Stoney Lookout Mountain

✕

I took a few days to let my body - and injured back - recover from my Saturday up Grotto Grotto Mountain
Hagelslag.ca
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[Archive] [No Archive Link] , and headed out for a short “recovery trip” Wednesday evening of the next week. Stoney Lookout (formerly known as Stoney Squaw but renamed in 2020 for obvious reasons) had been on my radar since the previous year, but I’d never bothered due to how short it was.

Short, in this case, was exactly what I was looking for in an objective that evening and I eagerly set out after work, arriving at the trailhead at 1738hrs. Norquay was closed for the next few weeks, with the only visitors besides myself being a curious group of mountain goats who trotted over to say “hi”. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of them - they certainly didn’t seem hostile - and made my way to the trailhead as soon as I’d fished my pack and poles out of my car’s trunk, avoiding contact as best I could.

Curious mountain goats trot over to see what this strange two-legged hooman thing is up to. Curious mountain goats trot over to see what this strange two-legged hooman thing is up to. ✕

The trail is well-defined and easy to follow. The trail is well-defined and easy to follow. ✕

Signage makes the route clear whenever the trail forks. Signage makes the route clear whenever the trail forks. ✕

The trail was pretty well-defined, with a few icy sections that made current me once again annoyed with past me for forgetting to add microspikes to my pack, but otherwise uneventful. Signage made it clear which way to go any time I encountered branching trails or anything else that would have required even the slightest touch of routefinding.

I passed through a sparsely-treed section with decent views over the Vermillion Lakes at 1810hrs, pausing for a panorama before continuing on my way.

Views over the Vermillion Lakes from the viewpoint.

Views over the Vermillion Lakes from the viewpoint. ✕

It took just six minutes of hiking past the viewpoint to reach the “summit”. I use quotations because it is clearly not the high-point, which is about five meters off-trail and obscured by trees to the point where it’s really not worth visiting unless you are a peakbagger like myself.

Sundance Peak from the viewpoint. I've developed a certain obsession with this rarely-ascended summit in my back yard... Sundance Peak from the viewpoint. I've developed a certain obsession with this rarely-ascended summit in my back yard... ✕

The "summit" viewpoint. The "summit" viewpoint. ✕

A trail leads off into the woods here... A trail leads off into the woods here... ✕

...And emerges at the true highpoint, which lacks any kind of decent views. ...And emerges at the true highpoint, which lacks any kind of decent views. ✕

Views over the Fairholme Range were extremely good, taking into account how little effort was needed to get said views. More interesting for me was Cascade’s massive south face, which I’ve theorised numerous times might actually be possible to scramble, and which I stitched a ~250MP panorama of to investigate in more detail later.

Summits L to R include Inglismaldie, Girouard, Peechee, Princess Margaret, Charles Stewart, and Bald Eagle.

Summits L to R include Inglismaldie, Girouard, Peechee, Princess Margaret, Charles Stewart, and Bald Eagle. ✕

Surprisingly great views of Cascade Mountain's imposing southern face. I think a scrambling route up it may exist, but it's impossible to find online amid all the SEO blogspam surrounding the traditional route.

Surprisingly great views of Cascade Mountain's imposing southern face. I think a scrambling route up it may exist, but it's impossible to find online amid all the SEO blogspam surrounding the traditional route. ✕

The summit on OpenStreetMap is listed as being a bit further along the trail, so I went a bit further to confirm that it is in the wrong place (which it is) before returning by my ascent route. Given the amount of ice I’d encountered and my lack of spikes, I decided I’d rather work with the known passable trail than take my chances with possibly worse conditions.

I made it back to the car at 1902hrs and promptly moved my microspikes from the trunk of my car to the interior of my pack. They will be living there for the entirety of the shoulder season, as I’m tired of forgetting them and not having them when I need them.