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Bow Peak | 2011-04-09
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Weather forecast wasn’t perfect but Vern and I decided to go for Bow Peak believing weather would be nice to us. So two weeks after Crowfoot, we went back.
From previous forced-yoyo’s experience, this time instead of parking at Crowfoot Glacier View Point we parked side of road about 500 m east of the view point. This reduced the distance we had to swim. After a short swimming and slogging up a hill we reached pretty boulder field (page 3) then moraine where we had to go zig-zag to avoid elevation loss as much as we could (page 4). I was imaging to see Balfour from Crowfoot Pass but I didn’t guess I could also see Mount Temple. From the pass the summit of Bow Peak looked so close, I thought, “This will be piece of cake, I wonder why people complain about slogging on this peak?” Well I guess others are right. It was false peak and after the pass it was slogging and slogging all the way up to the ridge top and on the ridge to the summit. I pretty much convinced myself Bow Peak is better to do with snowshoes than skies. Ditching snowshoes and slogging with hiking boots would have been much easier and there wasn’t much turns to enjoy neither. I don’t understand why pretty much all skiers hate snowshoeing. Admit it, some peaks are better to do with snowshoes!! I feel like I am the only one who skis but still enjoy snowshoeing… Anyway the terrain from the pass became steeper and steeper as we went closer to the ridge. It is probably close to or over 40 degrees. However I believe more left (north) you go there is more chances snow is blown away and safely ascent in winter. And unlike neighbor, Crystal Ridge, there are bunch of big rocks on ridge and it made walking hard especially with ski boots.
I still want to come back Bow Peak in summer time after seeing other’s pictures. Despite of long slogging, this peak is pretty nice.
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