| |
MOUNT ALBERT EDWARD
|
|
Forbidden Plateau [392 Kb]
|
The highest peaks on Vancouver Island are located in Strathcona Provincial
Park, which covers the central core of the island. Mount Albert Edward, 2094 meters,
is the fourth highest.
We agreed on a more than ambitious plan to climb Albert Edward as a day
hike on August 12, 2005.
The hike involves a 30 kilometer return hike across Forbidden Plateau
with an elevation gain of more than 1000 meters over a trail whose condition
I would rate as less than top drawer.
Thrown in for good measure is a three hour drive each way between Victoria and
the trail head at the Mount Washington ski area.
Mount Albert Edward is more typically climbed as part of a two or three day
backpacking trip.
|
|
Moat Lake [261 Kb]
|
We were on the trail by 10:30 am.
The trail is boardwalked through Paradise Meadows near the trail head, but the
boardwalk ends as the trail begins a gentle ascent through the forest
to Lake Helen Mackenzie. The trail continues to climb around the north and west
sides of the lake, eventually reaching more open forest as it nears Hairtrigger Lake.
A number of lakes are passed as the trail loses and regains elevation over
the next several kilometers.
The serious (but non-technical) climbing starts at a junction just south of
Circlet Lake, where the trail begins a steep ascent through a couple of gully systems
with little in the way of switchbacks before finally arriving at the lower summit
ridge of Mount Albert Edward at about 1600 meters.
|
|
Mount Albert Edward [269 Kb]
|
From here the ascent moderates, following rock cairns as the route alternates
between large slabs of rock and broken scree.
The broad summit ridge runs about 1.8 kilometers in roughly a north-south
direction to an elevation of about 1900 meters, where it makes an
abrupt turn to the west to run a similar distance to the summit.
I was running out of steam by the 1900 meter point and had been
on the summit some yeares earlier, so I opted to rest (not that I had enough
energy to choose otherwise...) while Andre and Michel continued on to the summit,
which they reached a few minutes before 4:00 pm.
We were all pretty tired for the long walk back, reaching the trailhead
again just as the sun was setting at 8:00 pm.
Other stuff:
Panoramic pictures
Other pictures
|
