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

The sun can’t shine every day. But when it doesn’t, you may as well still climb a mountain. The forecast for the Rockies was awful on this weekend but Crux and I still needed to clear out of the house to let Brianne sleep since she had just completed a long night shift. With the poor forecast in mind, I settled on Mount St. Piran as an objective since unsettled conditions ought not pose a problem on this smaller, but still spectacular, peak. Knowing full-well that my mother would kill me if I climbed St. Piran without her (it’s one of her favorites), I invited my parents along for some bonding time with their grand-puppy.

Looks like it's been a wet couple of days in the Rockies! Mirror Lake looking a little overflown...

Fortunately, the rain couldn't dampen the spirits of this baby marmot.

Mother marmot. Luckily Crux didn't notice either of them.

Crux trying to hitch a ride on my unimpressed mother's back. The sign in the background is where the trail up Mount St. Piran splits off from the trail up to the Little Beehive. Close inspection of the sign reveals that it used to mention St. Piran but that this route has since been scratched off (literally) of the official area hiking roster.

Crux stalling at the tree line. He should know better. He can rest at the summit!

Views of Mount Fairview and Aberdeen (at least some of it) as we ascend through thinning larch forest on St. Piran. Mirror Lake just visible below.

Crux perked right up once we got high enough to find some snow for him to play in.

And play he did.

Not the usual spectacular summit view. Mounts Whyte and Niblock obscured by the cold-looking cloud.

Overcast skies weren't about to get my mom down though. Here she enjoys a moment with massive Mount Lefroy and the smaller Mitre.

Not satisfied with being on the summit, Crux decided to climb the cairn for a better view.

The only somewhat clear view of the day was west to the Waputik Icefield.

Mount Daly to the west.

The old man looking sharp. This headband helped us to keep track of him when the clouds came down and blanketed us in fog.

Summit puppy.

The folks enjoying the summit.

The Devil's Thumb below Mount Whyte.

Lake Agnes comes into view above Lake Louise.

Group summit shot. We love rain and clouds!

Not too many photos taken during our wet descent. Suffice to say that the weather didn't improve any after leaving the summit! Hopefully Brianne slept well at least!