2024-02-19 - Joffre Lakes and Mount Taylor Snowshoe

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Distance: 13 miles
Elevation gain: 4800ft
Elapsed time: 10h55m (4:45am start)
Gear: La Sportiva Nepal Evo, MSR Lightning Ascent, Ice axe
Camera: Sony A7R III with Sony G 24-105mm and Sony GM 100-400mm lens

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Mount Taylor appears to be a popular destination for peak baggers in winter. I saw a bunch of trip reports in Facebook groups while preparing for this trip. It is a relatively straightforward trip beyond Joffre Lakes with great views of the Pemberton valley. Of course, avalanche awareness is necessary.

The Joffre Lakes themselves are frozen in winter which hides their beautiful color, but the snow-covered surrounding mountains are gorgeous. I particularly enjoyed seeing the Pemberton valley, which I had not seen before.

I've had some very cold weather in British Columbia and none of my existing boots appeared to handle it well. I got a pair of La Sportiva boots to keep me warmer and also help with more serious mountaineering objectives. They served me well on other trips, though it wasn't very cold during this particular visit.

I was hoping to also do Tszil Mountain on the other side of the pass, but I didn't trust the snow on the route and turned back. It is a bit steeper than Taylor Mountain.

I wanted to experiment with a 100-400mm lens in the mountains and took it with me on this trip. It was very heavy, but I got some nice photos from mountains in the very far distance. The limited amount of light was a bit challenging and resulted in moody photos.