Alberta – Page 11 – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

Pocaterra Ridge and Some Grizzly Bears!

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! — I’m happy to be in the larches!

Paul and I, and Mount Tyrwhitt in the background

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!

Almost at the top, but I had to stop for a photo!

Paul, Adriane and I at the top of the first peak

Three more peaks to go... :) — Three more peaks to go… 🙂

Stopping for lunch at the second peak :) — 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 🙂

Grizzly cubs playing :) — Grizzly cubs playing 🙂

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!

Shenanigans on Wasootch Peak

Just an incredible view… and not even at the summit yet! — Just an incredible view… and not even at the summit of Wasootch Peak yet!

Paul and I decided to conquer another mountain today. But that’s becoming expected- another weekend with fantastic weather means we had to hit the mountains. The victim this time? Wasootch Peak in Kananaskis. It’s 2400 metres high, and there’s an elevation gain of 900 metres. The trailhead is located on the side of the road on Highway 40 close to the Kananaskis Village turn off. After parking in the ditch, we readied ourselves for a day of adventure and classic shenanigans! Continue reading “Shenanigans on Wasootch Peak”

Mount Yamnuska Revisited

The ‘safety’ chain on the way to the summit of Yamnuska

On September 7 of last year, a bunch of nerds and I hiked Mount Yamnuska. So when I was thinking about a hike I could do this past Saturday, I figured Yamnuska would be a great one to revisit. I love Yamnuska because it’s close to Calgary, it’s a nice hike with some interesting scenery, and it has a bit of a scramble leading to an incredible view at the top. From Highway 1, Yamnuska is very distinctive. Its flat face and sheer presence are difficult to ignore. Last year I had heard about a chain somewhere along the route that was necessary to traverse the side of the mountain, but we never found it. This time, I was on a mission to find this chain and conquer it! Continue reading “Mount Yamnuska Revisited”

To the Summit of Mount Sparrowhawk

Mount Sparrowhawk on the left. Read’s Ridge on the right.

On Sunday, my friend Paul and I completed an epic hike. We decided that we would attempt to conquer Mount Sparrowhawk in the Smith-Dorrien Area south of Canmore. It looked like a good one to do after reading about it in ‘Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies’ by Alan Kane, but we also chose it based on a glowing recommendation. Continue reading “To the Summit of Mount Sparrowhawk”

Hiking Ha Ling Peak

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 :).