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Thrift Peak / Livingstone Lookout
Oldman River Area, Alberta
June 13, 2009
Distance: 17.0 km
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 1040 m
According to the lookout log, Livingstone Fire Lookout which tops Thrift Peak is rarely visited. Maybe that's because the usual route sounds unappealing: it requires fording Oldman River and hiking several kilometres up a road. We wanted to skip all that by using our route for Camp Ridge.
Unlike our Camp Ridge trip, we were able to avoid walking up the first 3.5 km of road. Sonny Bou drove Kelly Bou, Dinah Kruze and me up the 4x4 road in his SUV to the boundary gate. From there, we hiked up the main road and then took the side road to Camp Ridge. The road eventually begins climbing an open ridge before abruptly turning left and dipping down to the valley. It then disappears on the ascent ridge. But instead of following the road down to the valley, we continued up a minor ridge which eventually swings back to Camp Ridge, the ridge we would later follow all the way back. Before reaching that connection, however, Kelly turned back. She would wait for us at Camp Creek.
Sonny, Dinah and I continued to the top of Camp Ridge. The saddle that connects Camp Ridge summit to the lookout ridge drops 60 m before rising to meet the cliffs beneath the lookout. Since we could bypass the cliffs on the right side, we dropped down to the saddle and hiked up the right side to the lookout.
On the helipad, we were greeted by the lookout observer who entertained us with lookout stories. We then turned our attention to the ridge section south of the lookout. The trip didn't seem complete without hiking along the ridge. We covered 500 m before turning back. (Of our 7.5 hour trip, we spent over an hour at the lookout and on the ridge.)
Thrift Peak wasn't at the top of our peaks-to-do list, but we probably made the most of it by using an aesthetic route that avoids a river crossing.
KML and GPX Tracks
Sonny's Trip Report
From our start point at the boundary line we can see Thrift Peak (centre)
Crossing Camp Creek
A bluebird hovers in the air
Following the ridge after leaving the road
Centre Peak (left, mouse over) and Thunder Mountain (right)
A pleasant hike on grassy slopes leads to ...
...an enjoyable ridge walk
Continuing along the ridge
Looking back
The lookout appears above Dinah (mouse over to zoom in)
Smooth blue beardtongue
We'll reach Thrift Peak (left) via the saddle that connects to Camp Ridge
Sonny climbs some rocks on the ridge
Sonny looks around from an outcrop
More enjoyable hiking on an open slope
The lookout sits above a cliff face
On Camp Ridge looking across the saddle at Thrift Peak
On the saddle
The ledge under and left of the lookout is exposed so we kept right
The right side was a straightforward hike to the lookout
We took a break on the helipad
Tornado Mountain rises above Sugarloaf Lookout
Twin Peaks, Pasque Mountain, unnamed and Isola Peak to the NW
We decided to traverse the south ridge a short distance
Leaving the lookout
Looking back
Camp Ridge
Looking back from our turn-around-point
The view south
Group shot on the ridge
82 G/16 Maycroft
