Boatrock Peak Summit Traditional Cache

This small lock and lock container is located on the Summit of Boatrock Peak at an elevation of about 2,208 meters. Travel to this geocache will require covering a round trip distance of 13 kilometers and an elevation gain of 900 meters. This is a difficult scramble (4th class terrain) that could easily turn into a serious climber's scramble (low 5th class terrain) depending on your route or ability to routefind. This is a pretty serious peak with some mandatory steep slab climbing that is recommended for experienced scramblers only. Experience scrambling or climbing on steep slab is definitely an asset.

The story of Boatrock Peak was passed down to me by my old climbing buddy Greg Cornell - while out climbing one day, Greg mentioned a peak with the craziest runnels he had ever seen and climbed. Not only that, but it was also easily accessible yet obscure. Well that certainly piqued my interest!

Boatrock Peak lies about 5 km up Jura Creek. It's a fairly easy 1.25-1.5 hour tromp up the Jura creekbed to the base of Boatrock Peak. The rocky point of a mountain looks steep and it's almost surprising from the creek that there's a scramble route to the top!

Start on the very SW side of the mountain in the trees and trudge up through tedious scree at first. Aim hiker's left to gain a decent ridge. From there work up on broken slabs to the base of a very obvious overhanging piece of rock (waypoint). This is where the real scrambling begins. Traverse beneath the overhang to the left on slab. After the overhang turn right and plod up scree to avoid some challenging terrain to the left. Traverse across some easy but somewhat exposed slabs to a lone tree (waypoint). From here scramble straight up on difficult 4th class terrain on slabs and up through a couple small overhanging steps. Up above you can see the ribs of the runnels of the Runnel Finish!

Greg wasn't wrong - these runnels are indeed the craziest and most otherworldly runnels I've ever seen - they were an absolute pleasure to climb. The Runnel Finish is very highly recommended! The one challenge is that the runnel finish is low 5th class (5.0-5.1) terrain that would qualify as a climber's scramble. But it's perhaps up there for some of the most fantastic scrambling you will ever experience! Grab hold of the giant rocky ribs and haul yourself up to the summit ridge. If you aren't feeling up for the Runnel Finish, there is an easier 4th class route to the left of the runnels.

A rope will do you no good (no pro, no anchors) but a helmet is highly recommended as there is a lot of loose rock once you're off the slabs. Approach shoes or climbing shoes are recommended for most people. I brought climbing shoes but didn't use them, although I was very close to lacing them up for the Runnel Finish. Ultimately it was about at the max I was willing to do in my hiking shoes. Be sure to bring your sense of adventure and your routefinding skills and you'll have a great time!