South Baldy circuit

Last week I was busy getting lost on North Baldy when I noticed a zigzag trail up South Baldy, and what appeared to be a potentially great glissade down a gully from the West Baldy-South Baldy col. That day I was just out to do North Baldy, but yesterday Tristan and I headed over to South Baldy via Baldy Pass.

	There was fresh snow in the mountains; they were blindingly white against the clear blue sky as we drove out to K Country. Nakiska was reporting 3 cm on the gauge, but at the top of Baldy Pass it was easily 5 cm. We passed three people on the trail up. After that we saw nobody all day. It was warm in the sun, and unusually, there was zero wind, but out of the sun it was below freezing.
Midnight Peak
	The south ridge of South Baldy is an excellent, easy, airy scramble. It was complicated somewhat by the snow though, and we decided against continuing to North Baldy (the "normal summit"). For the same reason, we avoided the zigzags, which would probably have been unpleasant, with snow over steep, frozen scree. Instead, we located the glissade gully, and rode it swiftly to the bottom. Carrying ice axes paid off again today! I'll have to get stitching though - I tore a big hole in my pants on the slide.
Looking north along the ridge towards South Baldy

		More Info South Baldy circuit. Distance: 10-11 km round. Start/finish at Baldy Pass parking lot, hwy 40. Elevation: ~900 m Time: half a day.
Glissading off the north side of South-West Baldy col

Wasootch Peak

Soon after I moved here, a colleague pulled me aside, and warned me. "Never hike alone. We have bears, wolves and cougars. Solo hikers get eaten all the time". So for eight years, I diligently recruited partners, or stayed at home when none were available.

I'd frequently see solo hikers on the trails though - pursued by a veritable, slavering menagerie of carnivores, and bald eagles circling overhead, of course. My regular hiking partner was one of those foolhardy characters; his solo exploits included the West Coast Trail, and a midweek camp during which a black bear sow and two cubs wandered through his camp. He's still around...

There's always some risk of an uncomfortably close encounter with wildlife. I've had a couple while out hiking, paddling, and cycling in groups. To my mind, when you're on your own, you tend to be more focused on what's happening around you, and perhaps, more risk-averse. This year I'm committed to doing more hikes than I'll be able to find partners for. So in mid-February I headed out and scrambled a route that was new to me: Wasootch Peak (aka G8 Summits, and Winnipeg Peak). The route is described well here by Bob Spirko. It was a good outing! Apart from my poor choice of traction devices (Yak Trax are not suitable for scrambling...), which necessitated use of my ice axe for the first time in ages, it was an uneventful day, with some great local views towards Tiara Peak. As a bonus, I did not get eaten. I did both summits. I'd read that the descent to the col was difficult, but so long as you drop down to the right when things get interesting, it's fairly straightforward (if you're used to that kind of thing). Trip Details Wasootch Peak - half-day scramble. Starting point: Highway 40, opposite Nakiska. Distance: 6.5 km Elevation gain: ~900 m.

Tiara Peak (centre-left) and  the Canyon Creek summits to her right. Looking towards the north summit of Wasootch Peak, with Barrier Lake in the distance.