Mount Cory

Location: Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Distance: 10.6 kilometres

Elevation Gain: 1,433 metres

Top Elevation: 2,814 metres

Activity: Scramble

Type: Summit

Recalling my ascent of Mount Cory invokes a wide range of emotions. What began as an exhilarating high alpine scramble ended in the disturbing experience of having to preclude what may have been my own death. I climbed the mountain just days before our first large snowfall of the season. Though I don't usually scramble alone, I was faced with the choice of either going alone or foregoing one of the last (mostly) dry days of the season. Instead of sitting at home and feeling despondent, I made the choice to summit the mountain alone. Though I expected conditions to be fairly dry, I still packed crampons, gloves and a few other additional items for safe measure and began the ascent on the morning of October 1st, 2021.

Though it was about three degrees Celsius at the base of the mountain, the south ridge felt hot under the day's direct sunlight. I found myself quickly gaining elevation due a steep initial ridge and the lack of an approach. This terrain continued for roughly three-fourths of the distance up until the steepness broke after reaching a flat grassy plateau. Here, you temporarily trade southward views for westward views of the Bow Valley and Mount Cory's summit. After the shoulder, I faced a short downclimb into a very peaceful and grassy area before ascending the first scramble section of the trail. A large cave is visible up on a cliffside just past the first shoulder. It's a great spot to take a break and catch some shade if you're up for diverting off the trail. I was disappointed to find vandalism on the cave's walls, in an otherwise exquisitely preserved environment.

I occasionally struggled with wayfinding on the scramble from the shoulder to the summit. I veered off trail a handful of times despite frequently referencing a map. Though I was able to get back on track each time, it added some unnecessary delays - not desirable for a scramble that already encompasses roughly eight hours of travel time. The scramble was straight-forward but enthralling, with several downclimbs adding to the excitement. I found myself totally engrossed in the moment. Though I was having a great time, I tackled this section at a fast pace in an attempt to make up for some of the time I had lost. I reached the mountain's false summit just after four and a half hours and continued up a fairly easy but dizzying final stretch to the summit.

Sitting at over 2,800 metres elevation and surrounded by some of Canada's most iconic and captivating mountains, the 360 degree views from the summit were among the best I have seen in my lifetime. Rundle, Norquay, Assiniboine, Bourgeau, Cascade, Edith, Sulphur and Castle mountains, in addition to countless other peaks and ranges, were all on display. Though I could've stayed at the summit for hours, I began the trip down the mountain just shortly after reaching the it due to my lousy pace and time management from the climb up.

Descending past the first plateau, the first signs of sun's retreat were already apparent. Though I was on track to reach the base roughly thirty minutes prior to nightfall, I strived to keep a fast pace. Two people descending the mountain as well approached from behind, and we hiked in a distant tandem for quite a while before I stopped to let them pass. I was beginning to lose some daylight, but my hike was nearly complete and I remained on track to easily reach the trailhead before nightfall. 

I stopped for a quick break roughly five-hundred metres from the trailhead. After a short sit, I stood up, put my backpack on, and took a quick look of my surroundings. A cougar was behind me, roughly ten metres away, standing and staring directly at me. Because of the mountain's incline, the cougar was above me and was standing in the middle of the trail, where I had just passed through minutes before. I had never seen a cougar in-person before, and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was so much larger than I had imagined, with a body larger than mine and with a height about as tall as my waist. 

I turned around to face the cougar, locked eyes with it and immediately unlocked my can of bear spray, holding it in a position ready to use. I began yelling at the cougar and lifted my backpack high above my head in an attempt to appear intimidating. The cougar continued to stand still with an intense stare locked on me. I continued to yell as loud as I could for several more minutes before the cougar finally began walking westward, to my right, and off the trail. I couldn't see the cougar anymore, and I wasn't sure what to do at this point. I continued to yell in the direction I last saw the cougar and kept my eyes peeled for any movement. Several minutes passed with no change and no sign of the cougar, so I decided to continue heading down the mountain. I kept my bear spray unlocked and ready to use, strapped on a headlamp, and began taking my first steps down. The cougar reemerged, this time only about five metres away. The cougar was again staring and standing still. I began yelling at the cougar again, and held my bear spray in preparation to use it. This continued for approximately ten minutes before it began hissing at me. The cougar then moved and I immediately deployed my bear spray. The cougar ran up the mountain and away from me. My heart was racing, and I couldn't believe what had just happened. 

It was now becoming dark, and I was still roughly five-hundred metres from the trailhead. I began quickly descending down the mountain, opting to use an alternate scree slope that ran parallel to the trail. I made it back to my vehicle and realized that I had lost my cell-phone sometime during the commotion. I decided to leave it behind and drove back home to Calgary. I returned the next day to search for my cell-phone, but I couldn't find it. Almost all of the photos I took on Mount Cory were lost, and only a few early photos I had text-messaged to a friend had survived. Alberta Parks later issued a cougar warning for the Bow Valley area on October 16th, 2021 advising that "a cougar was seen approaching people".

Though cougar sightings are rare, the Government of Alberta provides the following advice:

If the cougar is at a distance and is not focused on you:

• Do not provoke it.

• Gather everyone close, especially children and dogs.

• Back away slowly and do not run.

• Keep your eyes on the cougar.

• Prepare to use bear spray.

If the cougar is coming closer, hissing, snarling, staring intently and tracking your moments:

• Show the cougar you are not prey and will fight back.

• Shout, make yourself look larger and wave your arms. 

• Do not run and do not turn your back to the cougar.

• Pick up children without crouching down.

• Use bear spray. 

If the cougar attacks:

• Fight for your life and do not give up.

• Use anything you can as a weapon and aim at the cougar's eyes and face.

• Get up if you're knocked down.

• Never play dead.

• Use bear spray.