cliffs, to the ascent gully below!
The top section of the narrow ascent gully!
Summit pano towards Consolation Lakes!
Summit pano towards Moraine Lake!
Me on the summit of the Tower of Babel, with where we are about to go...! Photo credit: Dad
Scrambling up the Tower of Babel was very quick, leaving us with so much time left in the day! After sitting around on the summit for a while, not knowing what to do with ourselves and not wanting to go back home so early, I remembered that faint trail heading up the ridge towards Mount Babel that I mentioned earlier! I had no clue if we'd make it five minutes before we had to turn around, but there we're a couple peaks between us and Mount Babel, and reaching them quickly became my goal!
Starting up the steep treed slope on the other side of the ascent gully!
Looking back, on the first plateau. Already above the Tower of Babel!
Looking ahead at what's to come!
We easily ascended up scree on the right side of this rock outcropping!
If nothing else, at least the smoke makes for a cool effect with these pinnacles!
The ridge was pretty straight-forward...now on to some pretty steep scree! Photo credit: Dad
Heading up!
Woah! That's pretty airy! We checked out an outcropping, jutting out towards Moraine Lake, along the way!
My Dad on the edge of the outcropping! Temple fills the backdrop!
Looking ahead! We stayed near the edge, on the right here.
Near the top, we encountered this rock band blocking the way! My dad traversed under it to the left, looking for a weakness, while I tried my luck at a route just to the right in this photo! We both found our way up, but I would consider this to be the crux of this extension!
On the summit of this first unnamed peak between the Tower of Babel and Mount Babel! Would grant a spectacular view of the Ten Peaks if there wasn't any smoke!
Even so, the view from here definitely trumps that of from the Tower of Babel! Babel, Fay, Little, Bowlen, Tonsa and Perren stack up, Allen, and Tuzo (left to right)!
Woah! I can see Eiffel Peak...kinda. Pinnacle Mountain is to the right.
Mount Babel still rises far above!
Mount Bowlen kinda looks like it's got a bowl up top...maybe that has something to do with the name...¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Probably not, but I tried! lol.
Mount Little is not very "little"!! Long glacial waterfall flowing down to Moraine Lake!
Me with the summit cairn! Photo credit: Dad
Someone likes his 'nana chips! haha!
Since we're up here, why not see if we can make it to the next peak! This would be our approximate route!
Me contemplating the first set of cliffs...we would end up going straight up them, and then up scree that led up and around the backside. From above, it also looked feasible to bypass these cliffs around the right side, and then just head up scree. Photo credit: Dad
My dad climbing up the crux of this peak...didn't find it too bad though.
Scrambling up shale, around the the side of the peak, after the short cliff.
My dad with the summit cairn! Panorama ridge lies to the left, with the continuation of the ridge to Mount Babel behind and a white out of sun and smoke to the right.
Me on the summit, with Temple high above, and the Tower of Babel (now) far below!
Panorama Ridge making up the backdrop for the summit cairn that I made a few additions to :)
Looking down to where we came from!
Two more of the Ten Peaks reveal themselves!? Deltaform Mountain's pointy summit and Neptuak Mountain are far right!
Mount Fay!
Mount Temple continues to loom above, as it has all day!
Time to head back down!
We considered continuing on up there...Unfortunately we had to drive back to Edmonton and those cliffs do look intimidating!...but who knows, maybe the extension can go on even longer! Maybe some other time...probably not for a while though...too many other peaks waiting to be bagged!!
We decided to try a loop, and descended on the opposite side of the gully from where we had ascended. This avoided having to downclimb any of the short cliffs, and proved to be a much easier route, and we were back down in no time!
This route consists of only scree, which was easy and fast to descend! Photo credit: Dad
I think my dad secretly wants to be a rock! He's impossible to take pictures of!
Descending the ridge, back to the tower!
Looking back up! The outcropping (center-right), that we checked out on the way up, looks kinda cool from here!
Clearing up a little towards Consolation Lakes!
Bident Mountain.
Our approximate route for the entire extension!
Heading back down the ascent gully!
Scrambling down the bit of solid rock before we're left with lots of scree!
We descended on skier's left for most of the gully, on step-like terrain. Near the bottom, the middle looked too good for scree skiing to pass up the opportunity, and no one was coming up below! On this terrain, we were soon back to the main trial!
Finished off the day with a quick hike along Moraine Lake to see if we could spot what we had climbed! The mountain center is the first peak of our extension. The second peak is hidden behind. Tower of Babel is to the left!
A view of the day's work from the parking lot before a long drive back to Edmonton... :(
Disclaimer