Runner Peak via NW ridge(?)

 After finishing at Mt. Elphinstone, I drove over to Mt. Seymour for a second round, had some unfinished business to settle. Last weekend, I missed summiting Runner Peak, so this time I was determined to get it done. I set a time goal: run all three summits of Mt. Seymour car-to-car in under 2 hours.

I topped out Mt. Seymour in a solid 36 minutes, then descended toward the west ridge. At a fork, I noticed two trails: the left one led to Elsay Loop and the right seemed like the way to Runner Peak. Naturally, I took the right. I got lost. Ran straight into some cliffs and couldn’t find the trail despite several attempts. After some frustration, I threw in the towel.

Backtracked to the junction and took the main Elsay trail until I hit the NW ridge of Runner Peak. From there, it was a wild mix, bushwhacking, steep rocks, some tree climbing, and plenty of bushes (more than I expected). The descent was a bit easier with a nice crack line to use as footing. I even spotted a rappel ring if anyone’s feeling adventurous. I avoided a snowfield by dropping into the gully and picked up the ridge trail again.

Slogged back up to Mt. Seymour, then happily ran back to the car, mission (mostly) accomplished. Next time, maybe fewer bushes, please!