BADSHOTS – Access from the WEST SIDE
Maps: 82K/13 Camborne, 82K/12 Beaton.
From the Galena Bay (east) side of the Upper Arrow Lake Ferry, drive two kilometres south on Highway 23 and turn left onto Highway 31. At the T-junction beyond the bridge, turn left (right goes to Trout Lake City). Follow the road northwest and then northeast to Camborne. Zero odometer. This is within range of the Mount Pool massif (BC Forests brochure, Arrow and Kootenay Lake Forest Districts). The best way from Nelson is via Nakusp.
0.0 From Camborne heading north. Camborne is just south of Pool Creek
2km Continue on the east side of the Incomappleux River (do not cross to the west side) 15 km Boyd Creek. A road goes up the north side of Boyd Creek
16.6 km Kellie Creek canyon
28 km Battle Brook.
The roads are for high clearance four-wheel drive low-range vehicles in their upper portions.
Mount Pool from the West
From the town of Camborne, (best via Nakusp), Pool Creek road starts 300 meters north of Camborne and about 200 meters south of the bridge over Pool Creek. Zero odometer.
0.0 Start on Pool Creek Rd. Drive to a landing above a tailing pond, and then an overgrown track from the southeast corner of the landing (high clearance, four-wheel drive, low range; best to bring a saw).
The road is easier where it turns south to Mohawk Creek
5km Keep left
7km Former bridge over Mohawk Creek. A tree was felled in 2002 to cross the creek.
After crossing, walk the old road to the mine site. It is a two-day trip to the peaks at a minimum. The climbers in 2002 did not reach Mount Pool.
TRAVERSE: BOYD CREEK to TROUT LAKE CITY
Drive: From Camborne heading north, drive to Boyd Creek
Route: From camp at the head of Boyd Creek, one can climb Un. 2580m. Backpack west around Un. 2580m, then south and camp on the col south of the other Un. 2580m (described at the beginning of the Badshot Group). Descend to the southeast to Parisian Creek and backpack up Parisian Creek to the col southeast of Mount Pool. Camp.
Backpack west and high above Mountain Goat Creek, passing west around Un. 8593 feet (2619m), and go south-southwest to camp west of Great Northern Mountain. Curve south and east around the mountain and descend to Trout Lake City. Brian Pettit, John O. Wheeler, 7/1965.
UNNAMED 2670m 8750′
It is located just south of the head of Carbonate King Creek at 679-319.
From a helicopter set-out, this mountain was traversed north to south on the way to Glengarry Mountain and a camp near the head of the south fork of Carbonate King Creek; Class 3.
FRA Brian Pettit, John O. Wheeler, July 1965. Skied in 2004.
GLENGARRY MOUNTAIN 2700m 8858′
One kilometre south of Un. 2670m.
FRA by the prospector Lemuel Arthur, 29/8/1893, who found the “Prince Edward” mineral claim on the summit; route unknown. The unofficial name of this mountain was given at or just after the filing of the claim. In 1893, there was a glacier northeast of the peak. (B. C. Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks)
Traversed (Class 2) north to south in 1965 by the above party. Skied by the west slopes, 2004.
UNNAMED 2580m 8465′
Southeast of the head of Boyd Creek, with a north glacier.
1. Northwest ridge, descending the south ridge a little, across the south face and over the northwest ridge to the north glacier. Class 2 rock. FRA Brian Pettit, John O. Wheeler, 7/1965.
2. East Ridge
FA Quinn Castillo, Brian Coulter and Stan Metcalfe, Ski, 2004
UNNAMED 2580m 8465′
On the ridge, 2.2 km southwest of above Un. 2850m. Not climbed in 1965.
MOUNT HILLMAN 2880m 9449’Map 82K/13 Camborne.
Located 0.8km north of Mount Pool.
1. South Ridge. Gain the narrow south ridge from Mount Pool, Class 3. The rock is not good (chlorite schist). Glacier (III,4,s). Brian Pettit, John O. Wheeler, July 19, 1965. There is glacier travel on Mount
2. North Ridge. Go south around the Pool massif to approach Mount Hillman. Ascend the prominent north ridge, descend the south ridge and go over the ice dome at the top of Mount Pool. Glacier (III, 5.0,s).
FA David Coombs, Harvard Mountaineering Club party, 8/1972.
MOUNT POOL 2880m 9449′
Mount Pool is on the northwest end of the Badshots, 10.5 kilometres east-southeast of Camborne, the town on the Incomappleux River.
1. South-Southeast Ridge. Consult the Regional Traverse from Boyd Creek to Trout Lake City for one approach. From camp at the col at the head of Parisian Creek, climb the south-southeast ridge, Class 3. (II,3,s).
Brian Pettit, John O. Wheeler, July 19, 1965.
The party proceeded down the north ridge to Mount Hillman. One may use the rough road up Mohawk Creek.
2. North Ridge. Descended and ascended in 1965 on the way to and from Mount Hillman. The top of the north ridge is on
3. West The 1970 party backpacked on a jeep road up Pool and Mohawk Creeks and camped. Hike to an abandoned mine at 1980m (6500 feet) and climb Un. 2619m, in about 3 hours. Cross the large ice field to the ridge east of Beak Peak. Climb to the east ridge up the south face left of a narrow, steep gash and then a chimney in the gash. Then cross a glacial col and ascend a buttress, the last part on good rock, to Goat Tower, 2 hours from Un. 2619m.
Traverse to Mount Pool over the glacier (45 minutes). The 1970 party then climbed Beak Peak by its east ridge on the return, 15 minutes. Glacier (III,4,s). August 19, 1970.
4. Southwest Face. The southwest face was done on descent and was exposed but straightforward. No details are available.
Gary Silver, 1/9/1984.
GOAT TOWER 2820m 9252′
Goat Tower, Beak Peak and Un. 2619m are discussed under Mount Pool. All three are west of Mount Pool. At present, the ascents of these and Mount Pool are greatly slowed by the lack of a bridge over Mohawk Creek.
1. West Climbed in 1970. The rock of the west ridge is stacked with scary junk.
2. East Slopes. The east slopes descend onto the glacier and snowfields north and south of Mount Pool above 2770 meters (done in 1970).
BEAK PEAK 2820m 9252′
Beak Peak is just west-southwest of Goat Tower. See Mount Pool.
1. East Ridge. Climbed on return from Mount Pool in 1970. The east ridge is short.
2. Southwest Ridge. Solid rock on the southwest ridge, 45 minutes, Class 3.
FRA Paul Allen, Kim Kratky, Bert Port, June 25, 2002.
BEAK PEAK (2813 m., 9229’) by Kim Kratky
This club trip was to have been to Spine Mtn., but road access problems led us to an area farther north in the Badshots.
Tuesday, June 25th, Paul Allen, Bert Port, and I drove up the Incomappleux River road to Camborne, where we turned east on a faint road about 200 m. south of Pool Creek bridge. This Pool Creek road led us immediately into a landing above a tailing pond, up an overgrown track from the southeast corner of the landing, and then switchbacked up to continue east along the creek’s south bank. After sawing out a few deadfalls and re-building the road in 4-5 spots, we followed the route on easier terrain as it turned south into Mohawk Creek drainage (keep left about km. 5). A couple of hours from Camborne, we reached the broken bridge over Mohawk Creek (km. 7, 4600’, GPSed at 585-225), where we stopped driving. After dropping a tree across the swift, black and deep creek, we retired for the night.
Wednesday, we got away at 5:30, made an exciting creek crossing, and rejoined the road to hike to the abandoned mine at the head of the valley (6800’; 610-210 on 1:100 000 sheet) west of our first objective, a 2620 m. survey point. This we easily scaled by the SW ridge/S face, reaching the top via snow and rock 5 hrs. from camp (GR 617-211, 8596’). After brunch, we dumped all our climbing gear as the way ahead seemed easy, headed NE on snow, descended to the glacial col at 617-216, and scrambled the easy SW ridge of Beak Pk. on solid rock in 45 min. While Bert and I examined the cairn and put in a KMC record tube, Paul explored east along the savagely broken ridge toward Goat Tower.
The west ridge of Goat proving to be stacked, scary junk, we descended a snow tongue to the snowfield on the south side of the Beak-Pool rampart and headed east, looking for an easy way up Mt. Pool.
By 2:25 pm, we had reached GR 637-215 (8000’) and held a council of war. Calculating three hours to the summit of Pool and back to this spot, a total climbing day of 15 hours, and a drive down the interesting Pool Creek road in the dark, we decided to turn back. Retracing our steps over u/n 2620 and back down the Mohawk Creek road, we found a better log crossing and reached camp at 5:20 for a tidy 11 hours 50 min. day.
The drive out to Camborne was uneventful, and we reached Nelson at 11:45 pm. Good thing we didn’t continue on to Mt. Pool.
Maps Beaton 82K/12, Beaton 82K/NW 1:100000 Camborne 82K/13
Kim Kratky.
UNNAMED 2619m 8593′
It is southwest of Beak Peak. The date and route of the survey party and FA are unknown.
1. Southwest Ridge, South Face. Because of the approach, this must be the route used in 1970. Repeated in 2002. The approach is from the mine site at the end of the road up Mohawk Creek, as for Goat Tower and Beak Peak. The southwest ridge and south face are an easy climb on rock and snow, 5 hours from the bridge site.
2. North Slopes. Easy snow slopes in 2002, descended toward the col, and Beak Peak
MOUNT GOLDSMITH 2550m 8366′
LEXINGTON MOUNTAIN 2510m 8235′
MOUNT THOMPSON 2540m 8333′
North to south, Mount Goldsmith and Lexington Mountain lie north of the latitudes of Camborne and Mount Pool and just east of the Incomappleux River. Mount Thompson is south of these latitudes and 8 km west-southwest of Mount Pool. Mount Goldsmith is just southwest of Boyd Creek.
All were certainly climbed by prospectors near the year 1900. Mount Thompson was climbed by a Topographical Survey party, the date and route are unknown.