Mt Bell via O'Brien Lake Scramble on 5-Aug-2021

There are two scrambling routes that are usually used to climb Mount Bell; one via Boom Lake, and the other via O'Brien Lake, and they each have their merits. Today we would be doing the route via O'Brien Lake, mostly because of the beautiful setting of O'Brien Lake and it's nearby tarns. Brian, Jag, and I met at the Taylor Lake parking lot and were on our way just before 9:00 am. We arrived at O'Brien Lake at about 11:00 am, and by 1:00 pm were at the col between O'Brien and Boom Lakes, which is where the two routes join each other. The hike from O'Brien Lake to the gulley leading to the high col was spectacular, with it's larches, meadows, flowers, and tarns. We were able to kick steps up the edge of a snow patch to avoid most of the scree in the gulley leading to the col. From the col to the summit involves some interesting route-finding and a bit of scrambling, but involves a lot of side-hilling on scree. We arrived at the summit at about 3:00 pm, where it was warm, calm, and sunny, but very hazy from all the smoke. We began heading back at about 3:45 pm; the return trip to the col and down the gulley requires some care as there is lots of potential for rock fall. We were back at the Taylor Lake parking lot just before 8:00 pm.

Many thanks from coordinator and scribe Jack to my companions Brian, and Jag for their enthusiasm and skills. It was the first time any of us had met, and the fact that that was possible is very much to the credit of the Rocky Mountain Ramblers Association.

Mount Bell via O'Brien Lake (stats from our trip):

Total Time: 11 hours
Total Distance: 25.4 km
Total Elevation Gain: 1573 m

And just in case it is of interest, Mount Bell via Boom Lake appears to be typically:

Total Time: 9 - 10 hours
Total Distance: 18 - 20 km
Total Elevation Gain: 1250 m or so.