Storm Mountain (Highwood area) - south summit
- July 26, 2002
- Mountain height: approx. 3,040 m (9,971 feet)
- Elevation gain: approx.1,000 m
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Round-trip time: 6:30
Scrambling with Colleen.
We had quite an adventure on Storm Mountain - it wasn't all good, but nonetheless it was an interesting day. The weather forecast for the mountains was thundershowers all day, but we went anyway. Starting at 11:00 am, under relatively clear skies, we made our way to an absolutely beautiful alpine meadow, complete with a stream, wild flowers and, of course, surrounded by spectacular mountains - a great place for a picnic (and/or bears!). That view alone was worth the 1.5 hour drive. At the back of the meadow, we started to ascend a scree slope towards the ridge, that looked deceivingly short and easy. It was anything but that. The grade throughout was steep, the entire slope was covered in loose rock, and it was unbelievably long. As we slowly and cautiously ascended, the clouds started to roll in clouds and the threat of thunderstorms became a serious concern. Luckily, the heavy rain just missed us, heading southeast.
We eventually made the south summit, where the view was quite stunning - a beautiful contrast of green meadows and craggy mountains. I was very surprised to see Cougar Mountain and Banded Peak far in the distance, to the northeast. The traverse north, to the true summit was a tenuous proposition at best, due to the snow on the traversing ledge and the unstable weather conditions, so we decided to go back the same way we came up. On the way down I was struck in the back of the hand by a large, falling rock. It was quite painful and I came very close to passing out. The rest of the way down was slow for me, as I was nursing my hand, thinking that it might be broken. By the time we got down to the meadow the pain began to subside a little and as the sun came out (once again revealing our stunning surroundings), I forgot about my hand. The one benefit of the injury was that I got out of driving for the trip home and I had a little nap. Besides the injured hand, it was a good day, and a good scramble in an amazing area.
Storm Mountain; the summit is just right of center
Colleen making her way through scenic meadows, enroute to the ascent slopes
A view of the true summit from the south summit; the route traverses on a ledge below that was covered in snow for the first section
An impressive view to the east; too bad about the clouds
Looking back towards the mountain on descent
Storm Mountain
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August 10, 2003
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Mountain height: 3,092 m (10,142 feet)
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Elevation gain: 1,050 m
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Ascent time: 2:45
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Descent time: 1:45
Solo scramble.
Except for the 10 vertical meters that I came up short on Mount Arethusa last November, I have now completed all the scrambles in the Highwood section of Kane's book (of, course there are only seven in total!). Overall, I enjoyed every single one, with Arethusa providing the most enjoyable scrambling and Mount Rae the best view (I know many people would argue that Tyrwhitt has a superior view, but each to his own!).
Having only reached the south summit last July with Colleen (I've still got a scar from our little rockfall incident), I felt it necessary to complete the trip and also try the alternate descent. The short approach was easy and as beautiful as I remembered. Starting up the ascent gully, I thought that I could make the south summit in about 45 minutes - obviously I didn't learn from last year's experience! The foreshortened view was even more deceiving and more pronounced than that of The Tower and it took me well over an hour to slog to the summit. I went up the right side of the gully this time because there were more ribs to climb up.
The traverse to the true summit looked a little scary - the traverse ledge was wide, however, it sloped down leading to a fatal drop-off. Thankfully, this view was also deceiving, but this time in a good way - a nice trail took me most of the way and unless you were traveling blindfolded and with only leg, there's no way you could have slipped off the edge. Instead of ascending to the crest and then to the summit, I continued around the east side of the mountain. It brought me to within 30 meters of the summit, however, to get to the top I had to ascend a couple to steep, loose, and exposed rockbands. I made it safely, but at one point a large holdhand gave way, giving me quite a scare. There was no way I was going to descend this terrain, making my choice for a descent route obvious.
At the summit, the sky was clear and the panorama was excellent. After summitting four mountains in this area (Tyrwhitt, Pocaterra, Storelk, and Storm), in the past four days, and six (add Rae and Mist) in the past twenty days, I think it's time to move on!
The supposed "rapid" descent route, down the west ridge, was not quite so rapid for me. The terrain was steep with rubble and scree over slabs. Also, the scree-surfing that I was looking forward to amounted to about 2 minutes in total. Arriving down in the meadows of the north valley, I practically ran back to the car to complete the scramble. An enjoyable day and a worthwhile scramble, especially for the view.
Looking back along the ascent ledge (in the foreground to the right of center); the peak in the background is Mist Mountain
At the summit cairn, looking towards Mount Rae
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