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04/01/25 - Wasootch Ridge
Wasootch Ridge
50.97° North, -115.09° West
Having been in Montréal for the past four months, this was to be my first major hike back. I would be joined by my buddy Sam for the attempt at the summit. Whenever Sam and I get together to hike, it is never a dull day, and today would be no different. I've completed Wasootch once before and reached the summit and dropped off onto the backside and retreated via the creek bed. Although it was a viable option, the creek bed is quite difficult to get down to off the backside of the final peak of the ridge, so today the plan was to avoid it and retreat back down the ridge. If you complete the whole ridge and manage to reach the summit, Wasootch is around 15km and 1100m of elevation gain; not a wee day out! We started our push for the summit sometime around 8:30 after some pre hike fuelling at A & W.
Our route, stopping just before the high point
Other stats from our walk
The day shaped up to be a beauty, marked by low level cloud cover and low winds. No matter how they decide to behave every day, the mountains never cease to amaze me. The initial push on Wasootch is the most sustained and steep of the whole walk. Don't be mistaken though as the hike is a never-ending oscillation of high points after low points. The trail was in pretty good shape, and microspikes made easy work of the difficult parts.
Sam in the foreground with Wasootch Peak filling the background
We had some fun poking through the trail and decided to challenge the ridge at a couple points where it dips below and joins up later. One of these parts can be seen in the previous photo but might be hard to make out. The section in question would lay somewhere between class 3 and class4 scrambling, if you fall you break a bone. We took our time at these parts and made sure of our footing. After the 7th high point or so we decided to end our journey and enjoy some hydration. We had previously cooked some lunch at a lower point on the ridge; spicy szechuan noodles and some cheese did the trick.
Sam at out lunch spot enjoying the beautiful vista surrounding us
Although our goal was ultimately the summit, neither of us were disappointed by the day we were having. The release these pieces of rock can provide is something that I have yet to find in anything else in my life. The day was marked by self-reflection and discussion about some pretty deep areas of life. The feeling of freedom these mountains provide us is therapeutic to me and something I value deeply. After some more hydration in the form of hazy IPA, we decided to commence our return journey back down the ridge. Given the oscillation of terrain previously mentioned, the journey back was not without some amount of effort. Nevertheless we made fairly quick work of it all and were soon back in the parking lot. Another unreal day spent in the rockies was complete. I think I almost mention it every time, but it is insane how lucky we are to have these peaks in our backyard. I hope I never take it for granted how uniquely amazing the mountains are to me, and I'm sure I never will. I also will never take my hiking partners for granted. From the first people to get me into the mountains when I was young, to my newest hiking partner Sam, it's always more enjoyable to share an experience with someone.
The final high point of Wasootch
Looking back over the ridge, several high points visible
Sam in the foreground with Mount Allan barley visible, poking out from behind Wasootch Peak
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