43. Healy Pass/Monarch Ramparts

Distance: 27km return
Elevation gain: 35m

July 15, 2015, we caught a nice day in the middle of the week for a day trip up to Healy Pass and back. Just before 9:00 we set off up the road and were glad for the sunshine given the forecast for clouds and showers later in the day. We crossed Healy Creek on a new bridge built after the flood of 2013.

After about 6km of walking through the woods we crossed the creek again and started to see the colourful  alpine meadows in peak season. The mosquitoes were so bad when we sat down that we needed our coats and ate quickly.

Flowers

 and

more flowers!

While walking through the meadows up to the pass, we studied the Monarch Ramparts and thought how wonderful it would be to walk on a ridge for 4 kilometres. Other hikers explained the route and told us it was do-able. We looked over the pass at Egypt Lake and Scarab Lake but the ridge looked more interesting.

As we ate our lunch we contemplated the view ahead and watched another group precede us. Follow the ridge to the end at the Monarch and descend slowly. There was an unofficial trail for the most part. We had ponchos for the rain. Why not do the circle?

One of the watering holes in this tarn-filled valley was Eohippus Lake where we would descend from the ridge - probably the most distant one.

The ridge was bleak but the views around us awe-inspiring, rugged on one side and greener on the other. We had to pull out our ponchos twice for 2 brief showers but they weren't cold. It's hard to get lost on top of a ridge so we just kept going.

We saw the rain clouds move down the Healy Creek valley so we would have gotten wet anyway. In the background was Mt. Bourgeau  (hike 4), our first major long hike, very visible from this ridge. We identified the pass at the left and the long ascent up the slope, a very good, still clear memory.
The trail began to descend above Eohippus Lake.

Up to this point the way had been clear but now we had to find the trail to Simpson's Pass and it did not seem to be marked. We walked in the general direction and came across a faint trail with a recently bent  plant which we followed confidently.

In 3 km we would hit the main trail at Simpson's Pass and continue on home through Healy Creek valley. What a wonderful hike!