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Kootenay National Park, Alberta
October 6, 2001
Distance: 7.1 km (4.4 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 1275 m (4183 ft)
Mount Whymper is a delightful scramble that lends itself to a variety of ways up. Lots to explore here! Following the route description in Scrambles, Dinah and I ascended the southeast gully. It was such an engaging scramble, that we got carried away and were slow to work our way left. When we reached the base of impossible cliffs, we realized we had to traverse left. But we soon gained the summit ridge leaving us with a short hike to the top.
Mount Whymper from the highway
Near the start of the climb, a stairway points the way
These aren't small steps!
Storm Mountain
Higher up, the slope opens up
Looking back down the gully
Plenty of scrambling possibilities
Which way to go?
These cliffs look impossible but there's a hidden slot chimney
We squeezed up the chimney (mouse over to view the bottom)
After a time, we realized we had to traverse left to gain the ridge
This mountain goat fled when we neared the summit
Boom Mountain
View west
82 N/1 Mount Goodsir