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Edmonton, AB
Canada
468 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2012 : 6:46 PM
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Photos:
http://stevensong.fotki.com/canadian-rockies/canmore/exshaw-mountain-2012623/
The weather has been bad for a month, and it's only gonna getting worse. It was forecasted rain everywhere... The main reason why I still headed south was to buy a pair of mountaineering boots that were selling at a price of 70$, but to grab them I had to drive to Calgary. But if I'm driving to Calgary, I gonna go bag a few peaks regardless the weather. And it turns out to be, I successfully got 6 peaks over 2.1 days, with decent summit panorama for 4 of those. If the weather can cooperate in July and August, I think I might gonna get 100+ summits in year 2012 (47 summits so far).
I started the drive after lunch on Saturday, June 23, and got to Calgary by 3pm, and then I realized something went wrong... I soon found the location according to the direction I got from google map. (I copied and pasted the address to google map and got the direction). There was no such a building lol.... Thank god I brought a Calgary map got from CAA with me. Checking the map, I was at the NW area, and the correct address is in the SW... Damn! In either Vancouver or Edmonton, you don't need to worry about the NW / SW thing. Just by finding the straight name you can get to the place.... Oh well. To get to SW section, I had to cross the downtown Calgary where I had never been to. Just like Vancouver downtown, the traffic pattern is much more complicated than Edmonton. But anyway, I made to the destination and got the boots. I didn't linger any longer and started the drive towards the Rockies.
It was raining hard on the drive in, and I couldn't even see Mt Yamuska's face until almost arrived Highway 1A junction. The rain ceased a bit and I thought I might just had enough time for a quick ascent of Exshaw Mountain. I wouldn't think about doing this mountain if it's not named. The summit is heavily treed (more treed than Tunnel and Stony Squaw), and there's even no trail up (at least, extremely hard to find), while, you still have more than 400m elevation gain which is about half of Mt Lawrence Grassi, so don't think it's just a cake walk that everybody can do just like Tunnel Mountain...
Anyway, I started the ascent at about 6:30pm, under light rain. Anybody that has done bushwhacking while raining knows what's gonna happen. I didn't even bother to use the waterproof boots nor gaitors because I didn't have the experience of dealing with bad weather. I paid for the consequence, my boots and pants got completely soaked literally after 2 minute of bushwhacking. I did get some descent view of the Exshaw Plant and Lac des Arcs at the beginning, but most of the mountains were covered in clouds. What's funny about this mountain is, the higher you go, the less view you can get. Eventually I hit the summit (basically bushwhacking entirely up), and 99% of the view was just trees, with the exception of a glimpse of Loder Peak and Door Jamb Mountain. After taking a shot of the summit cairn, I bushwhacked down. I tried to find a trail but couldn't. Except for obtaining this named summit, I didn't enjoy any part of this ascent though. And getting my boots soaked (I brought an extra pair so it was okay).
The view of Exshaw from the start:
What the heck is this??
Another view higher up, looking towards Lac des Arcs:
The summit:
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Edited by - StevenSong on 06/26/2012 6:51 PM
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1197 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2012 : 8:51 PM
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There is a trail up Exshaw Mountain. I followed it for a while until I lost it under snow. Extending the trip along the ridge makes for a more interesting day.
The snake you encountered is a Wandering Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans vagrans)
According to the Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, there are four snakes found in the region; Wandering garter snake, Red-sided garter snake, Bullsnake, Rocky Mountain rubber boa. This one you took a picture of is most definitely the first. I've seen a couple around Yamnuska.
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Calgary
69 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2012 : 9:15 PM
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Sh**. I have a massive phobia of snakes and sure would not have expected anything that size around here! All the pages of anything looking like a snake are ripped out of my Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. Absolutely gross. I'd be interested where else around here people have seen them (but please, no photos!).
That said, I've also done Exshaw Mountain in a complete June downpour last year. We aimed for more or less the route as is shown on the GemTrek map, but, like you, ended up bushwhacking all the way up. There's a short stretch with views at the top (in the Loder direction), but apart from that it's not one I need to repeat. |
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287 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2012 : 9:19 PM
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| I agree with Barbara. I am like Indiana Jones, hate snakes, that photo creeped me out!! I'd rather see a bear than a snake on the trail. |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3796 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2012 : 9:43 PM
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| I've seen one on the Lake Minnewanka trail in May or June. Never seen any of the other snakes. |
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Edmonton, AB
Canada
468 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2012 : 10:15 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Marko
There is a trail up Exshaw Mountain. I followed it for a while until I lost it under snow. Extending the trip along the ridge makes for a more interesting day.
The snake you encountered is a Wandering Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans vagrans)
According to the Handbook of the Canadian Rockies, there are four snakes found in the region; Wandering garter snake, Red-sided garter snake, Bullsnake, Rocky Mountain rubber boa. This one you took a picture of is most definitely the first. I've seen a couple around Yamnuska.
You're so knowledgeable. Thank you for the information. Is any of those poisonous? I heard snakes are common in Okanagan, but never heard in the Rockies before. |
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Edmonton, AB
Canada
468 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2012 : 10:18 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by BarbaraB
Sh**. I have a massive phobia of snakes and sure would not have expected anything that size around here! All the pages of anything looking like a snake are ripped out of my Handbook of the Canadian Rockies. Absolutely gross. I'd be interested where else around here people have seen them (but please, no photos!).
That said, I've also done Exshaw Mountain in a complete June downpour last year. We aimed for more or less the route as is shown on the GemTrek map, but, like you, ended up bushwhacking all the way up. There's a short stretch with views at the top (in the Loder direction), but apart from that it's not one I need to repeat.
It was bushwhacking so I had to look down, or I might not be able to find it. Not a big sized guy though. I agree that it's gross. Normally I don't take photos for insects or anything like that but this one was special. The day was pretty non-photograpical so I had to find something to take picture.
I had a GemTrek map in hand as well, and it didn't help at all. |
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1197 Posts |
Posted - 06/27/2012 : 06:16 AM
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According to this page, we have six snakes native to Alberta, and only the Prairie Rattlesnake is dangerous to humans.
The Rockies handbook says the two garter snake species are "slightly" venomous, but rarely bite and are harmless to humans.
The Bullsnake apparently has a painful bite, but is not venomous. I saw one near the banks of the Bow River at Bearspaw Dam. It was giant and its size made me think it was a Rattlesnake. I used to be quite afraid of snakes at the time and had a bit of a panic attack, but after a trip to Vietnam, my fear subsided. There are so many snakes there!
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Calgary
69 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2012 : 6:42 PM
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| All useful info, though I'd also much rather encounter bears. I can stay away from the 'lovely' Exshaw Mountain, Minnewanka, and the grassy slopes around Drumheller. Maybe I'm better off not knowing where else these slithery beasts are. |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3796 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2012 : 11:06 PM
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I also very nearly ran over one on rollerblades one day. It was sunning itself in the middle of the pathway in Edworthy, and I realized at the last second that it was not a stick, and managed to hop over it. (thankfully - I can't imagine cleaning it out of my wheels..)
But the fact they they exist rarely in a few places shouldn't keep you away from anywhere. Notice none of us have seen them in the same place to suggest there's one popular snakey area. |
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Calgary
69 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2012 : 1:55 PM
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| Oh, I can relate to the Edworthy story. I saw a snake there about three years ago as I was on my bike. Like you, I realized at the last minute that it wasn't a stick because if I had ran over the thing, I'm sure I would have abandoned my bike. It was small though (maybe a foot) and green, so I'm guessing a garter snake (though I won't look it up, and no, I don't need photos for proof here :-) ). |
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A Rainy Ascent of Exshaw Mountain
