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The Wedge |
| Elevation 2665m Height Gain Time to Reach Summit Degree of Difficulty Scenery Date of Most-recent Ascent |
From the north, The Wedge looks more like a scaled up version of Heart Mountain, but alas whomever coined the name was simply thinking of keeping his door open that day. Technically, The Wedge is about as tough as an intermediate scramble gets. It is perhaps comparable to Big Sister, although I find the later offers more varied scrambling. From Highway 1 take the Kananaskis Trail exit and drive south. Approximately 7km past the Kananaskis Village turn-off, pull into the Wedge Pond day-use area. Park at the east end of the parking lot (GPS reference 50d52m28s N, 115d08m48s W). Walk through the gate and down the wide path. Within a couple of minutes you'll come across the manual water pump. The trail head is on your left at the edge of forest. You'll notice for the first 15-20 minutes numerous braided trails. It's hard to imagine who would have the energy to clear all these paths. Stay on the most recognizable trail as it leads you to a small but dry drainage (GPS reference 50d52m19s N, 115d08m43s W). The trail swings left staying above the drainage, which becomes wider and flowing as you gain elevation. As you exit treeline a line of flagging marks the path diagonally up to the left. Don't be surprised if the trail disappears for the next 20-30m, as the grass here is quite thick and overgrown. Strictly speaking you don't really need a trail - your immediate objective is to gain the shoulder of the ridge straight ahead. The terrain is open albeit steep. Make sure you remember where you come out of forest for the return trip. Conveniently, you'll notice the two pieces of flagging here (GPS reference 50d51m46s N, 115d08m14s W) that form sort of a gate. When you top out on the ridge a short trudge brings you to the base of the rocky section. The real scrambling starts here. Don't bother looking for an easier way up as there isn't one. The grade is relentless and in many places hand holds pull out in large chunks. As soon as you start up the slope you'll know whether you'll want to continue (coming down will inevitably be more difficult). There is little relief from the loose rock and steep angle until you're near the top. A cairn marks the lower summit at the north end of the summit ridge (GPS reference 50d51m09s N, 115d08m11s W). A brief walk gets you to a second cairned minor summit. Shortly beyond this point, the ridge dips through a clef, at the bottom of which you'll encounter the crux - a short section of narrow, semi-exposed scrambling. Be careful what you grab onto as the most obvious rock fins are loose. All difficulties behind you, a 10 minute walk puts you on the south and highest summit (GPS reference 50d51m01s N, 115d07m59s W). Sign the register and enjoy the view! Across the highway is Mt. Kidd, with Mt. Bogart rising above it from behind. Directly west is The Tower and Galatea. Mt. Fortress from this angle appears rather slender as opposed to the Bart's head shape commonly seen from the highway. On a clear day you should expect to see pointy Mt. Assiniboine. Further to the south, Mt. Joffre and the Mangin glacier are quite evident. To the northeast above Evan Thomas Creek is Mt. McDougall. The prominent mountain to the southeast is Fisher Peak. Looking south, the mountains that make up the Opal range complete the panorama.
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