Steamboat Mountain is located near Ucluelet and Tofino and is one of the last mountains before you hit the open Pacific. The area has wonderful exposures of limestone with amazing karst formations. As a result, the area is pretty special amongst the caving community.
Of course the area isn't easy to get into. Despite a some-what secretive route/trail into the area, it is still a steep bushwack. As many folks on the trip jested, the area isn't likely to get popular any time soon.
On Saturday we bushwacked our way up to a lake below Steamboat. It took a little longer to get up there than we thought, so instead of heading up to the peak after we set up camp, we only were able to head up for a recci.
Looking up from camp to Steamboat Mountain (left) with the "Prow" on the right.From the lake, we worked our way into a gully which had some amazing limestone exposures and karst features (grikes)
Looking up the gully
View from near the top
Looking along the ridge to the "Prow"
View out to Kennedy Lake and the Pacific
More limestone and the Clayoquot PlateauThree of us decided to go have a look at the Prow. We had brought along a rope and gear, and glad we did. It was one of the more exciting leads I have done for a while.
We stopped for chinese food on the way home. As one of the trip's participants fortune cookie read "Your path to glory will be a rocky one, but rewarding".
Looking back to the notch from the top of the Prow
Rapping down the crux tower on the Prow
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