Mount Sloan
We started hiking later then I would have liked and didn't leave the truck until around 0900. We followed some flagging off the end of an old logging setting that headed into the bush to the right (this was the wrong way, there is a more booted trail to the left). There wasn't much of a booted path, which I anticipated, and we quickly arrived at a creek mentioned in the book. We found a safe log to cross and then lost the flagging and evidence of a route. Regardless we carried on, knowing that the creek flowed out of a lake above us that we needed to get to. Here we came across a neat waterfall. The bush was impressively thick and very difficult to travel through. Luckily we didn't need to go far and popped out at the first lake.
It was 1100 by this point and the lake here was a stunning turquoise It looked like a really great spot to camp. Lots of flat soft ground. At this point we started up the loose gravel and boulders below the summit block, slightly hugging the right side. We eventually made our way up to find the Matt Gun scrambler's gully. I had read many trip reports of people accidentally taking the wrong one and getting foiled. I hoped this would not be the case for us.
The progress in the gully slowed down considerably due to steepness, exposure, and scrambling up loose boulders and rocks. Let me tell you though, the views were amazing! The endless mountains of the Bridge River Valley started to unfold before us framed by the jagged rocks protruding from the flanks of Sloan.
We popped out at the top of the gully and hopped on massive boulders, which I prayed were not loose. We hit the summit at 1330 and had a good rest and some snacks. The view was breathtaking. The entire area opened up. Mountain peaks as far as I could see.
Our total time here was 7.5 hours. 4.5 up and 3 down including breaks. We finished off the day with beers on the deck of Tyax Resort.
Mount Truax
We set off again rather late around 0900. The drive on the road was not bad at all, but took some time. The bike ride portion was quite easy and a gentle incline for the most part with a few deep cross-ditches and creeks. Here there was a ton of bear tracks and scat. We talked and sang loudly to make our presence known.
This area was very beautiful. It felt like we were on another planet. From here I eyed the GPS and a map I had. I knew that it would be a nasty hike up a loose talus slope to bag the summit. We picked what looked like the easiest way and slowly made our way up. It was extremely slow going, but exposure wasn't bad.