Mount St. Piran

Elevation: 2649 m
Elevation Gain: 900 m
Willoughby John Astley hailed from Cornwall in Ireland and was the first manager of the chalet at Lake Louise. Samuel E. S. Allen named Mount St. Piran in 1894 for St. Piran, the patron saint of Astley’s home. St. Piran became the patron saint of tin-miners in the Cornwall area after rediscovering the lost art of tin-smelting in the sixth century when his hearthstone smelted itself and the tin rose to the top of the stone forming a white cross. Although Mount St. Piran is a trivial climb, many of history’s finest mountaineers, including Edward Whymper and Georgia Engelhard, have marveled at the fine view offered from its summit.
My Ascents:
July 15 2012, August 1 2011, July 4 2010, September 25 2008
Trailhead: Lake Louise Parking Lot

With my little cousin Jarrett in town from Winnipeg, my family and I decided to take him out to Lake Louise so that he could tell his friends back home that he climbed a mountain. St. Piran is a great peak to take new scramblers on and it provided my mom with her first opportunity to test out her new bionic foot (she had foot surgery a couple months prior) on steep, but familiar (she loves St. Piran), terrain.

An albatross is an unusual sight at Mirror Lake en route to Mount St. Piran.

Jarrett excited to find a steep ledge…and that was while we were still below the tree line!

Gaining elevation through beautiful larch meadows.

Larches giving way to more alpine flora.

Jarrett insisted on always taking the more “difficult” route.

Mom and Gord wisely staying on the trail.

Great views of Mounts Aberdeen, Lefroy and Victoria (behind Whyte) from the broad summit of Mount St. Piran.

Attempted inukshuk.

Mount Aberdeen.

Mount Lefroy - "unclimbable" according to Jarrett.

Mount Victoria.

Brianne enjoys the view on her first, but probably not last, trip up Mount St. Piran.

Mounts Whyte and Niblock towering nearby.

Speaking of towering...Temple dwarfs to the east.

Precocious pika!

Cute little guy...he's definitely been fed by people before.

Breezy and I above the Devil's Thumb with Mounts Temple and Aberdeen in the background.

Beauitful view! ;)

Lake Louise and Lake Agnes from the summit.

The girls enjoying the view and trying not to look cold.

Group summit shot.

Looking north to the Icefields Parkway...foreshadowing the next day.

Hector Lake in front of Bow Peak. Observation Peak, Cirque Peak and the Dolomites behind.

Mount Daly and the Bath Glacier.

Catching a smile on camera.

Gordo, Whyte and Niblock.

Wide angle summit shot. Lake Louise giants from left to right: Mount Temple, Mount Aberdeen, Mount Lefroy and Mount Victoria.

Heading down via the alternate Goat Pass descent so that Jarrett could scramble a little more.

Is this scrambling yet?

Back down amidst the wildflowers at Lake Agnes.

The Devil's Thumb and Mount Whyte rise up behind Lake Agnes.

Escaping from the crowds near the Lake Agnes tea house.

Fancy waterfall photo just below the lake. Having enjoyed St. Piran so much, Brianne “insisted” that we head back out to the mountains for another scramble the following day!