North America, Canada, Rocky Mountains of Canada, Mt. Hurd, Unnamed Peak, Mt. Wilson

Publication Year: 1949.

Rocky Mountains of Canada. The following ascents were made in 1948 by Mr. and Mrs. E. Cromwell:

Mt. Hurd (9275 ft.), first ascent. From the road between Field and Leanchoil, by steep goat trail up hard-baked and almost vertical gully, to open meadows above timberline and just below steep cliffs of W. face; thence contouring to S. face over shale and boulders for about one mile to big gully splitting S. face; up this gully (easy rock climbing) to westernmost and highest of three small summits. Ascent five hours. Rope not used.

Unnamed peak (“Andromache”: 9800 ft. by contour, above the highway just N. of Mt. Hector and Hector Creek), first ascent. From No-See-Um Creek, immediately N. of the objective, via shale and boulder slopes to 9000 ft.; thence up N. ridge to upper slopes of Molar Glacier, which lies on N.E. side of the peak; over glacier (rope) in southerly direction to summit rocks. Ascent five hours. Miss C. Cromwell accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Cromwell.

Unnamed peak (about equal to the last in height, and half a mile to the S.E.), first ascent. From the highway to No-See-Um Creek to its source, climbing up a cliffy waterfall on goat trails to bench lake at 8000 ft.; thence S. across glaciated rocks to Molar Glacier and up a steep icy wall (1000 ft.) to col between “Andromache” and objective; thence S. to summit in half an hour’s walking over easy boulders. Ascent five and a half hours.

Mt. Wilson (10,631 ft.), S.-N. traverse. From Saskatchewan Forks up long steep gully to notch in S. ridge. The Wilson Glacier once descended to this notch, but it has now greatly receded, and 1000 ft. of altitude are lost in reaching a deep glaciated trough before ascending icefall to upper névé just E. of main N.-S. ridge. The subsidiary S. peak is traversed to the main peak. Ascent six hours. Descent of the steep N. ridge requires stepcutting. From the N. end of the névé it is possible to swing S. and regain the route of the ascent. Under fresh snow the concealed crevasses make it desirable to have three on the rope.

J. M. T.