Hiking toward Tombstone Mountain
The day started warm with blue skies as we left Romulus backcountry campground and started our hike to Tombstone Mountain.
This big boy still has some snow in the gullies.
Looking back at Mount Romulus and Mount Remus
The trail was wide and easy for this section of the hike.
As the morning passed, it got steeper.
Why yes, it is a picture of poop
But wait, is that bear scat on the trail? It’s not too fresh so no panic. I just kept shouting “Hey Bear” from time to time to avoid unpleasant surprises.
New mountains came into view as we continued our hike that morning. On the right is the top of Mount Rae, in behind on the left perhaps is Mount Arethusa.
Dan and I climbed Mount Rae in 2018 from the other side starting at Ptarmigan Cirque off the Highwood Pass.
Here is one end of the Tombstone Lakes Trail. I know from a hike a few years ago that the other end is near the Tombstone Campground, our destination for the night.
Peaches and I decided to take the Lakes Trail and leave the road-like trail we’d been following in favour of the narrower path through the forest.
The trail winds up through the forest, gaining some elevation. It was a lovely hike.
Here we stopped for our first lunch. It was a great place to rest but the clouds were rolling in and I worried we would get some harsh showers before we arrived at camp.
A cutthroat trout swimming below the surface of the lake
Unfortunately, this was the only photo I took of Tombstone Lakes.
Fishing is allowed but there is a limit because fish grow slowly in this alpine lake.
Tombstone Backcountry Campground with Mount Rae in the background
We arrived at the campground in the early afternoon. It is well appointed with all the same amenities as Romulus.
Communal firepit and picnic tables at Tombstone backcountry campground
This was one of three firepit areas. We had dinner here and breakfast the next morning.
There are food lockers to safely store food away from critters.
Tent site at Tombstone Backcountry Campground
Here Peaches and I set up our tent. This camgpround was really beautiful. There was a little creek at the bottom of the bank below the trees at the back. This campground was very popular and most of the sites were occupied by night time.
We had a good night’s sleep here and felt rested for our final day, the longest hike of our trip.
Learn more about my trip
Including what I packed, what I ate and how the next two days of hiking went.
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