Looking for a great after work scramble from Calgary?
One of the reasons I love living in Calgary is its proximity to the mountains. This is no secret and I often post about how grateful I feel to live where I do. Whenever my friend Dan visits for mountain adventures, there’s always an after work hike. This year’s choice? Mount Baldy at 2192 metres and an elevation gain of 800 metres.
After a fun day of statistical programming (weeee!), we left the university after 4 pm and headed to Kananaskis. Taking the Highway 40 exit and travelling south for approximately 12 km, we parked at an open lot on the right and geared up. The trailhead is a little before the lot on the opposite side of the road at a stream. The trail is well worn, steep, rocky, and awesome. Incredible views of Kananaskis Trail, Barrier Lake, and the Baldy ridge make the short ascent quite interesting. There are a few sketchy scrambling sections about halfway up (ie. a scary down climb and a rock wall to climb over) , but all can be avoided by bypassing them to the right. Thankfully for us, clouds blew over as we neared the top and provided amazing views all around. As the sun set behind the mountains and the light faded, we decided to forgo the ridge walk and head back to the car. But hey, that’s okay! For a 4-hour round trip scramble after work, I’m not complaining. 🙂
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 
I miss the views!
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