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Vancouver, BC
Canada
559 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 11:50 PM
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INTRODUCTION.
Locomotive mountain(2340m) is located about 30km north of Pemberton in stunningly beautiful Semaphore lakes area, and situated within the same mountain mass with other "railroad" series of peaks such as Handcar, Railroad, Caboose, Tender, Faceless and Face mountains.
From left to right in photo; Locomotive-Tender-Caboose
All those years I drove past this road many times over, now I am thinking why I was not even aware of such a fantastic beauty, so close to the road.... I think still many don't even know this place exists - like me 5yrs ago... and what a nice name...
 
Many great reports already describe this popular scrambling destination so I focus here on access and route finding element, which I had a great challenge today and this report might assist other beginners..
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BRIEF SUMMARY
-There is unmistakable clear trail to the lake area, although the same trail seems to devided into several after that point and they fade and reappear.
-For beginners; To ascend the peak, it is important to swing behind Locomotive main ridge completely to the gentler incline "hind ridge" which faces Pemberton valley. Other Locomotive ridges are much more advanced scrambling routes.
-There are two somewhat challenging sections in the beginner route; 1- snowy bump at early stage described in below route map as "challenging section", 2 fairly steep ascent on largely snow field to reach the "hind ridge" after this bump. Seeing still large amount of snow remaining in September, I would assume ascending prior to August would be very difficult without snow gears for beginners.
-On descent, from mid point of Locomotive "hind ridge" till reaching down to the "challenging section", route finding can be an issue due to the similar land flow and limited visibility of distant land marks. No clear consistent cairns were seen in this section.
Trailhead to peak route map
Alpine route view from South(left), South East(middle), East(right)
  
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TRIP BACKGROUND
Today, as my 5th day of alpine run training, I intended to do a loop of Locomotive, Tender, Caboose, Faceless, & Face mtn, but I misinterpreted locomotive middle ridge as "hind ridge" as instructed in SWBC book and went into a challenging route thinking this is described as an easy route. I decided it is too challenging & changed the plan to a single summit trip. During the descent, I had a difficulty coming down in one of the steep section I ascended, then finally realized later there should be a far easier real "standard" route. Finally I knew Locomotive hike was actually easy, but this process also revealed my current level of route finding skill itself and I stuck with the new decision of a single ascent trip.
Although I planned my last 6th day of alpine trail-run session tomorrow as a longest run event , today's experience made me want to cut it short by thinking about the importance of route finding.
Daily charging of energy by running in trails was huge and as I came back to Vancouver I realize my energy level is extremely high. Already today I was feeling the good results of continuous trail training(eg; to the lake from trailhead was 25mins in ease before getting lost). If you are wanting to go multi-day hiking/mountain running but also wanting to do other things for family or whatever(in my case I wanted to do swim, bike and weights), then take short day trips 5-6days consecutively and do other things you want in the afternoons. - this process can charge you up with full of vitality!
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TIME;
Trailhead to Peak 2h 16mins, including about 25mins stopping at steep walls, & photo stop 5mins.
Peak to Trailhead 3h 11mins, including about 60mins of making the peak return loop from stuck point at steep wall descent, photo stop 20mins.
Car-to-Car; adding above to 15mins stop at the peak, 5h 42mins.
Trailhead to the lake is a fast runnable trail both ways. Past the lake, ascent is all runnable but trail fades too often and cannot run fast and only 50% runnable on descent. At the scramble, mostly runnable on unsnowed ascent easy route, but not runnable on descent due to exaggerated route finding challenge. Running at scramble benefits only as a training and not as faster time as you tend to zig-zag & backtrack.
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ACCESS TO TRAILHEAD
From Pemberton go towards upstream(turning left at the first traffic lighted intersection).
Then in 20k or so there is this sign. Turn right. Set odometer to 0 here.
As you turn, you see Goat peak on the left, Copper Mound on the right.
8.7k there is a fork. Take right to uphill.
This bridge of main creek of the valley you are ascending at 18.8k
After 19k, you would start seeing this bump on the left.
See this small trickling waterfall on the right. Then the trailhead is just past the curve above.
Soon you would see the trailhead at 22k on the north side of the road. Flagging is not showing up on the left photo.
Now I realized why there are so many cars parked the day before here when I went to Grouty Peak.
 
You would see a small pond about 30m to west of trailead on the same side of the road.
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TRAIL AND ROUTE; note this is a description of easy route with foot traces(I used on my descent)in ascent order.
At the starting, it goes like this and stay flat, then goes past a small tarn.
This well treaded trail soon gets steep and looks typically looks like...
 
Soon start seeing Locomotive mtn.
 
As I get into the lake area, I intermittently find the trail going towards the left, or south side.
 
Then as I leave the lake area still scattered with small tarns, this "challenging area" for easy route looms in front.
There seemed to be several routes with cairn marking the way. This was the "crux" on this easy route. Right photo shows one of the routes I took. I could pass this area only because rocks were dry.
  
There are numerous snow crossing before reaching to the gentle "hind ridge" leading to the peak. Generally they are somewhat steep and iceax or even crampons might be needed depending on the snow condition. I used temporary rock axes as necessity on even today's warm temperature. Good pair can be found with in 60seconds.
  
**The way I use "rock iceaxes" at snow crossing is for both hands to hold on to 0.5kg+- weight one side pointed rock and stab into snow with at least either hand is anchored into snow firmly. Used for steep snow crossing(most of dozen crossings today), as well as semi steep descent on snow as I walk face down on snow slope. Also when snow is hard I bend over with one hand/axe firmly anchored in snow, to reach over to where next footsteps should be and dig etc..
Now this is a suitable "tool" only when temperature is high enough or used for less than 5mins continuously as hands need to feel warm and be able to continue to grip them tight comfortably. **
Also there were numerous 2-3m high 5-30m long blocks like this throughout between past lake area to the peak. If dry there is no challenge.
Far left dot sections of blue route in 3d map here are of "challenging section" of standard easy route. See the route touches the "lake" above the challenging section. Also note many angle snow crossings are required.
 
At the side of this "lake". On right photo; although there were many traces on snow in wide band at this point, consensus route seemed to go up towards the middle bump and beyond.
 
Then the "consensus" trace easy route seem to go up this angle snow area. Photo doesn't show, but there were numerous track of boots going up and down.
As ascent continues.
Route seemed to swing left out of the photos on the "hind ridge". Occasionally cairns were seen.
 
Descent view of this same mid or lower part of "hind ridge" of Locomotive mtn as above photos. Note here descent is very difficult to go in single relevant direction as landmarks are not visible. I often zig-zaged & backtracked, finding a cairn and ran toward it and found another in other direction etc.
  
Almost at the peak.
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ADVANCED ROUTE I ENDED UP TAKING
As a side note this is how I got lost in to the pink advanced route.
   
Here is the wall I stuck under on ascent. 60-80degrees.
 
After deep thinking etc. I found this cravass to go up.
This is how "pink route" mostly looked like. At this point still thinking this is the "easy route" described by others, admiring those people in mind.
    
And this is the section I came up but too scared to go down. It goes into very steep crevasse and going down like 20-30m. When I decided to look for something else, I remembered seeing photos with dogs at the peak and finally my slow mind is doubting there might be an easier route. Is this class 2? Or even 3?
 
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AT THE PEAK
A few peak views
Tender peak. I looked at it, and didn't even think of going there, imagining the difficulty would be the same as coming up here so far.
Grouty ridge from yesterday
From left to right photos; Face mtn, Goat Peak, Mt Sloan, Overseer mtn
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Edited by - trailrunner on 09/06/2012 4:41 PM
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Fast Movin, litigatin, adventure seekin, clothin deprived trail buster
Port Moody, B.C.
Canada
589 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2012 : 10:01 AM
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| Trailrunner: thanks for a superb trip report. That was quite an adventure. This area is next on the list of things to do. The detail in your report will certainly help. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
559 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2012 : 12:09 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by social climber
Trailrunner: thanks for a superb trip report. That was quite an adventure. This area is next on the list of things to do. The detail in your report will certainly help.
You are welcome. As long as firmly staying in the "hind ridge", this route should be easy. Mild challenges in first snowy bump and how to get to the hind ridge over steep snow field. |
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Smurf Village, BC
Canada
1495 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2012 : 08:04 AM
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I think your report will be a "must read" for anyone going to this area for the first time!
I'm curious, what are you wearing on your feet while trailrunning (in rougher terrain like this)? I don't like typical running shoes for a couple of reasons (higher heel, softer sole, etc), and prefer light hikers (my Merrells serve me well for this kind of thing). |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
1461 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2012 : 08:23 AM
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| I wish you'd posted this before I was up there on the weekend. Got off track because there are 2+ lakes up there and we missed the one in all of the descriptions, somehow. |
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Victoria, British Columbia
Canada
1762 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2012 : 3:39 PM
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| Reaching Tender from Locomotive was quite easy, only took us going about 45 minutes slowly. Caboose was another 15 minutes past that. We were up this past weekend, beautiful area. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
559 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2012 : 3:40 PM
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Halifax; Yeah I am also leaning when Matt Gun's book says something about route finding, then often I have a challenge keeping up with the right route. In that case I make it a rule to check all other reports posted on the same hill in the web site. Now I also check Ramblingbull's web site; Marek's Mountain World.
guntis; I wear mostly trailrunning shoes for alpine runs. Currently I like Montrail's Mountain Masochist. But only some trailrunning shoes have elements that I like for my alpine running purpose. So I ask myself the following questions as I fiddle with candidate shoes.
1- Is there thick coverage around toes? About 1/3 or less of trail run shoes seems to have thick robust enough of "protection" around toes.
2-I check for solid tread with sticky protruding surface treads. About 1/2 of them have that.
3-As you pointed out; Is the heel low enough to give a good grip on wobbly surface?
There are many trail run shoes that have one or two of above elements, and there are lot less that have all three of them.
I sometimes like shoes categorized under "light hiking shoes". They usually have element 1, and I remember trying on some that were also low heel with good sticky tread... I don't remember which one though. |
Edited by - trailrunner on 09/06/2012 3:43 PM |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
559 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2012 : 3:52 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by jd22
Reaching Tender from Locomotive was quite easy, only took us going about 45 minutes slowly. Caboose was another 15 minutes past that. We were up this past weekend, beautiful area.
Is that right!! Yeah when I reached Locomotive peak and looked at Tender, I was still bit shooked up after taking the scary route and still thinking "oh this is what Matt Gunn means an easy trail"... Things are already looking good with this new info for my loop challenge next time. Thanks for the info. |
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Victoria, British Columbia
Canada
1762 Posts |
Posted - 11/29/2012 : 1:22 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by trailrunner
quote:
Originally posted by jd22
Reaching Tender from Locomotive was quite easy, only took us going about 45 minutes slowly. Caboose was another 15 minutes past that. We were up this past weekend, beautiful area.
Is that right!! Yeah when I reached Locomotive peak and looked at Tender, I was still bit shooked up after taking the scary route and still thinking "oh this is what Matt Gunn means an easy trail"... Things are already looking good with this new info for my loop challenge next time. Thanks for the info.
Evgeny and a couple of other guys did the loop, if you have his contact info he can probably give you some good beta. Plus, because 5 peaks isn't enough in a day they detoured over to Templar, too.
I'm not sure if you carry an ice axe while on your trail run adventures but the approach up Faceless (from Face) looked pretty snowy in early sept. Somewhat steep. |
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over the hills and far away
Canada
708 Posts |
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Dummies' Guide; Locomotive Mtn - Semaphore Lakes
