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Cinquefoil Mountain
Jasper National Park, Alberta
June 25, 2005
Distance: 11.4 km (7.1 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 1200 m (3937 ft)
When Dinah and I stepped onto Merlin Pass trail, my only thought was to get our climb up Cinquefoil Mountain over with. It was raining, and clouds obscured the mountains. Fortunately, the route unfolded just like in the guidebook. When we reached a clearing, we could see the notch that we needed to get to. Better yet, a side trail took us in the right direction. The trail disappeared into a meadow only to reappear when we reached the base of the notch. After ascending the notch, we soon gained the undulating ridge but were plunged into a low cloud.
On a nice day, this would have been a pleasant climb, but this morning we could see little beyond our feet. The rain turned to drizzle and followed us all the way to the summit. It was pointless to lounge at the top as Kane suggests: we were cold and wet and couldn't see much. Because of the rain, I could only point my camera west. After taking a partial panorama, we started back down.
Soon after starting our descent, however, the rain ceased, and the inclement weather began to ease. We did the last half of the descent in sunshine, but the surrounding mountain peaks remained shrouded in low clouds.
Dense undergrowth crowded the trail, and we quickly became soaked. The
notch is on the left.
Coming up to the base of the notch
Starting up
Climbing up the notch
On the ridge but there was little to see
Dinah smiles just before mist threatens to roll over us
Visibility worsened
The mist on the ridge cleared for a moment before snapping shut
The mist overtook us as we headed to the summit
Almost there
A chilly pause for a summit shot. The blue thermos is the register.
Looking back at the summit on our descent when the clouds began to lift
Jasper and Talbot Lakes on our descent
This golden-mantled ground squirrel kept an eye on us
The sun shined on the lower ridge
We were tempted to turn around when the sun came out, but clouds threatened to return
Looking back after reaching the meadow. The notch is right.
Cinquefoil Mountain seen from our parked car
83 E/1 Snaring River, 84 F/4 Miette
