It always surprises me how much I love doing winter activities. I mean, I hate the winter! Well, hate is very strong… I dislike winter very very much. But there’s so much fun to be had in the winter. After going skiing twice this season, a short hike at Tunnel Mountain in Banff, and trying ice climbing, I was ready to shelve all things wintery. But when friends Paul and Vanessa texted to see if my friend Dan (who’s visiting from Guelph) and I wanted to go snowshoeing today, we couldn’t refuse!
Fun!
We completed half of the Lower Lake Trail, then finished the Marsh Loop
My second attempt- success!
The morning began with a quick trip to Starbucks for pre-hiking fuel, a stop at the Outdoor Centre to rent snowshoes, and then a nice scenic 1.5 hour drive to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in Kananaskis Country. We stopped at the visitor centre for some info, and then headed to William Watson Lodge where there were a few snowshoeing trails from which we could choose. In the end, we completed about half of the 3.3 km Lower Lake Trail before turning back to finish the 1.8 km Marsh Loop Trail. As usual, there were shenanigans! We all learned that it’s quite difficult to execute a successful jump shot while wearing snowshoes. Who knew?!
Gorgeous
There’s always time to pose for a photo
An impressive jump shot, by Vanessa, Dan and Paul
Making an up-hill detour
I’ve realized that I love snowshoeing. I guess that’s not really a surprise considering I’m a huge fan of hiking trails and scrambling to the summits of mountains. In the winter, the mountains look absolutely gorgeous, especially after a fresh dusting of snow. Despite the season, the mountains never cease to fill me with a sense of awe and wonder. It’s crazy to think that there are many Calgarians that don’t take advantage of the natural playground in their backyard. To ensure that I don’t become one of them, I have decided that I must do more snowshoeing next year! I’m looking forward to it already :).
The mountains never cease to amaze me…
I really need to do more snowshoeing. Next year fo’ sho’ 🙂
Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve posted a hiking-related entry. That’s probably because evil winter came, and along with it, snow and cold weather. I don’t really like cold weather :(. I often want to punch winter in the face. But I don’t mind winter activities even though I don’t partake in them very much.
Well, today, friends Robin and Tushna and I decided we would head out to Canmore for a winter hike. You know, ’cause nature is pretty cool and stuff. The temperature was remarkably mild for this time of year and the sun was shining, so it was the perfect day for a trail. After stopping off at an information centre in Canmore, we decided on the Grassi Lakes hike, which I had wanted to do for quite some time. Grassi Lakes wasn’t so grassy, but the snow cover made everything look beautiful. I wouldn’t call the trail strenuous by any means, and it took maybe 1.5 hours, but it was a really nice little hike after being on a hiatus for a couple of months :). And the company was great as always- lots of chatting and laughing and jokes. The perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
So here’s a super quick synopsis of the amazing hike at Pocaterra Ridge, located in Highwood Pass… it was awesome. The End. Actually, I have a bit more to say :). Hiking season is winding down and winter is around the corner… Noo!! This, of course, means that I’m trying to get in as many hikes as I can. Adriane, her friend Mia, Paul and I decided that Pocaterra Ridge was the next to be conquered. We’ve been pretty lucky with weather lately, and yesterday was no exception. The weather was great, which meant for some stunning views all along the ridge.
I’m happy to be in the larches!OnwardPaul and I, and Mount Tyrwhitt in the backgroundSergeant on Pocaterra
The really cool thing about this hike is that it can be done as a one way hike, and it’s best completed with a car shuttle. We parked one car at Little Highwood Pass, drove to the Highwood Pass parking lot about 9 kilometres down the road to the trailhead, and then hiked up to the ridge, crossed each of the 4 peaks, and hiked back down to Little Highwood Pass. The larches are beautiful at this time of year, and the ridge was amazing to traverse. It was also a pretty challenging hike. I haven’t hiked many ridges, but if there are others as awesome as this one, then I need to find me some more ridges!
Ascending to Pocaterra RidgeAlmost at the top, but I had to stop for a photo!Paul, Adriane and I at the top of the first peakYay!Three more peaks to go… 🙂Panoramic #1 from the first peakPanoramic #2 from the first peakI made it!Stopping for lunch at the second peak 🙂
As we were leaving the Little Highwood Pass lot, a few hundred metres from where we were parked, there was a mama grizzly bear and her 2 bear cubs at the side of the road! We stopped on the opposite side of the road and watched from the car. It was the first time I had seen a grizzly bear, and she was huge! And to see her with her 2 cubs was an amazing sight. The cubs were playing, running and eating without a care in the world. They didn’t even seem to notice the cars stopped at the side of the road, taking photos and admiring in awe. It was definitely a great sighting at the end of a marvellous hike 🙂
Mama Grizzly! She was huge!Grizzly cubs playing 🙂A curious grizzly cub
Pocaterra Ridge is located in the Highwood Pass area of Kananaskis. The distance from the Highwood Pass parking lot to the Little Highwood Pass lot is about 9 km. The elevation gain is about 550 metres, but the cumulative gain as you go up and down over the 4 peaks is 1036 metres. We started at 10:25 am and reached the end of the hike at 3:30 pm :), so a little over 5 hours. All in a day’s work :). And just think, had we finished 15 minutes later, we probably would have crossed paths with the grizzly family on our trail… and that probably wouldn’t have gone over too well!
Typical…Descending through the forestPocaterra Ridge- we conquered you!
The fall season in Calgary and the Rockies is short. Like, in my opinion, way too short. It happens around the end of September- there’s a brief period when the leaves transition to nice yellow and orange-like colours, and then in a matter of 2 or 3 weeks, the colours are gone and it’s pretty much winter. This isn’t the worst thing in the world, but it does mean that getting out to the mountains during this short period of time is of utmost importance! Continue reading “Fall Hiking on Opal Ridge”
Hiking is not just reserved for the weekends. Yesterday, my friend Adriane and I left work and headed straight for the Kananaskis area. Our goal: to hike up to Powderface Ridge. I really enjoyed this hike. It wasn’t too strenuous, which was good since my legs were still crying from the East End of Rundle. The trail offered a good mix of Spruce and Pine forest, a mountain meadow, and a summit with great views. In particular, we could see Prairie Mountain (which I conquered twice already this year), Moose Mountain (on the list of hikes to complete) and Forget-Me-Not Ridge (which I have now added to my list of mountains to conquer!). We enjoyed a lovely dinner at the summit, had great conversation, and then headed back down as the sun began to set.
The summit of Powderface Ridge is at about 2210 metres and the elevation gain for the hike is about 594 metres. We started the hike at 5:35 pm and returned at 8:10 pm. In my opinion, it was a fantastic way to spend 2 hours and 35 minutes after work! Then, while driving home, we saw a cute black bear and many cute deer. How cute.
Ascending to Powderface RidgeA pretty mountain meadow 🙂I did it!Forget-Me-Not Ridge in the background. I will conquer you!
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 