This is an exceptionally fun route - great mix of runnable trails and fun low exposure scrambling on generally bomber granite. Only saw one other party (a couple goat packers?) all day until Tuck/Robin. Highly recommend for anyone looking to avoid crowds, get some unobstructed views of Daniel and the surrounding ranges and scramble on quality rock.
Despite the gpx I probably wasted upwards of an hour fumbling around Tuck and Robin trying to find the right trail out (note the numerous backtracks…) so there’s definitely significant time to be made up. Adding on Trico Mountain would be a fun addition as well.
Trip notes:
- Straightforward to Paddy Go North
- Sherpani was probably the highlight for me. Awesome granite and some fun class 3 moves! (Contrary to the Summitpost page, I am also in agreement with Alex that the summit block is class 3, not class 5.)
- Bit of a slog to S Granite as I was too stubborn and tried to stay high around peak 6500 but ended up having to backtrack and drop down. Also ran out of water 😌 but the views really open up from S Granite, maybe the best peak for views IMO
- Stopped at the beautiful tarn below Granite for water, would love to go back to swim as it feels like an infinity pool the way it looks out into the valley
- Lowkey scramble up to Granite. Again, too stubborn to drop down and pulled a few moves that were a bit chossy and airy for my liking 😬 staying West of the ridge is much more chill.
- Beautiful run down into Robin lakes but got super turned around with the plethora of social trails after crossing the river. Best to go high and north towards Tuck.
- Again, shanked the route through Tuck and had to drop down to the river and climb up a gully with some chossy stem action, way off route 😑 I think staying high was correct but honestly I’m not sure. Much like Alex, this was certainly my low point du jour as there were tons of trails but none seemed to go where I wanted. Felt like Alice wandering around in Wonderland
- Steep down to Deception Creek trail jct and fun run out, super flat the last 3 miles.
Other notes:
Shoes: HOKA Tecton X.
Went with the Tectons because I wanted the lightweight uphill and bounce on the flat run out. They were overall fantastic and made the last 5 miles on tired legs still enjoyable. The tread made some of the descents, particularly on steep dirt/anything loose, a bit slippery but the vibram litebase handled the scrambles on solid rock quite well. Wouldn’t wanna push these past low class 3 and anything with gnarly off trail or choss but they were a great fit for this route!
Water: Should’ve started with more water, especially on a dry smoky day - went through my 1L by hour 3. There wasn’t any water I could see until after S Granite. There were a couple small dirty snowfields that I thought about using so I assume earlier in the season one could use those on the ridge. If you get desperate you can scramble 300ft down to the French potholes.