Saturday was definitely a lesson in route finding. My plan was to. summit Mount Ware via Little Ware in Sheep River area. I had anticipated some hiccups staying on trail to Little Ware, and a fresh blanket of snow would make it even more challenging.
There was no one in the parking lot save for one lone bear hunter before I set off early one recent Saturday. I chatted with him for a few minutes because that’s what you do when you are the only two people in a quiet, remote parking lot. (I also counted my blessings that I was wearing bright clothing).
The Gorge Creek trail was a mix of dry dirt, mud and snow patches. I packed all the usual winter gear just in case I hit bad weather or icy conditions. After a couple kilometres, I reached the spot where I could continue on Gorge Creek trail to Mount Ware or head east to Little Ware.
I headed east on the faint trail that only seemed to get worse the further I climbed. The snow made it near impossible to stay on trail so I mostly abandoned that plan, and headed to the direction of Little Ware. I’ll admit, it wasn’t the most enjoyable stretch. I ended up backtracking a few times but eventually, I cleared the trees and reached the summit of Little Ware.
A large cairn of rocks marked the summit. The views of the valley were outstanding – still so green everywhere. The wind started to pick up so after a few minutes I planned my route over to Mount Ware.
The summit looked far off – daunting even but it was less than two kilometres. I would have to navigate through a forest (no doubt slogging through ankle-deep snow) to reach the base of the mountain. I wasn’t thrilled but my feet were already wet and I had come this far for two summits. I was committed.
My route through the trees to the mountain wasn’t as bad as I feared. Once I emerged from the trees, I could see a clear view of the summit. There were several possible routes to the summit and I chose a trail that looked the most travelled. The last few metres were tough because there was snow on the rocky terrain so I had to be extra careful of my footing.
Panoramic views of the valley from the Mount Ware summit were amazing. This is such a beautiful area. I didn’t see anyone that morning save for what I think was a bear in the trees.
I descended on the Gorge Creek trail to the parking lot. This trail was a welcome relief—straightforward and easy to follow compared to the one I had struggled with on Little Ware. I was glad to finish the day on a more positive note.
This was a fun day despite some minor cursing when I was ankle deep in snow. I clocked roughly 16 kilometres and about 835 metres in elevation gain – a relatively easy day, all things considered.