Trip Details
Date: October 13, 2018
Summit Elevation: 2542 m
Total Elevation Gain: 939 m
Total Distance: 11.7 km
Round Trip Time: 5:16
Difficulty Notes: Class 2
Most of the hike is on a good trail through the trees. Sections of the final ridge are a bit exposed.
GPS Track: Mt-Burke
And the four idiots headed up the mountain in a whiteout.
-Nathan
Snow Dome Base Camp. May 20, 2018.
Those words echoed in my mind was we drove to the trailhead for Mt. Burke. A snowstorm had hit us shortly after we left Okotoks. We were all glad to have a day out in the mountains, but I was disappointed that we weren’t going to be able to enjoy the expansive views that had so impressed me when I first came to this area last October.
The storm passed as we drove on, and we hit the trail with renewed hope. We started hiking down the road through Cataract Creek Campground and turned east shortly after crossing Salter Creek. Vern continued along the creek for quite some time before starting up the mountain. We followed a path along the creek for a little ways until it seemed to disappear on us. We then cut north and found a very clear trail headed straight for Mt. Burke. There is one big downhill section on this trail—maybe that is what Vern was trying to avoid—but otherwise it worked pretty well for us. On the way back we were able to follow this trail all the way to the road.
The road through Cataract Creek Campground. Cataract Creek with Hell’s Ridge behind it. On our brief journey along Salter Creek. Shortly after leaving the creek we found this nice trail. Such remarkable cows! Hell’s Ridge. It doesn’t look that bad. Bigger mountains in the west. There is one steep descent on this trail, but otherwise nothing to complain about. We hit a tee by this tree. Vern’s route joined us here. Someone’s been on it recently. Breaking out of treeline. Other wing of Mt. Burke to the north of us. Hell’s Ridge on the left. Looking west! Plateau Mountain just south of us. Getting closer to the ridge. We met a hunter on his way down. Our first look at the old fire lookout atop Mt. Burke. Mt. Burke’s north peak. The weather is starting to come in.
We got some fine views just above treeline. We met a hunter on his way down. It sounded like he had gone to the start of the ridge, had a nice look around and then came back. He missed out on a perfectly good summit…or maybe he was the wise one…
The tracks ended at the ridge, and we had to break trail the rest of the way across. The clouds also started to close in and the wind picked up. The snow wasn’t too bad overall, but there were a couple sections where I was forcing my way through waist deep snow and wondering why I wasn’t turning back.
The ridge begins! Cindy and Jordan approaching the first down climb. You can see the down climb far behind us now. Getting closer to the lookout. The waist deep snow and the wind weren’t exactly pleasant. The lookout is a little eerie. That’s quite the dusting of snow. Inside the lookout. The roof has seen better days. The lookout isn’t as much shelter as you would think. Looking back down the ridge from the lookout. The ridge continues to the north. The snowstorm is evident in this photo. A weather station just outside the lookout. Summit photo! The lighting is a bit better outside.
The storm was getting pretty bad by the time we reached the summit. We were excited to take shelter inside the lookout and enjoy our lunches. Alas, the lookout provided little shelter—the wind almost seemed stronger inside than it was outside. So we had a quick snack and made our way back to the safety of the trees.
Time to head back below treeline. Burke’s north peak is obscured by the storm. Returning along the ridge. We made if off the ridge. It’s just a hop, skip and a jump back to the trees now. Tress! I left my spoon at home, so Cindy gave me a cracker to use in its place. Of course the blue sky comes after we’re off the mountain. Back to the campground and the cows.
Once we were back inside the trees we actually started appreciating the snowstorm that menaced us on the ridge. The winds were gone and the snow slowly tumbled down in thick flakes. We paused for a warm lunch and a few swigs of tea and then made our way back down, dreaming of skiing.