Mount Elma Snowshoe

December 11, 2022

~ submitted by Brian Fleming

Mount Elma – 12.8km, 367m elevation gain.

Total time 6h 45m.

I had thought we could get both Mount Elma and Mount Allan Brooks as one big loop but with all the fresh snow in the last few days, we would have to settle for Mount Elma.

The path to Battleship Lake was easy enough and fairly well travelled.  From the lake, the difficulty started to increase.  We walked over the lake on the ice, skirting around the edge and following a ski track.  The ice supported our weight but it was wet and our snowshoes felt heavy as we made our way across.  It was still a better choice than going through the woods.

The turnoff for Mount Elma is not far after Battleship Lake and we were able to follow the skiers track a little ways up the hill.  The snow was starting to get pretty deep but it wasn’t until after we passed the skiers that it got waist deep for a while.

Each of us took turns at the front, wading through the snow and struggling to move 6 inches forward.  It was super tough work for five people but after a long struggle we eventually made it to the plateau where it was a lot easier to move around.

Even though the snow conditions weren’t ideal, the weather was pretty good.  We got a decent amount of blue sky on our way up and at the summit before the clouds rolled in.  

This trek was definitely harder than the stats imply.  Was great to get out in the snow again. 

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