mosquito

Mosquito Mountain – August 14, 2008

Mountain height:         2970 m
Elevation gain:            1130 m
Ascent time:                3:30
Descent time:              4:40

Solo scramble.

If I knew Graeme Pole personally, I’d give him a big hug – or at least a manly handshake! This trip was based on another route description posted by Mr. Pole on the Bivouac website, and like Rick Collier’s, they are worth their weight in gold (let’s pretend that we are still in the stone age and route descriptions are chiseled onto heavy stone tablets, not printed on lightweight paper). Had I know this trip was going to be one of the highlights of my year, I would have waited until the weekend when Mark could have come along for the ride.

Mosquito Mountain is the unofficial name of one of a group of three peaks that sit to the north of Noseeum Mountain. They are not visible from the road, hence their lack of attention. I certainly never would have thought about heading in their direction, until I stumbled upon Mr. Pole’s trip reports for all three peaks.

The trip started with an easy hike alongside Mosquito Creek to a backcountry campground and then a light bushwhack to tree-line. Up to that point I would characterize the environs of Mosquito Creek as pleasant, but nothing to get all riled up about. That certainly changed once out of the trees. One second there’s nothing but bark and branches in your face, the next nothing but open grassy slopes, meadows, and striking mountains in every direction. It was actually a “shocking” experience.

As well as the wonderful form of Mosquito Mountain, his little brothers also came into view – Ramp Peak (a very appropriate name) and Quartzite Peak. The colours and contours of the three peaks were outstanding.

The hike to the summit of Mosquito Mountain started off magnificently and just got better with every metre of elevation gained. I followed the left edge of the peak and was rewarded with vertiginous views down the north side of the peak and some fantastic pinnacle scenery. My lengthy ascent time is explained by the fact that I simply could not keep my camera in its case.

The summit vista was phenomenal. The best views were to the south, where stood Mount Hector, distinctive Molar Mountain, and Noseeum Mountain, and to the east, with the three peaks of Mount Willingdon and Cataract Peak further south. The entire length of the Pipestone Valley was also visible, enhanced by a small, but beautiful turquoise lake to the north.

Ready to return the same way I came, I decided to first explore the ridge to the southeast a little. There appeared to be infinite opportunities to descend easily into the Mosquito Creek valley. This was one alternate descent route that didn’t elicit a flood of anxiety in me!

The southeast ridge was also fantastic, but quite a bit more serious than the ascent route. There were a few sections of downclimbing and a couple of easy but brutally exposed moves. At times, drop-offs forced me away from the ridge, but easy terrain led back to it. The views and scenery continued to inspire and so I continue to follow the ridge. On at least five separate occasions I picked a spot to end the trip and return, only to get to that point and end up continuing on.

I finally reached a fork in the ridge where I promised myself I would turn around. That is until I accidentally wandered too far over to one of the ridges to spot a stunning bluish-green lake to the southeast. Of course, I had to get a better look and so I followed the ridge south, enjoying some interesting scrambling and a whole lot of easy ridge-walking. A quick visit to the peaceful and secluded lake completed a perfect day. The descent route from the lake consisted of hiking across meadows and then down to the prominent and busy Mosquito Creek Trail. What a simply wonderful day! Thank you Graeme.