Climbing Mount Fisher

FISHER PEAK SCALED BY AMATEUR CLIMBERS. – (by A.D. Bridges)

            On Thursday, June 28^th, a party of five Cranbrookites found an easy way up the highest point in the Rockies near Cranbrook, namely Fisher Peak.  The authorities have the height as 9250 feet.  Our altimeter would only register up to 9000 so we did not check the correctness of this, although we have since found out that it could have been set back a few thousand by moving a screw.

            This article is written with the idea of having the people of Cranbrook and the district know that there is a comparatively easy way to the top and the writer will be glad to give information and show pictures to anyone who wishes to make the climb.  Two girls, Miss Doris Mackenrot and Miss Mildred Bridges, also Myles Beale, A.D. Bridges of Cranbrook, and Lindsay Loutet, of North Vancouver, comprised the party.  None of the party had done very much climbing this year, which accounts for the two days of sore limbs which followed.  To make the climb without suffering, a certain amount of walking or climbing should be done beforehand, as the climb is at least a stiff ten-hour trip.  It took us roughly thirteen hours from the time we left Cranbrook until our return.

            We left Cranbrook at ten minutes to six, picking up the members of the crew on the way, helping one to eat his first breakfast of toast and coffee, finding another sitting on the sidewalk with grub sack ready, patiently waiting for us, although we had planned on leaving at six o’clock.  It was really a most auspicious start, leaving ten minutes ahead of time.  The morning (page 8)

Was really wonderful and everyone was feeling fine until the climbing started, when we discovered one of the girls had not eaten any breakfast, and this caused a delay while the matter was remedied.

            The route from Cranbrook is through Fort Steele and down the Bull River road about a mile and a half where a left turn is made toward the mountains.  There is a pretty drive, a gradual ascent through farm land, following Maus Creek up to an old mining venture.  We arrived here at 6:20, just thirty minutes’ drive out of Cranbrook.  It took about twenty minutes to fill our pockets with oranges and tie our grub sacks on.  The girls carried a share of the food to show their hardiness.  We carried two cameras and got some good pictures which have been added to the writer’s collection.  The altimeter registered 3150 at Cranbrook, and 3400 at the spot where we left the car.  We followed an old wagon road up Maus Creek for about three and a half miles then made a stop for our real morning meal, so that all could be on an equal basis as some had not eaten before.  We enjoyed it very much.

            The sun was just coming over the mountain tops and the creek was roaring way below us.  There was no vegetation there as we were at the foot of a long rock slide.  We had been climbing for more than an hour, an easy climb.  The altimeter registered 4800, a rise of 1400 feet.  We really started to climb when we left this point at 8:35.

            We followed a dry creek bed up the side of the mountain.  This was very steep in some places, but easy climbing because the snow and water of the spring freshet had left a clear path.  There was no underbrush, but large rocks which we used for stepping stones.  About an hour’s climb brought us to the edge of a valley through which a nice stream was flowing.  This disappeared into the ground 100 yards below.  We followed up the stream to the edge of another valley, on one side of which several 75-foot falls tumbled.  We climbed around these over a steep rock slide and reached the entrance to this valley at 10 o’clock.  The altimeter read 7250, 2400 feet above the road.

            Here it was that the good weather of the morning started to change.  Clouds rose rapidly and it became quite cool, although we could see the sun shining around Cranbrook most of the day.  From there on it was cold and we were all glad we had taken Mr. Loutet’s advice and brought two sweaters each although we had not needed them before that.

            This second valley is easily located as it is filled with snow which can be seen from Cranbrook any clear day.  The valley has a lovely stream running into two small lakes and a large clump of trees at the lower end.  The opposite side of the valley is a high reach of jagged peaks which feeds the stream and the falls in the first valley.  After getting over the ridge at 7250 we went down the hill to reach the level and then started to climb.

            This was a real climb which took us an hour and ten minutes.  We climbed over loose shale which we slid through on our return at eight feet a step in ten minutes.  When we reached this ridge the altitude was 8200 and we were greeted with the best view of the day.  From then on it was really too cloudy to get a good picture or to see what we should have been otherwise able to see.

            We were then on the ridge just south of the peak that can be seen from Cranbrook.  On either side of us were very deep valleys and ridges as far as we would see, all covered with snow.  It was a wonderful sight and worth the climb, but we had not reached our goal.  We would have lingered but we were compelled to move or freeze in the wind which was coming up the valley and pierced our heavy clothing.  We left here at 11:20 and started the real climb.

            This was different climbing for we could not see through the clouds immediately above us.  Neither could we see very far ahead because of many large rocks which obstructed the way.  It took another hour to complete the final 1000 feet, and arrive at the top.  Just before we got there it started to hail, making that part of the ascent somewhat dangerous.  We heard thunder and there was a great deal of electricity in the air.  When we were standing on some small rocks we could hear them crackling with it, particularly one large rock standing on its side which bristled with electricity.  Two of the party remarked they could feel their hair standing on end.

            The top is about seven feet wide by twelve feet long.  We found parts of a broken looking glass and the frame of it, also pieces of shingle, but no names in a bottle which we had been told were left there.  We took a tin with a closed lid in which we put our names and the date on a piece of paper and built up a cairn around it.  Two pictures were taken here to show what it looked like.

            We could see the other lower peaks under us which were scaled two years ago by two Cranbrookites.  No human being could pass between these and Fisher Peak because of the steepness and sharpness.  We could see lakes of a dazzling blue colour, miles and miles of the Kootenay river and up the St. Mary’s Valley.  We seemed to be on top of the world.  All this for just a few minutes and then the hail came down so furiously that we could see but a few feet.   By then we wanted to get down the quickest way.  Oh, to be a bird!  We thought of that long journey back, wet and miserable and perhaps lost.  This was not unlikely because we very nearly did get lost before we had descended the first 1000 feet, and only the lifting of the clouds enabled us to find our position.

            We had left the ridge we were to follow and were faced with jumping off places.  We were most grateful when the sun came out for a few minutes and we forgot our numb fingers and wet feet and made haste to get down in the valley again where it seemed much warmer.

            We had dinner about 1:30, when it was still hailing, and clouds were everywhere about us.  We had sardines, canned boiled dinner, Rye Krisp, biscuits, salmon, bread and butter and for dessert marmalade, oranges and lemons with pineapple juice as a liquid.  It was the zero point of the trip and proved that the party were all good sports for none complained although our hands were almost too numb to use the canopener.  Myles Beale acted as official in this capacity as his hands seemed to shake less than the others.

            We experienced clouds, hail, rain, snow and sunshine, to say nothing of wind which amounted almost to a blizzard.  We were at the 8250 ridge at 2:15 and to the road by 4:30, back at the car at 5:30.  The stragglers arrived at 6 and we all reached Cranbrook again, tired but happy at having achieved our goal.  We had left the clouds and found the sunshine about 5 o’clock and it seemed very peaceful once away from the frowning mountains.

            We do not claim to be the first to reach the real peak.  Mrs. Fred Ryckman and a party were up about 16 years ago, and some Kimberley young men a few years ago, but we understand they took two days, not knowing of the easier way which we found to reach the peak.

            The peak which Doc. Geddes and Tommy Moore climbed two years ago at a slightly lower altitude, perhaps fifty to a hundred feet, is a much more dangerous climb, and the ridge to the south which I was on last year for about six miles between the Victor Mine and Fisher Peak, are also very jagged and dangerous, but well worth the climbing.

            Experience on these mountains has shown that Cranbrook may be in the sunshine while the peaks are in the clouds, and it pays to wear heavy clothing and have a change at the car.  Our feet were soaking wet the twelve hours we were away from the car.

            Our hope is that this article may be the means of making Fisher Peak one of Cranbrook’s points of interest from the top as well as from a distance.  We understand that this climb or any over 7000 feet qualifies one for the Alpine Club.

            Those who have never been on one of these ridges cannot guess the wonderland of snow, ice and ranges of peaks that lie on the other side of what is to be seen from here.  The reason for so little snow on this side and so much up there is because of the sun shining all day practically on this side and very little on that side.  In the upper valley we struck patches of snow where we used our shoes as skis and slid for fifteen to twenty feet at a time.

            Anyone interested can see pictures of the trip at the Cranbrook Trading Company.