The Final Spire: 'Mystery Mountain' Mania in the 1930s

In 1934, four mountaineers from Manitoba piled into their Plymouth and pointed its headlights west to Tatlayoko Lake in British Columbia. Their goal? To conquer B.C.'s tallest mountain.

These young adventurers were following in the footsteps of the courageous, sometimes tragic, attempts made by other climbers to summit "Mystery Mountain." But one tantalizing challenge remained: the main tower. This central spire was a nightmarish image for any climber; a sheer column of barren rock encased in ice. But the irresistible allure of "Mystery Mountain" electrified the public and the race was on.

It was while riding a motorcycle across British Columbia for over a decade that Trevor Marc Hughes began writing about the history of his home province in Nearly 40 on the 37 and Zero Avenue to Peace Park. He then developed late B.C. naturalist Hamilton Mack Laing's account of his 1915 motorcycle travels across the United States for the Ronsdale Press title Riding the Continent. In Capturing the Summit, Hughes looked into Laing's expedition career while he was "the tail of the kite" during one of his greatest adventures, accompanying the mountaineers who made the first ascent of Canada's tallest peak, Mount Logan. Hughes is currently the non-fiction editor and video segment producer for The British Columbia Review. www.trevormarchughes.ca

ISBN: 9781553807223
Format: Paperback
Pages: 236
Publisher: Ronsdale Press
Published: April 28, 2025

"A chronicle of fascinating history and good old-fashioned chutzpah." – Vancouver Sun

"Trevor Marc Hughes tells a riveting story about those who sought to conquer Mystery Mountain." - BC BookWorld

"Trevor Marc Hughes uncovers a decade-long story of discovery and death in attempting to reach the highest summit within British Columbia. Trevor sweeps into the narrative the main characters from the early years of exploration who have gone before in one of Canada's most remote and glaciated areas." - Paul Geddes, life member, The Alpine Club of Canada

"This is a valuable book about the explorations of Mount Waddington, the early attempts to climb the great peak and the final successful ascent. By telling these largely forgotten stories, Trevor Hughes has made an excellent contribution to the growing library of books about Canadian mountaineering." - Chic Scott, mountaineer and historian

"Trevor Marc Hughes deftly weaves accounts of very individualistic expeditions and their members who ventured into challenging landscapes, way-finding on their own, relying on weather, their own physical prowess, and sometimes just plain luck." - Kathryn Bridge, PhD, curator emerita, History and Art, Royal British Columbia Museum