The seldom visited Cariboos are one of the most northerly and extensive mountain chains of interior British Columbia. They are also known — perhaps officially — as the McLennan Range, while the higher peaks are called the Premier Group. In this article the names of the peaks originally given by Allen Carpé and Don Munday are used. The region’s center lies some 15 miles southeast of Tête Jaune, a station on the Prince Rupert line of the Canadian National Railroad, in the triangle of high peaks formed by Mount Titan (Sir Wilfrid Laurier, ca. 11,750 ft.), Mount David Thompson (Sir John Thompson, ca. 11,250 ft.) and Mount Kiwa (Sir John Abbott, ca. 11,200 ft.). The mountains are high and heavily glaciated, but not especially difficult for the alpinist.

— Hendricks and Kauffman

Among the names no longer to be used in the vicinity of the Premier Range.

In July 1925, Walter Alfred Don Munday [1890–1950] and Phyllis Munday [1894–1990] made an expedition into the Cariboo Range.

Two parties of climbers had preceded them: Edward Willet Dorland Holway [1853–1923] andAndrew James Gilmour [1871–1941] in 1916;and Allen Carpé [1894–1932] and Rollin Thomas Chamberlin [1881–1948] in 1924.

The latter party made two major climbs, the first ascents of Mt. Titan (11,850 ft.) and Mt. Challenger (10,900 ft.). They also climbed three minor mountains: Gunboat (10,000 ft.); a shoulder of Mt. Titan which they called Bivouac Peak (10,150 ft.) and a triple summit (10,250 ft.), which Mr. Munday refers to as Holway’s Peak, he having made the first ascent of its northerly summit. (The elevation and other names are Mr. Carpé’s.)

— Munday

At 3:30 a.m. we started up Bivouac Peak. The lower part of the arête is crumbling, garnet sprinkled, micaceous rock; the upper part firmer, and here were stretches of sodden snow overhanging the cirque of the small glacier between Bivouac and Mt. Welcome. The sun came up directly behind Lynx Mountain. We found in several places recognizable footprints and marks of axe points of the Carpé expedition.

The summit revealed the forbiddingly bare ice of the mile-long ridge soaring 2500 feet to the eastern peak of Mt. Titan. Three miles to the westward, across the huge neve which drains to Kiwa Creek, rose the symmetrical form of Kiwa Peak (11,250 ft.), its broken ice-wall outlined along the crest by pencillings of rock. Northeastward stood the fine rock mountain whose peak was visible 6000 feet above our base camp and is seen from Tête Jaune station. We named it Mt. Aspiration (10,500 ft.). To left of it showed the most amazing steeple, crowning three equal buttresses rising almost perpendicularly out of unseen depths. We named it Symmetry Spire.

— Munday

Possibly named for the Will-o’-the-wisp.

Adopted in 1988 as identified in Water Management Branch files. Origin/significance not recorded.

Origin of the name unknown.