DIRECTIONS: Foley FSR to Chipmunk FSR - High Clearance 4x4 mandatory... dozens of deep water bars on Chipmunk FSR. You can park lower down at Foley / Chipmunk fork but or you are going to have to walk many km's and gain a ton of elevation just to get to the trail head. create
SUMMARY: Steep low quality trail, exposure, chossy rock in some areas, steep snowfields requiring crampons (if you choose that route or go early season), route finding, scrambling class 2-3 up the rib and near the peak make this an interesting adventure but not for beginners. create
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Lady Peak
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Oct 7, 2020
If I thought Slesse Memorials FSR was rough, it might actually seem smooth in comparison to the road leading up to the Mount Cheam trailhead. The washouts are quite deep so high clearance is a MUST. We found that there were a few times that the trailer hitch or the steps mounted on the sides would scrape against the gravel, and it genuinely felt like there was nothing we could do. I would say that roughly the last kilometer of the road is the worst. Some stretches are also quite narrow so we had the good fortune of never encountering a vehicle on the way back.
It's pretty evident that the trail up to Mount Cheam is far more common than Lady Peak. We nearly missed the turn-off marked by a series of stacked rocks. The trail itself starts off as a steep trek up the grassy hill, where enough people have roamed that makeshift stairs exist. In the end I do not know for certain if it is an official trail or if enough people have walked it that it just appears to be one. On the rocky scree there are orange markers indicating to go left. In this area we also met a bear in the morning, and marmots on the trip down. The steepness is quite relenting on the way up, and as a person with a fear of heights, I found myself grabbing onto rocks occasionally to stabilize myself.
There are few markers once you reach the defined ridgeline, which on the other side has a nasty drop. Because of the drop, we stayed on the safe side and made a route slightly below the ridge, but still following it. To be honest we did not make it quite to the summit. Although we had it in our sights, the route looked particularly unsafe to say the least. Despite it being a warm, sunny day, the wind made the top quite chilly. Both my companion and I ended up layering sweaters, and putting on gloves which we kept on until partially down the mountain.