Victoria Ridge to Avion Ridge (10/7/2011)

Keep in mind that this is a mid-autumn backpack trip and we will be exposed on open ridges and could have strong winds, cold weather etc. It will be cool at this time of year and will have sub-zero temperatures at night so proper gear is essential. Warm and layered clothing and a proper sleeping bag is mandatory.

Due to the difficulty of this trip, I am not willing at this point to take beginner hikers but if you want the challenge of a difficult backpack trip then email me and we can discuss this possibility further. While the distances are relatively short each day, the elevation gains are significant.

There will be a mandatory pre-trip meeting which will take place on Monday October 3rd at 6pm. Location TBD but most likely a Boston Pizza either Whyte Ave or downtown. This meeting will be used to discuss car pool arrangements, drivers, gear, food, tent assignments, fuel and cooking, car shuttle arrangements, and any other logistical item that should be handled prior to our trip.

Trip costs: This trip does require a fee. I am not collecting any payment this week. Ideally, I will collect the $68 in person for the hotel room at the pre-trip meeting next Monday. The $10 for the overnight backcountry fee will be paid by each person at the visitor centre in Waterton. Car pool money which will be calculated by number of participants and vehicles as per EOC policy, will be paid after the trip is completed on the Monday.

Our car pool time is set for 4pm on the Friday. The exact car pool location will be determined next week. We will leave Edmonton shortly after assembling at the car pool and drive to Pincher Creek. Please note that this is a long drive of ~6 hours. I hope to be in Pincher Creek by 11pm. I have reserved 4 rooms at the Super 8 hotel. Each room has 2 queen size beds and price per person is $68. This will allow us to get a good night sleep before heading out in the morning. This hotel has a breakfast included.

We will want to be gone early Saturday morning as we have a ~2 hour car shuttle to perform. As this is not a return hike we will need to set up our car shuttle. The trailhead is for Victoria Ridge just south and west of Pincher Creek. Our exit trailhead is at Red Rock Canyon in Waterton. We will drive to Waterton to leave a car there then drive back up to our starting trailhead to begin our hike. We will also need to stop in at the visitor centre to obtain our overnight backcountry permits ($9.80/person).

We will hike the Victoria Ridge trail towards Bovin Lake. I do not have distances but it should be less than 10km. Elevation gain is big at 1050m. The summit elevation of Victoria Ridge is 2530m. To reach Bovin Lake, we will need to descend off the main ridge about ~300m. We will make camp at Bovin Lake. Note this will be a random camp and there are no facilities at this lake. It is an alpine lake and we will practice no-trace camping. Please bring rope to tie your food to a tree for the night. Should there be extra time, we may also ascend Drywood Mountain (2514m) which lies to the east as well from this first day.

Sunday, we will break camp and regain the main ridge. Once on the ridge, we will drop our packs and hike up west slopes to reach the summit of Loaf Mountain (2640m). This should only be ~400m elevation gain from the ridge. We will return to our packs to continue south on the ridge towards the summit of Spionkop Ridge (2576m). We then continue on to reach the summit of Newman Peak (2515m), then a slight detour to the west to reach the summit of Avion Ridge (2440m) before returning back to the trail down to Goat Lake in Waterton. We will make camp here at Goat Lake.

Monday will be an easy 7km hike out to Red Rock Canyon. We will need to do a car shuttle here before returning home to Edmonton. Do expect a late evening arrival in Edmonton.

References: Andrew Nugara's "More Scrambling in the Canadian Rockies describes much of these ridges which we will be hiking. The Gem Trek map for Waterton covers Avion Ridge to Red Rock Canyon. A very good internet resource for viewing contour maps between Victoria Ridge and Avion Ridge is from natural resources Canada