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When hiking Yamnuska last week I looked over at this hike from the summit, when I got home I tried looking it up in my guide books, strangely it doesn't appear in any of them (I have 6) though I had seen it online months ago, so I tracked down a good description of the hike online and noted the start point and key turns before heading out. Anyone thinking of doing this hike should note the 'moderate' scramble rating.
The access is very straightforward, a 44 mile (71km) drive West on the Trans-Canada Highway before taking the exit for 'Lac Des Arcs' then turn left on the overpass across the highway and drop down into the trailhead car park.
The car park is well equipped with toilet facilities, notices and trailhead signage though this is mainly for the many school parties that come here to walk along Heart Creek which is a nice, short, level hike to a waterfall at the head of Heart Creek. The trail to Heart Mountain uses the first 1km of this route.
that initial 1km is a little disappointing due to traffic noise from the Trans-Canada which is very close and the trail stays parallel with the highway for that entire distance, along that heavily wooded trail a meadow opens up to give the first sighting of Heart Mountain
there is a good bridge over the creek which is very useful today as overnight rain has swelled the waters which are raging past beneath the structure.
soon after the bridge the trail splits into two, the easy creek walk and the scramble route to Heart Mountain, the latter bears a large yellow warning sign informing people of the scramble. As I begin the ascent I soon get a glimpse over the trees looking back at the Bow Valley and the 'Lac Des Arcs' which has a good ripple on it today due to the strong winds.
the rain seems to have brought out a good number of blooms along the way and the route is dotted with colour adding to the enjoyment of the initial ascent.
Ahead the heart can be seen clearly from the ascent ridge as can the rather daunting looking scrambles (though they don't look nearly as bad in pictures)
the ridge very quickly becomes a steep constant ascent with huge 'steps' along the way which help me gain elevation quickly, the first step is very abrupt but easy to climb up thanks to plenty of foot/hand holds
further ahead I reach a large section of rock identical to that found on Loder peak, with it's pumice like grip it is a joy to scramble up and I an soon over another step.
the pumice like rock actually flows down the mountain in a solid river that switches sides along the ridge, I took the left side here on top of the pumice as the grip is far better even though it looks smooth
I did have to get off the pumice to scramble the next step as it was too steep (as can be seen as it falls away on the left of this picture) it's interesting how it flows like a river over the rock beneath it, as if it came later after the mountain was made. From here I can see the flat wall of rock that is Yamnuska (centre frame) and Loder Peak to it's left.
moving forward is a mixture of steep ,hard hiking and scrambling, with the next step always appearing on the horizon as you top the last one until you begin to wonder just how many steps there are.
I thought I had got on the wrong route at one point hiking along this wall side I could not see a route up, not even a hard scramble, it seemed I was penned in by the smooth face of the rock and the fact that it leaned in toward me making a scramble difficult even if I could find a spot to start.
I realised I was going to have to back track a little to find a scramble route and sure enough as I walked back a short way I saw these signs on the rock face, the reason I didn't see them on the ascent is that they can only be seen from this direction, once found it is still a nice little scramble up here particularly to pull yourself over the lip of that adverse camber.
now, looking up at what I believe is the last step there is a short scree section and then a point where a choice of left or right needs to be made for the scramble up
I chose the left hand route as it appeared to offer more foot/hand holds, I was about half way up it admiring the view east to the prairies when I realised I'd made a mistake. I had to back track a little and then traverse right to reach a much better route.
the right hand side route offered superb views to the west along the Bow Valley and an orange scree chute that provided a much easier ascent
Though the step wasn't the last one it was close and just one more 12 footer and I was looking up at the summit, for the first time in quite a while I was then able to stand straight up, the strong wind was welcome and it cooled me nicely as I walked the last few steps to my first summit of the day.
it is an interesting summit being right on the edge of the alpine region it bears large forested areas tucked away on the non windward side and bare rock elsewhere.
a look at the route ahead shows I need to descend first down to a well trodden pathway along the ridge, the aim of the day being to follow this ridge round to the left, the descent is easy as a trail leads away through the trees to a steep rock stepped down climb
after dropping down from the ridge it's a steady wander along the grassy top with a short ascent to a nice little overlook. Looking back to Heart Mountain summit and across the mountain tops shows fresh new snow on the higher peaks
ahead the mountains to the south-east are barely clinging on to their snow pack, my continuing trail can be seen to the left of this shot though I need to return from the overlook to rejoin the trial, I already have my eye on the next prominent point at the corner of the ridge ahead.
From the next prominent position I look back past the previous overlook and across the 'Lac Des Arcs' and much further west along the Bow valley. It is a great location and I take the time to sit a while and have an orange overlooking the stunning scene
Starting away again I cross a small south facing meadow on the top of the ridge and even a little woodland area, its almost like another world compared to the craggy ascent and cold western flanks of the mountain
there are even the usual suspects in terms of flora up here and tons of fir cones on the trees
the ridge continues and rises again into the alpine zone and another distant peak, my route is to that summit then left though clearly there is a route to the right too...perhaps one for the future.
starting out along the next stage gives stunning views to the south and the razor sharp ridges leading off in all directions
to my left I can see my intended route, still a way to go it seems but there's no hurry as I make my way along the ridge ascending again out of the warm forested zone
the ridge that heads out to the south-east is fascinating and the peaks beyond it even more so though there seems to be a significant step further along that looks inaccessible from here
looking back at the route already travelled and its summits and smaller prominences, on the left the lush green meadow and beyond the warm summit forest, it is an intriguing mix of nature at its best
on the summit I find another of those small canisters that holds a summit log and I duly add my usual entry to the mix, the mountain in the far distance to the left of centre of this shot is the north peak of Mt Baldy, now fully clear of snow...perhaps a target in the next few weeks. In front of Baldy is Barrier Lake and above that on the far left Horton Hill that I hiked back in March
looking north-east from the summit a good path heads down to my next target across another of those high mountain meadows, I half expect to see a bear wandering across here as it looks so much like a clip form a nature documentary
I drop down over the first and second meadows and into a low point before the next summit where I find a comfortable spot to finally sit down an have my lunch. Two young women come by and stop for a while to talk about the usual stuff before setting off again, here they add scale to the shot as they make their way along the ascent route.
reluctantly leaving my lunch location and setting off for the final summit I ascend for the last time today (and to be honest I'm glad that is the last ascent)
It's a short fast ascent to the final summit and I realise I haven't taken the 'evidence' shot yet so I set up the camera and strike a pose
I can now look back over the route travelled, from here that rock looks a lot like the edge of a clam shell, the far right is Heart Mountain though the steep ascent route is out of sight around the other side.
to the east is the pointed peak of Yates Mountain where I hiked to the fire lookout in April and met the ranger 'Pete' I gave him a wave from over here just in case he had the binoculars out, to the right of Yates Mountain is Barrier Lake and behind it Mt Baldy. With the naked eye you can actually see the skyscrapers of Calgary from here too.
knowing I'm going to be descending after this, I stay on the final summit enjoying the views as a young German couple come by, we have a natter about the mountains and hiking before moving on to the football. They are pleasant company but I leave them to their descent together and use their departure to provide scale to this north facing shot.
I give them time to get out of sight then begin my own descent using a side wall as a wind break on the way down. Though it is steep in places the entire descent route is hiking with only one hands on scramble that was very short.
a final look over the entire horseshoe (almost) before turning an dropping steeply down into the forest below
Through the beautiful dense forest in the cool shade of the trees is a nice end to the hike, unfortunately there is still a 3km trek adjacent to the Trans-Canada to get back to the car park, the scenery is still wonderful but the road noise is about as bad as you can imagine.
as I reach the trail split where the warning sign highlights the scramble route that I took on the way in, I am starting to feel the effects of that long scramble and the ridge hike and I'm looking forward to getting back to the truck. I take the right hand fork here and make a weary last 1km to the car park.
crossing back through the meadow I take a last look back at Heart Mountain...doesn't look so bad from here
I really enjoyed this hike/scramble but I'm not sure I would return here, the road noise on the way in and the way out kill it a little and with so many other hills to go at I have enough to keep me busy. I'm really starting to enjoy the scrambling again but it takes a lot more energy than hiking and leaves me knowing I've done it by the end of the day.
