Mount Barbour & Barbour's Draw

An easy 2 day exploration of the Draw and the Mountain sharing the same name

My daughter had one of her last 2-day "weekends" (Sunday-Monday) off work before heading back to university so we headed out on the road to D'Arcy with our dog, made a sharp left at about 17km past Mount Currie and headed up the road for the Tenquille Creek approach to Tenquille Lake. Unlike our hike in this way in mid-July, after a little over an hour - and just before reaching the Lake - we took the switch-back to the left and headed east on the trail that (reportedly) heads for Ogre Lake ... but which also passes through Barbour's Draw.

From the fork, through to Barbour's Draw, this trail is an absolute delight. After the often muddy ascent through the forest paralleling Tenquille Creek, this trail contours across through much steeper and more thinly wooded terrain. A very old, well established trail has an even foot-bed, with a nice organic layer, which is getting a little overgrown. However it is on an easy grade, is easy to follow and offers some good views.

After one very long switch-back, we eventually recross a creek we referred to as Barbour's Creek (also crossed 15 minutes into the hike far, far below) and then followed it up into a bit of a hanging valley that spreads out before us: Barbour's Draw. Shortly after entering the Draw, we broke off the trail and followed the creek a little way up to a perfect camp-site in the trees just above a bend in the creek. Up the valley, in the clouds, loomed Mount Barbour,

The spot where we camped has obviously been a choice spot for many, many years judging by the condition of the fire ring close to where we set up.

Next morning we were up before the Sun reached camp and, after a quick breakfast, heading South up the Creek heading for Mount Barbour.

Pretty much everywhere from our camp at about 1800 M to very near the summit we came across the remains of some kind of survey stakes, tape and string.

As we moved up the Creek and beyond, the views opened up among the passing clouds.

Soon (very soon) we were on the final summit approach and then the summit itself as marked by the famous pick axe.

Nearby were the recently visited summits of Sun God and 7 O'Clock Mountain

Then came the hike down to our camp.

We broke camp and then headed down intending to make good time. However, 1st there was some kind of outcrop in the meadow to explore which turned out to be the burned out remains of a small cabin/shed

Then, just after passing through the meadows and dropping down the creek, we noticed the remains of an old cabin that we somehow missed on the way in,

Immediately followed by it's garbage pit,

And from there we made our way home (closely following another vehicle down the alder highway)