Harlech Peak

July 9, 2015

2644m

Invermere, BC

Harlech Peak is the lowest, and the least impressive in the group of Welsh Peaks. In fact, if not because it’s officially named I would not consider it as a separate summit. It’s merely a bump on the connecting ridge between Glamorgan Peak and Merioneth Peak and even those two aren’t nearly as significant comparing with the bigger peaks in this region. On the 4th day of our Welsh Lakes trip, Eric and Ben decided to sleep in but I had to give Harlech Peak a go since I was there already anyway. Obviously Mt. Alpha Centauri and Gwendoline Mountain were the two major objectives and Harlech Peak (and my next objective, Merioneth Peak) were just two of the bonuses.

Scramble route for Harlech Peak and Merioneth Peak. GPX DL

Ironically I did the earliest ‘alpine start’ on this day for the two lowest peaks nearby… I woke up at 5:30 am, quickly broke camp (due to the insane mosquitoes), took some pictures of the Upper Welsh Lake and then I was on my way traversing towards Aberystwyth Lake. I tried to stay as close to our approach line as possible but still got confused at a few sections, especially towards the end where I went too close to Aberystwyth Lake and as a result I was punished by some unpleasant boulder hopping.

Morning colours on Upper Welsh Lake

Dawn

Sunrise over the shoulder of Donegal Peak and Connemara Peak

Descending/traversing the broad bench from upper Welsh Lake to Aberystwyth Lake

Panorama of Aberystwyth Lake. Click to view large size.

From the outflow of Aberystwyth Lake I kept traversing for another few hundred meters to the SE Ridge. There’s one steep step to overcome near the bottom of this ridge and then some moderate bushwhacking on this ridge but other than those it’s merely a hike. I ditched my backpack at the bottom of this ascent to speed things up. And in relatively short time I arrived at the summit.