Mount Collembola and Queen's Tarn Loop (Lower Moderate Scramble)

Trail Name: Mount Collembola and Queen's Tarn Loop (Click the link for the AllTrails Route. NOTE: This is my own custom route.)
Difficulty: Very-Hard
Trailhead meet-up time: Saturday, September 6 at 8:30am
Location: Mount Lougheed Viewpoint Parking Lot (Click the link for the parking lot location.)

NOTE: **Attendance** - By Invite Only - A waitlist has been created. I will admit attendees at my own discretion. Your answer to the hike question will be taken into consideration. I am aiming for a total of 8 attendees (including myself).

NOTE: Hike Day - All hike dates are subject to change depending on the weather.

NOTE: Difficulty - This is a Very-Hard hike. We are covering a significant distance and some parts of the ridge ascended on steep slopes. There are some rock bands to scramble along the ridge. The section immediately below the summit has some moderate scrambling with exposure.

Mount Collembola offers a beautiful ridge ascent overlooking the Mount Allan valley. The ridge also offers great views of the Mount Lougheed peaks, including Peak 2 which we ascended earlier this year. Let's ascend this ridge and also experience the beautiful valley on the return!

Trail Details
Distance: Approx. 19 km (Loop)
Elevation gain: Approx. 1400 meters (the AllTrails figure is inflated)
Time: Approx. 8.5 hours

Trail Description:
Our day starts in the lower forest along Pigeon Creek. We will make our way to the Centennial Ridge trail and begin our gradual ascent up. We will have a few steeper sections leading up to the junction to Mount Collembola. At the junction, we will have a short bushwhacking section before reaching the grassy slopes of the ascent ridge.

We will make our way up the steep slopes, navigating 4 bumps along the way. The third bump has a small rock band to scramble up. Immediately below the summit, there is a bigger rock band which will require some moderate scrambling to ascend. We will carefully ascend this rock band and walk to the summit.

We will enjoy the views from the summit, before descending to the south and taking an obvious scree gully down to the Queen's Tarn below. We will take another break at the Queen's tarn to enjoy the valley. From the Tarn, we will loop back through the valley to rejoin the Centennial Ridge trail. We will then retrace our steps back to the parking lot.

RECOMMENDED GEAR & SUPPLIES
- hiking poles - useful on steep scree slopes, especially while descending
- sunglasses
- sunscreen
- hat/cap
- scrambling gloves - for the scrambling section, to protect your hands from cuts and scrapes
· Clothing - Late Summer - Lighter wool clothing is still recommended along with a light jacket/windbreaker. Cotton clothing is okay, but a cotton/polyester blend is preferable for sweat management. Jeans are not good.
· personal first aid kit
· snacks/lunch
. water (recommend 2-3 litres of water) - the ridge and valley are fully exposed to the sun, so staying hydrated is important. There are a few water sources once we descend to the valley - I can give refills with my water filter.

Ride Sharing:
Suggested Ridge Sharing Spot: Petro-Can at the corner of Highway 1 and Highway 22.

Suggested Ride Sharing Fee: $15

Join us for a beautiful ridge-walk with some scrambling to keep things interesting!