Mount McLaren - 2301m (7549’) 🇨🇦
You can hear the rush of wind coming over the mountain side before it hits you. The pines dance and sway as if tossed by a raging sea, and then suddenly all is still, and silent. Seven iron crosses stand tall in the shadow of the rugged Canadian Rockies with a story to tell . . .
On the night of January 19, 1946, a winter storm blanketed the crowsnest pass. The crew of flight 636 of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF flying a DC-3 Dakota) was attempting to fly over the range on route to Nova Scotia when disaster struck. The plane began icing and the starboard engine failed. With only one engine the heavily-loaded plane could only maintain an elevation of 6,000 feet, not nearly enough to clear the surrounding peaks. I imagine the crackle of the radio in the background as the pilot with limited visibility desperately tried to make it across a col, but the plane struck the mountain side and crashed below Mount McLaren. All seven crew members perished . . .
The Crowsnest Pass Forest Rangers search and rescue team set out to find survivors by snowshoe and toboggan. After five long days a curl of smoke was spotted in the remote North York valley from the still smoldering crash site. No survivors were found so the crew of twelve men set about the grizzly task of recovering the bodies to return them to their loving families where they could be laid to rest. All are hero’s in my eyes . . .
We decided to visit the crash site (where some of the wreckage remains)along with a visit to the summit of mount McLaren to better try and understand the story. For the most part we followed an ATV track to the crash site, but the mountain was mostly off trail (we loosely followed Spirko’s route).
The summit of mount McLaren rises over 945m (3100’) above the Star and York creeks which explains the grade on the way up. We were treated to some fantastic views of the Crowsnest pass, which made up for sore feet (and paws). Another great day in the Wild Canadian Rockies.
*If you go, Please treat this area and the
scattered artifacts with respect and
reverence. Leave no trace and leave the site for others to discover and enjoy. Take a moment to reflect on the service of the young men who not only died here, they also served overseas in WWII . . .
IN MEMORY
Flying Officer Robert Huycke Watt, Winnipeg MB
Flying Officer James Leonard Norris, Chilliwack BC
Flicht Lieutenant William Joseph Woods, Winnipeg MB
Flit Lieutenant William James Sealey, White Rock BC
Sergeant Vernon Rupert Ducklow, New Westminster BC
Leading Aircraftsman Daniel Levy, Toronto ON
Leading Aircraftsman Richar I Brockwell Lowe, Ottawa ON