[MCR] Rockies-My owen and Duchesnay from Float Creek August 8-11th, 2015

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

Nice 4 day trip starting up the Ottertail. There is currently a decent river crossing for Mt Vaux on a log between the outlet of Haskins Creek and the 5km switchback on the Ottertail fireroad. We chose not to go to Mt Vaux(the Plan A) as our 2nd day journey up Float Creek to O'Hara looked burly. And it was.

It took us most of a day to get 1/2 way up Float creek on the left bank and it sucked. However, after a nice camp where the contours flatten out we made nice, easy time to a beautiful camp just below the head of Float creek and climbed Mt Duchesnay from there in the afternoon. It is an excellent-non-technical scramble from the pass-well worth doing. Next day we climbed Mt. Owen via the North ridge-east face, again from the Float creek pass. Glacier was a little dry(what a surprise:) but still passable and safe in current conditions.

We walked out today to O'Hara over Odaray pass. Upper Float creek and McCarthur creek is a beautiful, very wild feeling place. No signs of human activity and even the summit registers and cairns were mostly taken down(lightning?). Go there but do keep it wild. It is a special place.

Larry Stanier
ACMG Mountain Guide
laristan at telus.net