Patterson's Peak
(2728 m)
In his book "Far Pastures," Raymond M. Patterson recalled driving up the Highwood Valley with Mary Pope, a visiting "dude" from England. They had a flat tire right at the top of Sullivan Hill, just east of Sullivan Creek. He wrote, "That flat couldn't have chosen a better time or place. This was Mary's arrival in the foothills and the Eden Valley of old Dr. Dawson (George Dawson) burst on her suddenly in all its autumn glory."

After the tire was changed Patterson was telling her the names of the mountains and included "Patterson's Peak." The ranch guest was most impressed saying, "So you've got a mountain named after you. How marvelous! Tell me all about it, now, while we look at it." Patterson explained with a grin, "That peak's nameless on the map. It's an orphan mountain and I just adopted it. If you ride up Flat Creek...you can leave your horse and clamber on up the valley to a lake that's hidden behind that mountain."

Raymond Patterson claimed the mountain with some justification however, having had some personal experience on the peak. On a June morning, a year or two previous to hosting Mrs. Pope, he had left the ranch before dawn on what became an unsuccessful solo attempt to climb the mountain. Renovations were being made to the Patterson's home and with the disruptions and construction crew working there were, "too many people around and not a moment's peace...So, without saying anything to anybody, I got up in the dark one morning and got my own breakfast and got out of the place while the bunch was still enjoying its beauty sleep -just kissed the outfit good-bye for one whole perfect day."

Patterson rode nineteen kilometres up Flat Creek to the small lake below the northwest slopes of the mountain and, "...after lunch I took it into my head to climb that peak." In "Far Pastures," Patterson details how his progress was stopped about halfway to the summit by overhanging rock and how he eventually plummeted out of control down a steep snowslope before gently sliding onto the rocks at the bottom where, fortunately, the slope had become less steep.

He concluded his story by telling Mrs. Pope, "All in all it was a memorable day and I still feel I have a sort of squatter's right to that mountain."

The name was made official in 2000. On August 19th of that year a dedication ceremony was organized by Patterson's biographer, David Finch, and the two people responsible for making the name official, Gillean Daffern and Dave Birrell. The weather was perfect for the gathering on Sullivan Hill just north of Highway #541. Marigold Patterson, R.M.'s widow, was present as were Raymond and Marigold's sons, Robin and Alan, and daughter Janet Blanchet.

As Joyce Moore wrote in her newspaper column after being one of a hundred or so Patterson admirers present, "The spirit of R.M. Patterson was with us that day -his love of the mountains, his desire for adventure, and his joy in books and writing."
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