Adventures At Moraine Lake - Tower of Babel

The past weekends mix of low temperatures, low-lying heavy fog and wet snow kept most people indoors and those that went outdoors mainly stayed low. It also provided the opportunity for some quiet scrambling with some friends without the hoardes of people and late year tourists as well as some spectacular photos. It also allowed me to bag my 7th peak of the year.

We left Calgary just after 5:00am en route to Lake Louise in Banff National Park. I've had my eye on a small 455m quartzite spire named The Tower of Babel for some time. I had to cancel my two previous attempts due to heavy rains in the area, but decided unless there was lots of snow on the ground, we would attempt a summit. When we arrived at the parking lot it was a balmy 3C with a low cloud cover. We geared up with all the mandatory scrambling gear necessary for a slippery scramble up a very enclosed gully.

The total round trip time for ascent and descent was a mere 4 hours and provided us an opportunity to relax at the summit and take in some of the views that the low clouds and fog were providing. The ascent was through a narrow gully, although there is some optional moderate scrambling on an outcrop that forms the right wall of the gully. We decided to venture up a few times, but found that when slippery the loose rock can be trecherous and rockfall abounds, so a helmet is not an option but a necessity.

For a small peak surrounded by giants, the Tower of Babel can offer supurb scenery, the light dusting of snow slightly higher up mixing with the fog and the changing of the larch trees was a fantastic bonus that none of us expected. Well worth the trip and we'll likely be heading back next year for a summit camp. Enjoy some of the pictures below of our trip.

Midnight Peak - A Temperature Inversion

Midnight Peak

Kananaskis Alberta
January 24, 2010

 

This was my second time ascending Midnight Peak.  My last summit was in the midst of a severe winter storm and had absolutely no summit view.  Located approximately 15km down Hwy 40 and an hour from Calgary Alberta, Midnight Peak is located south of Mt. Baldy and the summit can be reached one of several ways.  During the winter the safest route to the summit takes you along Baldy Pass Trail, up the north ridge, across a boulder field and finally up a broad scree-slope adjacent to an avalanche gully, before popping up on the summit.  In the summer, this route is very straight-forward and offers very little in difficulties.  In the winter, the trail can be slippery and the north-slope can hold quite a lot of snow that makes progress quite tiresome and slow.This trip was a typical winter ascent.

I was leading a group of about 8 people from the University of Calgary Outdoor Adventurers and due to different levels of experience within the group, opted to take the Baldy Pass Trail winter route.  The trailhead is directly across the road from Baldy Trail Parking Lot parking lot and the Baldy Pass Trail takes you up the valley between Mt. Baldy and Midnight Peak.  The trail itself is very treed and doesn't provide any view whatsoever, at the same time it hides the actual elevation gain you make along the 5km trail.  Our group stopped at Baldy Pass for a quick bite to eat and a quick rest.  The temperature that day was quite nice and about -4C at the Pass which allowed for a nice rest.  It also provides views of the ascent route as well as nice views of South Baldy and minimal views of Moose Mountan and Prairie Mountain.

 

Midnight Peak mid-slope

After the Pass the trail banks left and continues up a treed slope.  As you ascent the trees thin out and the view of Mt. Baldy gets better.  On this day the clouds started to blow in pretty quickly dabbing out most the colour in the landscape.  Shortly after following the trail (and clearing in the winter when the trail is not visible) we came to the boulder field.  This short section prpves the most technical in the winter.  As with any boulder field there is a lot of airspace between the rocks, as such lots of chances for a person to get their leg stuck or injured.  Add to that a few feet of snow and this section became quite slow as we meticulously picked or way one-by-one.  One past the boulder field you enter a large open area, in the winter this usually holds a lot of snow, on this day the snow was piled mid-thigh.  After that open are you briefly enter the trees and before you know it, you will be staring an avalanche dead on.  Start heading straight up the slope, however, in the winter, ensure you check for avalanche conditions.  This day avalanche conditions were low-moderate, however, we all brought ice axes as a standard winter safety item.

 

Just below the summit of Midnight Peak

The ascent once out of the trees is fairly straight forward but tiring and the summit is forshortened.  We took turns breaking trail through the knee-deep snow as we switchbacked our way up the slope.  As you climb higher, the view to the north and east usually opens up and you can see Mary Barclay's Mountain, Yamnuska (in the distance), Old Goat Mountain, Loder Peak and Door Jam Mountain.  On this day though, the clouds were quite low caused by a temperature inversion and our views we're minimal except for Mt. Baldy due to tiobeing the closest mountain.  As we climbed higher the clouds became thicker,.   However, about 40 vertical meters from the summit we exited the clouds.  The exit was abrupt and the view became awesome.  The clouds provided a veil, the lower portions of the mountains were mainly blocked but the summits broke through providing a feeling of altitude greater than we attained. 

Summit Shot

The most dangerous feature that you come across on a winter ascent from this route is an ever-present cornice along the South Summit Ridge.  As such I was the first person to ascend so we could keep people from walking on it and potentially falling (a fall may not be fatal, but would definately lead to some serious injuries).  Being 150m taller than the next closest mountain, Midnight Peak offers a fantastic view and is not a very popular mountain.  Midnight Peak also provides the ability to traverse all the way to Tiara Peak along what is known as Boundary Ridge.

For the summit shot I changed into a Maple Leafs jersey and Christine changed into a Calgary Flames jersey since both team were playing each other that night.  

 

We descended the same way following our tracks. 

 

View from summit

Photo of me on summit

Shrouded in clouds on Midnight Peak Summit Ridge