Nope- my new toy isn’t a flat screen TV, an iPad 2, or a Bose Sound System, which are all items I want. Nope. My new toy is a book- ‘Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies’, by Alan Kane. Whoohoo! My friend Adriane lent me this book and I’m so excited about it… there are so many mountain hikes to complete! The book includes “156 easy peaks with a wide range of difficulty suitable for novice climbers and experienced hikers who want a little more challenge.” Sounds just like me… PERFECT!
Here’s the kicker: All the hikes are broken up into “Easy”, “Moderately Difficult”, and “Difficult” peaks. Of the 156 peaks in the book, I have completed 2. That’s right- only 2 (Yamnuska and Ha Ling). And they were both considered “Easy”. If my math is correct, I have 156 minus 2 equals…..thinking….. thinking….. 154 peaks left to complete! Time to step up my game.
After the gruelling hike to the Memorial Lakes yesterday, all I wanted to do was relax at home. My hiking boots did not cooperate (thankfully I have another pair of hiking shoes), and so my feet, knees and legs were in pain. But rather than take the remainder of the weekend off and recuperate, I decided to plan a second hike for Sunday! I had always wanted to hike Ha Ling Peak. From Highway 1, passing through Canmore, it looks amazing jutting out into the sky. So I thought, why not make it two mountain hikes in one weekend, which I had never done before. I reckon I’ll be recovering from this all week :S.
Ha Ling Peak (Altitude: 2408 metres, or 7898 feet) is rated as a fairly easy hike. It’s no walk in the park, but it makes a great short day hike. The elevation gain is 700 metres (2296 feet), and there’s a scramble at the top (rated Class 1 – Steep Hiking according to www.trailpeak.com). The views along the hike and at the summit are fantastic.
After meeting up with friends Robin, Adriane, and Adriane’s friend Tom, we made our way to the trailhead near Canmore. Robin, Adriane and I started the ascent to the summit of Ha Ling, but Tom decided to hike up East End of Rundle on the opposite side of the road (East End of Rundle is definitely on my list of hikes to do!). I really enjoyed this hike- great company and conversation, a steady and manageable pace, and it felt like a good workout. At the summit, there were breathtaking views as expected, we dined like royalty, and then we went screeing down the side of the mountain. I had never been screeing and it was so much fun! After stopping for many photos during the hike and relaxing for a bit at the top, the hike took us about 4 hours. Tom, who’s kind of a machine, hiked to the summit of East End of Rundle, hiked down, hiked up to the summit of Ha Ling, and then caught up with us about half way down the descent. Two mountains in the same day. Now that is impressive! I was in quite a bit of discomfort due to pains in my knees and legs, but I guess that’s expected after back-to-back hikes. NBD. No Big Deal. Thanks to Adriane, I had a pair of hiking poles to use, which helped take some weight off my knees. And after a great sense of accomplishment, it’s difficult not to be elated :).
Overall, the weekend was fantastic: Two hikes, a potluck, and a breakfast. I’m so tired… I can’t wait for the weekend :).
Dedication at the start of the hikeAdriane and I pose for a photo. Fantastic views, of course ;).Less than half way up the mountainHitting the scrambleAdriane and Robin- a scramble to the summitGorgeous viewsI like mountainsRobin and Adriane relaxing at the summitMe and the view from the summitHa Ling Peak- “I conquered you!”East End of Rundle- “I WILL conquer you!”
So rather than spend the first weekend post-Europe relaxing and catching up on sleep, I decided to do a crazy long hike with a hiking group! It seemed like a lot more fun than cleaning and buying groceries. The hike of choice for today was Memorial Lakes, located in Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park in Kananaskis Country. I’m not sure what the elevation gain was, but the trail was 16 km, and we crossed 3 lakes. According to the plaque at the third lake, the “three mountain lakes have been named and dedicated to the memory of thirteen people who lost their lives in three aircraft accidents in Kananaskis Country in June 1986.” Overall, the hike was pretty gruelling :S, but well worth it! And after 7.5 hours of hiking, it was time to go home. A hot shower never felt so good… 🙂
Making the ascentAlmost at the second lake at this pointThe second lake. So beautiful 🙂Totally rocking the blue gloves, which I love for scramblesYay!“We’re happy to be here!”Me and a fellow hikerMemorial plaquePart of the group that hiked all the way to the third lake. W00t!Panorama at the third lake
After finishing a long and productive day of work, I returned to my car, cranked up the tunes, and began driving off… only to realize that something wasn’t right with my car :(. It seems that sometime during my lunch outing, I hit a nail… so lo and behold, the front passenger side tire was flat!
NOOO! In my many years of driving, I don’t think I’ve actually changed a flat tire before, but I was able to figure it all out. NBD. No Big Deal. Was the lunch outing worth the flat tire? Well I did manage to get some fantastic mango-coconut bubble tea with tapioca pearls, so I’m thinking so. After the inconvenience of having to change the tire, go to Canadian Tire, and get the tire repaired, I felt compelled to treat myself to some fried chicken.
The moral of the story? After getting a flat tire, fried chicken will make everything better!
I like working with cars!The damageFried Chicken. It was tasty.
Well okay, I admit it: I may have left my plant for 3 weeks to fend for itself. However, I did saturate its soil with water before I left, and thanks to my good friend Jen, it had an ‘aqua bulb’. The bulb definitely helped, because even though there were some dead or dying parts of the plant, there’s still an overwhelming amount of green. It needs some more water though, fo’ sho’. Time to nourish this baby back to its glory!
Since I’m such a good and caring parent, I decided to get my plant a buddy. It’s a Dracaena, and apparently it’s fairly neglect-proof, so it’s perfect for a beginner like me. Let’s see how long I can care for the both of them…. 🙂
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 