View of the ascent gully from where we left Little Elbow Trail
Mount
Remus Dinah and I really enjoyed this scramble: a good ascent trail, great scenery, and a quick descent on superb scree. We cycled up the trail to reach the flat area across from the ascent gully as described in Kane's book. After stashing our bikes and fording the river we headed directly up the slope where we came across a good trail on the right side of the drainage. We followed the trail until it disappeared on an open slope. Out of the trees now, we had a clear view of our surroundings. We were below one gully and could see a second gully on our left. We would have had to traverse a lot of scree to reach the second gully, so it made sense to ascend the gully above us. Only later did we realize that this was the descent gully. The right side of the gully was fairly stable for ascending. It funneled into a narrow gap between cliffs beyond which we could see the east ridge. After passing through the gap we turned left and found good terrain on our left to reach the ridge. From a distance, the ridge leading to the summit block looked rugged but we easily traversed it and soon we were at the base of the scree slope leading to the summit block. We had planned to try the chimney but Dinah wasn't feeling well and if we were rebuffed there we would lose much time and effort dropping down and going around to the north side. We decided to go directly to the north side. We headed to the north side where an indent in a short cliff band hid a chimney. After searching around a bit, we didn't see anything easier so we scrambled up it. After that, we had to pick our way up a steep slope covered in loose rock. I don't know why it's rated "moderate" as I've done easier "difficult" scrambles in Kane's book. We took our time ascending until we finally popped onto the dome-like top. From there it was a short walk to the summit. Mount Remus held surprisingly good views for such a little peak. The nearest peaks - Romulus, Glasgow, Cornwall and Fullerton - were easily recognized. The flat plateau extending north of the summit looked interesting to explore, but we didn't want to stay long because of rain expected later in the day. After a short stay, we returned the same way. We regretted not attempting the chimney, but we don't mind returning to Mount Remus another day and trying it. It's a short drive to the area and it enjoys a long season. |
View of the ascent gully from where we left Little Elbow Trail
Crossing the Little Elbow River
Hiking up the gully trail
Trail ends below the descent gully
Ascent gully in the centre
Heading up the gully
Coming up to the narrow gap in the gully
The scene after passing through the gap
Looking down the gully
After the gap we keep left on firmer ground.
View east as we near the ridge crest
A ridge leads to the summit block
A trail leads to the chimney but we went right and ascended the north side.
Climbing a chimney
Dinah follows me up
From the chimney we work right to easier terrain
Terrain is steeper than it looks.
And it's covered in loose rock.
Grade eases near the top
Seconds away from the summit. We came out at the corner on the lower left.
Descending the ridge to the descent gully
Soft scree on the descent. Mount Glasgow on the right.
Panorama from the top. Mount Romulus in the centre.
82 J/15 Bragg Creek
