North ridge of Copper Mountain - exploratory Off-Trail hike on 25-Sep
For years every time I looked up at the end of the north ridge of Copper Mountain, I was intrigued by a major cut out of the ridge which looked unnatural. Perhaps it was the location of early mining activity.
the rather unnatural looking cut, from the highway
I had always intended to go up and take a look and finally decided to get after it this year. While I didn't think anyone would share this obscure interest, I did post it as a club trip and to my surprise Pam and Lenard agreed to join me.
After crossing the highway we headed up a drainage toward the ridge, initially through moist bush then more steeply up the creek. By the time we got up to the cut in the ridge we were negotiating very loose rock that made the footing difficult for slopes of pretty moderate steepness. Along the way, encountered a Pileated Woodpecker which made a brief appearance. The lower larches and patches of Red Bearberry added color.
a solitary larch on the lower slopes
Red Bearberry (Arctous rubra) in fall color
Once we got into the cut, we found no signs of early exploration or mining. As we climbed up to the upper areas for closer examination, we were surprised at the difficulty of the scrambling due to the poor rock quality.
Pam and the impressive limestone face
Lenard enjoying the ascent
Pam climbing into the upper bowl
It appeared that the cut was due to softer rocks separating from limestone cliffs.
softer rock crumbling away from the face
softer rocks separating from the limestone face
Over lunch we enjoyed great views over the Bow Valley.
Castle Mountain
ridges from Cockscomb Mountain to Mt. Cory
We then headed further up the north ridge. It leveled off and we hiked through some lush meadows, eventually encountering some wonderful larch groves.
larch
among the larch
On the descent we stayed on the east side of the drainage where the footing was good with lots of brush but little deadfall. We sent 7 hours enjoying the fun of exploration in new country.