Abbott Ridge is one of those killer day hikes that will get your blood pumping and thighs burning while rewarding you with some of the most blissful scenery you will ever see. I've been returning to this hike over and over for years both because I adore it but also because I know how powerfully it can ignite the hiking addiction in someone new to the Rockies.
This latest jaunt up Abbott Ridge was with my buddy Michael. It was the first real mountain hike he had ever experienced in his life. Only a day before I had been jovially badgering him after he commented on how big of a "mountain" one of the foothills near Kelowna was.
Michael had been near any real mountains and my plan was to take him straight up one of the greatest hikes in the Rockies so that he could experience first-hand what it feels like to stand on the top of one.
Abbott Ridge is a bit different than most of the hikes at Illecillewaet in that it leaves no opportunity to warm up on smoother terrain. The first leg of the Abbott Ridge journey has you climbing steep switchbacks almost immediately. The initial stretch to Marion Lake is a grueling introduction with little opportunity to stop and enjoy majestic views. Only surrounded by dense forests and the pounding of your heartbeat makes the beginning of the trail a test of willpower.
Marion Lake itself is nothing special, it isn't a delightful mountain lake as much as it is a muddy marsh with a big puddle in the middle. Fortunately, we aren't on this trail for Marion and after a quick snack, we head onwards.
This is the point where Mount Abbott begins to show its beauty. As we continue forward I show Michael an unmarked lookout I discovered several years earlier that has a commanding and majestic view of Mount Sir Donald across the valley.
After gazing at Sir Donald for a few minutes we continue forward reaching the fork in the trail. Abbott Ridge has two paths to the peak. One is a shallower and longer trail veering off to your right and the other is a short steep dash up the side of the middle section of the mountain. We opt to take the short route, Michael is eager to experience the push to the top.
We climb several hundred meters farther and emerge into a massive meadow that used to be home to a mighty glacier which is now lost into history. Walking through this meadow in the sky is somewhat surreal. We enjoy picking our way through the short grass and boulders while angry marmots squawk at us constantly.
One particularly fun moment was when Michael looks down and excitedly picks up a piece of quartz as large as his fist. Apparently the biggest piece he has ever seen. That record was pretty short-lived, however, as only a few minutes later I point out a piece as large as a car.
Once we have completed our walk across the meadow the final stretch of the hike begins as we start to work our way up the rock wall that makes up the iconic Abbott Ridge. A narrow trail along a steep cliff winding into the heavens makes for a surreal experience.
After what seems like an eternity we reach the end of the trail on top of the ridge and Michael gets to enjoy his first 360-degree view from the top of the mountain. We are standing in heaven.
