Notes: GPS is helpful for finding the turn-off. Descent via Nugara’s alternative return route. Low water in autumn makes for easier going by the creek bed.
Trip Report
Nugara recommends saving this one for autumn when Mill Creek is lowest. We were rewarded for our patience with spectacular shades of gold. The route-finding isn’t obvious and there were parts where we mostly just followed the terrain in the direction that made the most sense.
The parking area was already mostly full when we arrived. However, no one else was hiking and we had the mountain all to ourselves.An obvious trail wraps around the edge of the pad to its back.The trail heads into the trees, eventually leading to Mill Creek.At an opening in the trees along the dry Mill Creek, the unnamed outlier mentioned by Nugara came into view (center). Slopes of Mount Gladstone are to the right and we know we need to head between these two features, but there were no cairns to mark the turn.After crossing Mill Creek we didn’t spot a trail. Unbothered, we simply started bushwhacking in the correct general direction, following this tributary. On the way out we discovered the trail had been only 100 m north of this tributary, beginning in a nondescript grove of trees. I added a cairn on the way out, but wouldn’t be surprised if it’s already gone.After a few hundred meters of bushwhacking up the tributary, the slopes started to narrow and steepen. We decided to scramble up the slope and give another shot at finding a trail.Once above the slope we easily found a good trail. Here I’m pointing out Victoria Peak.The low autumn sun created a fun lens effect in this shot. This trail is nearly invisible until you are right on top of it, and then it becomes completely obvious.We turned right off the the trail to follow this drainage up. It wasn’t clear whether Nugara intended this drainage or the next one left (this picture in the book is in shadow and hard to make out), but we ended up in the same place.We passed many interesting rocks on the way up!Looking back as Dan follows me up the drainage.More cool rocks!The drainage was easy scrambling up interesting terrain. As it flattens out near the top we’ll start trending left up easy slopes.Glancing back at Dan. Castle Peak steals every view in the area.Trending left across easy terrain.A few moves of moderate scrambling were needed to get over some short cliff bands below the summit. We didn’t specifically notice the two black cliff bands Nugara mentions to look out for. We read the terrain and made it through without difficulty though.A few moves of moderate scrambling.Still wondering when we will get to the black cliff bands, we found we were only a short grass slope from the peak.Looking east from the summit of Mount Gladstone toward Frankie Peak and Larry Mountain.Summit panorama.Looking west from the summit to Prairie Bluff (center) and Victoria Peak (right).We chose to descend south via Nugara’s alternative return route. Castle Peak towers over the area at center. The golden slope to the right is a subpeak of Gladstone, covered in larches.As badly as I wanted to continue on to the larch forest, we were short on daylight hours and had to keep moving. We turned left at the low spot in the ridge to return to the tributary.Hiking down from the low spot in the ridge to the tributary. A bit of bushwhacking was needed to pick up the trail again, but travel was easy once back on the trail.
We made it back to the parking area in 6 hrs 40 min. The gorgeous autumn colours elevate this from an average scramble to a spectacular day out. The low water in Mill Creek is another reward for saving this mountain for late September. Decent navigation skills are required for this one though.
Peak Bliss 