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Calgary
198 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2012 : 11:04 AM
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I decided to head up French Creek yesterday in part to investigate whether it was possible to hike over to Robertson glacier, but also to get off the beaten path and do a bit of exploring.
There are two trails that head up French Creek and both are in very, very rough shape with large amounts of deadfall, washouts, and a few messes from large avalanches. I wouldn't recommend this trip for anyone looking for an easy day out, but if you're decent at routefinding and feel like avoiding crowds, this would be the place to do it. The views from the end of the trail near the glacier are nice and there are three nice waterfalls along the creek too; it's just an ordeal to get there.
I've got directions and photos for both trails on my website: http://mattclay.zenfolio.com/french_creek. In spots you'll need routefinding skills and/or an interest in bushwhacking.
If you stick to the trails there are a few areas where the creek has washed away the trail and you'll need to cling to the (rather unstable) banks to get by. The only danger of a slip would be getting wet though. There have also been two major avalanches this past winter that have messed up the trail along the southeast bank, but after having climbed over or under deadfall for most of the day, this didn't really seem much different!
The moraines and gravel flats near the glacier are also quite unstable. I scrambled up one bank and only made it to the top because I could "run" faster than the scree could slide. It also appears quite dangerous to approach the toe of the glacier as it looks to be completely covered in a thick layer of scree; in other words, you could be walking over melting/melted glacier without knowing it. A large silty stream, separate from the main meltwater channel, was flowing out from under what appeared to be a simple scree slope - evidently it was not.
Scrambling over the col between Mt. Robertson and Piggy Plus (separating French and Robertson valleys) does not seem possible as I had originally thought it might be. The slope and gravel are very unstable and a slip would be bad. There is, however, a snow slope still in place from the bottom to near the top, so if anyone with experience on steep snow is interested it might be possible.
We also came across a ptarmigan and her lone chick. While I've met tame ptarmigan, these ones were very tame. At one point the chick came over and tried to catch a horsefly on my boot, and both mother and chick also played around my girlfriend for awhile! |
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Edmonton, AB
88 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2012 : 12:17 AM
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| Terrific photos. Thanks for the report. |
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Powell River, bc
Canada
2527 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2012 : 12:29 AM
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| Beautiful!! :) |
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Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
331 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2012 : 08:40 AM
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| Nice to see what that valley looks like in the summer. |
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French creek and glacier
