Sunburst Peak

Elevation: 2830 m
Elevation Gain: 625 m
Sunburst Peak and the Lake of the same name at its base were named in 1953 by the interprovincial boundary survey. The (at the time officially unnamed) peak was first ascended in 1910 by Rudolph Aemmer and T.G and Katherine Longstaff.
My Ascents:
August 18 2011
Trailhead: Magog Lake Backcountry Campground

After making our way up Nub Peak earlier in the morning, Brianne and I arrived back in camp at Magog Lake in time for lunch, leaving us with a whole afternoon’s worth of time to kill. With Sunburst Peak so close to camp, how could we resist going for 2 peaks in 1 day?!

Turns out Brianne had other plans for her afternoon: a nap!

Fortunately, once I was annoying, childish and restless enough, she agreed to come back out of her sleeping bag so that we could go after our second summit of the day! This looks much more fun than a nap doesn’t it?

With views like this, ascending Sunburst Peak can hardly be considered "hard work".

Hmm…this might end up being a little bit of work after all. It looks intimidating but with good route-finding, it was actually a fun moderate scramble.

Questioning her decision to wake up while making her way up a steep gully near the top.

Cool pillar on the summit ridge. Once you get to the top of the gully in the previous photo, it's a simple walk to the summit across a broad plateau.

I think even Brianne will admit that the panorama from the summit of Sunburst was worth waking up for! Mount Cautley, Wonder Peak, Naiset Point, The Towers, Terrapin Mountain, Mount Magog, Mount Assiniboine and Wedgwood Peak above Magog Lake. Click to see larger.

Brianne taking in the view to the north towards Nestor and Nub Peaks.

The clouds lifted a little since our morning expedition to Nub Peak. From Sunburst, we could see all the way to Mount Hector beyond Lake Louise.

Cerulean and Sunburst Lakes at the foot of Sunburst Peak.

Magog Lake below Naiset Point and the Towers. Wonder Peak on the other side of lush-looking Wonder Pass.

Our second summit of the day!

Mountains don't get any prettier than this.

Our late start to the scramble meant that we summitted around 6:00 pm. After obliging me with a couple of summit photos, Brianne decided that it was dinner time.

Fun scrambling...if you're not too hungry!

Dinner awaits at the cook shelter (the orange dot on the left)!

Glissading in the fading light.

The bush-whacking at the bottom of Sunburst is midly awful - if it looks like Brianne is about to fall, it's because she is about to fall. I'd have caught her too if I hadn't been so busy being a boob taking pictures. Sorry Boss!

Back in camp in time for dinner and a magnificent Assiniboine sunset!

You know what they say: "When the mountain's pink, it's time to drink!" I swear that we only used this alcohol to clean her bush-whacking cuts and scratches.
;)

The highest sunset in the southern Canadian Rockies.

Goodnight Sunburst Peak! What adventures (read: summit) will tomorrow bring?