Mount Sarrail
Start early: it’s a long hike. Park at the Upper Kananaskis Lake lot closest to the Rawson Lake. First 9 kilometers along the shore of Upper Kananaskis Lake and then after left turn on the fork to Aster Lake through the forest next to Hidden Lake are plain and easy.
After the tree line an established and scenic path ascends through a couple of boulder fields.
And this is where all the fun begins.
The ridge goes on, and on, and on. Not many cairns on the way, but it’s pretty obvious where to go: just up, up, up, and the summit is always in sight. For a change, there are no false peaks. Usually the slope on climber’s left is covered in snow and with crampons can be carefully hiked to the top, but this summer was hot and all snow is gone. It’s very tempting to avoid scrambling sections on the narrow ridge by walking around it on the left side, but soil there is wet because of melting ice and snow, and you constantly can hear rocks tearing off, falling and rolling down, accelerating and jumping higher and higher, even without any action from you. With exposure on the left side, walking as closer to the top of the ridge as possible, and careful (easy) scrambling down a couple of bumps, is less scary and safer. Some people like adrenaline rush, but not me.
Blogs with more information:
Vern Dewit
Bob Spirko
More photos from Mount Sarrail hike here.