Three Blind Mice Scramble

Lat/Lon: 52.49°N, 117.87°W
The Three Blind Mice, Minnie, Mickey and Middle Mouse, are located between Mount
Fryatt and Mount Olympus deep in the Fryatt Valley located in Jasper National Park ,
one of four Canadian National Parks adjoined in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.
Although the naming is a confused combination of a nursery rhyme and Disney
characters, these are the unofficial names of these three peaks.

Due to the long approach (22kms) this is not a common objective nor is it in any
guide book. But for those already camped in the area hitting the alpine routes, it
serves as a good break from the more technical routes of Mount Fryatt, Mount
Olympus, Mount Lowell, etc. This is a short day, therefore it only makes sense to do
a full traverse of the three peaks if you are an avid peak bagger. The total gain on the
traverse is 2500’+ and it took us over four hours to complete. One of the closest
mountain goat (not sheep) encounters I have had was on Mickey Mouse.

Getting There
Follow the Columbia Icefields Parkway 31 km south of Jasper to the Athabasca Falls
turnoff on your right. Follow the Althabasca Parkway 1.1 km to the Geraldine Lakes
Road on your left. Drive along this road for 2.1 km to a sign posted trail leading left
(east) toward the Athabasca River. This is where you park and either hike or bike in
to the Lower Fryatt Campground 11.4 km.   Pick your poison.   Biking with a 65lb
pack on single track is no joy, but it is faster than hiking. Another option is to portage
the river saving about 6 or 7 km off of this trial. I biked in. Leave your bike at the
Lower Fryatt Campground and proceed on the trail as it follows Fryatt Creek west for
a total of 22 km past the Brussels campground, Fryatt Lake, Headwall campground,
Fryatt Creek Falls and finally to the Sidney Vallance Hut gaining several thousand
feet of elevation. This hut serves as a great base for considerable variation in alpine
climbing. My group planned a week back here. I know few climbers willing to hike 22
km for one mountain in the Canadian Rockies.

Red Tape
You will be required to purchase a national park pass as you enter the park. This
pass is good for all four national parks. If you plan many visits to Canadian National
Parks within one year, you should purchase an annual pass. There are no permit
requirements to climb in Jasper National Park, but all camping is regulated. There is
also a backcountry permit required if you plan on spending a night in the
backcountry. Even if you use a hut, you will need this permit. This can be obtained via
the parks website which is included in the camping section below. Park
headquarters are located in Banff and Jasper and you will drive through the manned
kiosks as you enter the park.

This is active grizzly country, therefore, you should always have bear spray on your
person. I advise checking with Parks Canada for any area and/or trail closures.

When To Climb
As with most climbs in the Canadian Rockies, the driest time is from June through
September. I did the Three Blind Mice traverse in August and the route was free of
snow. There are no published backcountry ski routes on Three Blind Mice, but it
does appear feasible to ski Middle Mouse.

Camping
The Sydney Vallance Hut received a major facelift and interior makeover in the
summer of 1999 and is now a much improved version of the former cabin. It is open
summer and winter with a limited capacity of 12 humans or 1 large bear. It has a
propane system for cooking and lighting and a wood stove for heating. If you prefer
camping, the last campground into this area is the Headwall campground.   I don't
advise this campground for any objective.   It is poorly placed below an avalanche
gully, meaning good bear habitat. It is best to either use the hut above the headwall
and focus on Fryatt, Lowell, Olympus, Belanger, etc., or camp at the Brussels
campground more than halfway in (very nice) and focus on Brussels and Christie.
Campground reservations can be made through Jasper National Park .

Mountain Conditions
The Jasper National Park website has weather, wildlife reports, trail closures, etc.
Outside of the parks web site, Canadian Avalanche Association is also useful,
particularly for winter travel.

Other Climbs in this Area
I climbed five mountains in five days on this week long trip. My group was fortunate in
that we had only one rainy day, our first day in the hut, which worked out since we just
hauled our supplies 22 km the day before. Everybody did different mountains, but I
climbed Lowell, Fryatt, Olympus, Christie and The Three Blind Mice. There are many
more options as well.

Route
This is a 2500’+ total ascent day. Cross Fryatt Creek from the Sydney Vallance Hut,
turn right and proceed to the first (mostly dry) creek bed you come to. Then turn left
and follow this creek bed until you ascend upon a clearing. Angle right onto a nice
meadow ridge that dumps you onto a moraine ridge that leads directly up to the
middle mouse.

Follow the ridge line to Middle Mouse. This bit of scrambling is easy as is the quick
jaunt northeast over to Minnie Mouse which provides you with a great look at the
south ridge of Lowell. Return to Middle Mouse and survey the crux of the traverse
which is the scramble up the eastern ridge of Mickey Mouse. This scramble was a
joy, but you should spread out to avoid loose rock issues. There are varying
options to the summit and overall this section should probably be rated difficult.
The views of Mount Fryatt, Mount Olympus, Mount Lowell, etc. were stellar, particularly
on the summit day I had.

On descent, I found fast soft scree right below the base of Mickey Mouse and
traversed left onto snow to avoid a rock band. There are some remnants of an old
glacier under this snow, so beware when you make the transition back to rock,
as ice does exist underneath. This route allows for a very fast descent back to the
meadow ridge that returns to the hut.

Essential Gear- Alpine Ax (for descent), Helmet, Bear Spray, Gaiters (for descent)

Trip Report
On August 11, Three Blind Mice became a nice reprieve from two alpine routes we
had done the previous two days from the Fryatt Hut. This was a leisurely scramble for
the three members of my group. The awesome treat for us this day was that a good
sized billy mountain goat had peered down at us from a relatively weak cornice.   It
was hard to believe he was that extended on the cornice until we saw his hoof prints
leading out to the edge. While on Middle Mouse, we leisurely observed him
traversing the south face of Mickey Mouse, causing some rock fall as he went. (let
goats go first!).   Cheers.