Solo scramble.

Mount Bourgeau was a personal test for me. I wanted to see how fast I could complete this 26 km hike. From a technical point of view, it was just a very long, strenuous hike, with no scrambling, so it was simply a test of speed and stamina. The forecast predicted rain all day, but I was lucky to get only a couple of minutes of hail, and even some sun.

The 7.5 km to Bourgeau Lake was long and tedious, but a couple of waterfalls provided some interest. The actual lake was a little bit of a letdown, however, the scenery improved as I made my way to Harvey Lake and Pass, where I passed a couple of tarns in alpine meadows. The best scenery came upon reaching the pass where expansive meadows reached for miles, with Mount Ball and others in the background to the northwest. I made the summit about 45 later - 13 km and 1500 vertical meters in 3.5 hours.

The view from the top was awesome in all directions, especially to the northwest. Unfortunately, Assiniboine was covered in clouds. For the descent, I again went at a rapid pace and made it back to the in 2.5 hours. Round-trip time - 6 hours. A very good, scenic hike and an excellent day.

    
Harvey Lake

    
A west-looking view of mountains and meadows, taken from Harvey Pass

    
A similar view to the northwest

    
A self-timed photo at the summit; this was the last time I would wear that specific St. Louis Rams cap - unfortunately, I lost it on the way down

    
Looking down at Bourgeau Lake