UNNAMED PEAK WEST OF SILVERTIP LAKE, KOKANEE RANGE, 2486 m. 8156’
MAP: Kokanee Peak 82F/11 NAD 27 June 18, 2009
I had noticed this rock peak, the farthest extension south of the Grays Peak system, from minor peaks in the West Fork of Kokanee Creek, gained while ski touring. Having decided it was worthy of an ascent, I persuaded Paul and Scott Allen to join me for an attempt on a Thursday in mid June.
After parking at km. 14.7 on the Gibson Lake road near a spot where several small streams cross (4800’), we started out at 8:35 am by thrashing up the bank above the road and to the east just downhill from the lowest stream. We passed immediately into steep, but moderate bush. Following the watercourse on its south side, we were relieved to reach snow after about an hour and continued along the creek as it bent south. Now in the alpine, we ascended to a notch at GR 908-055, 7100’, and continued into a basin on the southwest side of our peak, all on snow. Our ascent route then took us up 700’ of the southwest face to the right of the summit on steep slopes of dirt, rock, and heather— vertical juniper, Paul called it. Reaching the ridge crest, we turned left, passed through two easy cols, and walked up a gully to gain the summit at 1:30 (4 hrs. 55 min. up, 919-059).
While Scott built a big cairn and Paul had a nap, I recorded mild temperatures with some 80% cloud cover, gazed at Rosehip Lake, and scrutinized a shattered tower below us to the northeast in the Coffee Creek valley.
After a 55 minute stay, we re-traced our route down the southwest face and followed our snowy tracks down to a flat area in the timber (902-062, 5900’). At this point, we turned left or west, descending steep timber on the left bank of our unnamed creek to emerge on the road just meters from the truck at 5:20. Descent from the summit: 2 hours 55 min.
Total time for the day: 8 hours 45 min. Although the rope was not used, we gauged the peak’s southwest face to be class 4 climbing.
Kim Kratky
