Canada - Jumpingpound Mountain with MrsW
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 7:33 pm
Jumpingpound Mountain is a small grassy lump that sits between Moose Mountain and the Powderface Trail (gravel road). At just 2225m (7299 feet) it is a perfect, short family summit or spring starter. The trailhead sits right beside the gravel logging road known as 'The Powderface Tail' and is almost equidistant from its junction with highway 68 (Sibbald Creek Trail) or Highway 66 (Elbow Valley Trail) I usually make a loop down from highway 68 to the trailhead and then continue to highway 66 for the drive home, making finding the trailhead easy as it is 18km from the junction with highway 68. Parking is by the roadside in a small pull out and the trailhead sign sits opposite on the east side of the road. The Powderface Trail highway is closed as part of the usual winter closure program from December 1st to May 15th annually so plan your visit accordingly.
For the past three years this access to Jumpingpound Mountain has been unavailable due to damage caused by huge floods in June 2013. So Sarah and I were pleased to see the highway finally reopen and set out to ascend to the summit of this little beauty on a perfect hiking day. Bright sunshine with cool temperatures and a good stiff breeze greeted us as we set out from the trailhead.
Once in the forest and ascending the constant steady grade Sarah soon hits her "it's warmer than you think" moment and we stop to de-fleece before continuing on the well worn trail.
It's a good stiff climb on a constant ascent but it's never hard going and we are soon approaching the ridge top where some views can be found peeking through the gaps in the dense forest.
Once on the ridgetop we are still in trees but now on good level going as we head north through oceans of wild flowers, views begin to open up more frequently with Moose Mountain dominating the horizon.
A little further along the easy going ridge top is a nice window offering a full view of Moose Mountain with its summit fire tower (still in use) and a nice foreground of wild flowers and high meadows to fill the frame perfectly.
It's a really enjoyable hike along the ridge top and provides a perfect breather before the final short ascent to Jumpingpound Mountain which is not made directly from here (though it could be)
We return to the trail and continue north for a short distance to a large cairn that marks the junction with the final summit trail, beside the cairn is this brightly coloured beauty sheltering from the wind.
Sarah at the cairn in the open meadows as we make the final ascent, behind and to the left is the unmistakable long straight line of Nihahi Ridge then toward the centre is Compression Peak, Canyon Creek and Mt Bryant all now reachable once more after a three year wait.
Our last visit here together was October 2012 when conditions were very different, but did make for some nice pics.
I hang back a bit to let Sarah take the lead through the rocky ridges on the final approach to the summit where there's just a hint of tired legs slowing toward the top.
The small rocky ridges have their share of wildflowers which blanket everything from the meadows to the summit and on the distant horizon we can see snow capped peaks and feel the temperature change to a lovely chilly coolness you normally expect in autumn.
On the last of the rocky ridge tops Sarah is looking for shelter from the cool wind while I mess around on the rocks trying to get a shot of the chipmunks that seem to be goading me by popping up and down like a 'whack a mole' game.
Finally it's big smiles from Sarah as she touches the unimpressive cairn on her first summit of the year. Slightly right of her finger and towering over Nihahi Ridge are the snow covered tops of Mt Glasgow, Cornwall and Banded Peak down in the Elbow Valley.
It was hard to find a camera position for the summit shot and harder still to prevent a 'rabbit ears' wave with heavy strapping as a result of whipping off a couple of fingertips a week ago.
A nice foreshortened view of the route in and those lovely high meadows, we were disappointed not to see a bear in any of the meadows as they are usually drifting around up here.
There's a nice little point lower down from the main summit which allows a perfect photo opportunity and also give a great view of the tree covered Powderface Ridge which provides a nice 8.5 km ridge walk for those seeking a quiet slow day in the mountains.
To the east is a beautiful view of Moose Mountain and the fire lookout on the main summit (though the lookout is hard to spot on camera) We watched cloud shadows climb the steep sides of Moose as we sat having a snack out ot the cool wind up top.
On the way out we decided to drop off the rocky ridge early and descend across those beautiful meadows back to the ridge top where we could pick up the trail again.
At the bottom of the small ridge is a nice view to the north along Powderface Ridge showing some more of that lovely 8.5km ridge walk with the rockies to your left and the prairies to your right.
We were back at the truck in just 2.5 hours including our long stop at the summit and my many photo stops. All in all it was a lovely little hike and great to be able to reach it again following the three year hiatus.
For the past three years this access to Jumpingpound Mountain has been unavailable due to damage caused by huge floods in June 2013. So Sarah and I were pleased to see the highway finally reopen and set out to ascend to the summit of this little beauty on a perfect hiking day. Bright sunshine with cool temperatures and a good stiff breeze greeted us as we set out from the trailhead.
Once in the forest and ascending the constant steady grade Sarah soon hits her "it's warmer than you think" moment and we stop to de-fleece before continuing on the well worn trail.
It's a good stiff climb on a constant ascent but it's never hard going and we are soon approaching the ridge top where some views can be found peeking through the gaps in the dense forest.
Once on the ridgetop we are still in trees but now on good level going as we head north through oceans of wild flowers, views begin to open up more frequently with Moose Mountain dominating the horizon.
A little further along the easy going ridge top is a nice window offering a full view of Moose Mountain with its summit fire tower (still in use) and a nice foreground of wild flowers and high meadows to fill the frame perfectly.
It's a really enjoyable hike along the ridge top and provides a perfect breather before the final short ascent to Jumpingpound Mountain which is not made directly from here (though it could be)
We return to the trail and continue north for a short distance to a large cairn that marks the junction with the final summit trail, beside the cairn is this brightly coloured beauty sheltering from the wind.
Sarah at the cairn in the open meadows as we make the final ascent, behind and to the left is the unmistakable long straight line of Nihahi Ridge then toward the centre is Compression Peak, Canyon Creek and Mt Bryant all now reachable once more after a three year wait.
Our last visit here together was October 2012 when conditions were very different, but did make for some nice pics.
I hang back a bit to let Sarah take the lead through the rocky ridges on the final approach to the summit where there's just a hint of tired legs slowing toward the top.
The small rocky ridges have their share of wildflowers which blanket everything from the meadows to the summit and on the distant horizon we can see snow capped peaks and feel the temperature change to a lovely chilly coolness you normally expect in autumn.
On the last of the rocky ridge tops Sarah is looking for shelter from the cool wind while I mess around on the rocks trying to get a shot of the chipmunks that seem to be goading me by popping up and down like a 'whack a mole' game.
Finally it's big smiles from Sarah as she touches the unimpressive cairn on her first summit of the year. Slightly right of her finger and towering over Nihahi Ridge are the snow covered tops of Mt Glasgow, Cornwall and Banded Peak down in the Elbow Valley.
It was hard to find a camera position for the summit shot and harder still to prevent a 'rabbit ears' wave with heavy strapping as a result of whipping off a couple of fingertips a week ago.
A nice foreshortened view of the route in and those lovely high meadows, we were disappointed not to see a bear in any of the meadows as they are usually drifting around up here.
There's a nice little point lower down from the main summit which allows a perfect photo opportunity and also give a great view of the tree covered Powderface Ridge which provides a nice 8.5 km ridge walk for those seeking a quiet slow day in the mountains.
To the east is a beautiful view of Moose Mountain and the fire lookout on the main summit (though the lookout is hard to spot on camera) We watched cloud shadows climb the steep sides of Moose as we sat having a snack out ot the cool wind up top.
On the way out we decided to drop off the rocky ridge early and descend across those beautiful meadows back to the ridge top where we could pick up the trail again.
At the bottom of the small ridge is a nice view to the north along Powderface Ridge showing some more of that lovely 8.5km ridge walk with the rockies to your left and the prairies to your right.
We were back at the truck in just 2.5 hours including our long stop at the summit and my many photo stops. All in all it was a lovely little hike and great to be able to reach it again following the three year hiatus.