Ha Ling – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

Ha Ling Peak

So I’ve written about Ha Ling Peak before. It’s steep. It’s awesome. It’s quick. And the views from the top are incredible. With a round trip time of about 3.5 hours and an elevation gain of 700 metres, Ha Ling (2408 metres) is also a great one to do if you want to stretch your legs after a day at the desk job. From where I work in Calgary, I can leave the hospital and set foot on the trail within an hour. I’ve mentioned numerous times about how grateful I am to live in a city where this is possible.

What’s notable about this particular Ha Ling climb is that my brother Ry was visiting and he was eager to scramble up his first mountain in the Rockies! As expected, he was not disappointed with the view of Canmore, the Bow Valley, and the Spray Lakes area below. It’s was one of those breathtakng moments where he couldn’t even find the right words to describe the feeling of looking down at the world. Ry has always thought my photos were pretty awesome, but admitted that they never really capture the moment. I would have to agree. It’s that sense of awe that has drawn me in, leaving me wanting more with each and every mountain peak!

Ha Ling wouldn’t be the only mountain adventure during Ry’s stay in Calgary… Continue reading “Ha Ling Peak”

Barfing up Gatorade and Prosciutto on Ha Ling

So after Dan and his brother Aidan arrived on Wednesday, I decided to take them to Ha Ling. Amazingly, Dan had never done that hike before (I figured I would have taken him at some point). Aidan had never been to Alberta before and Ha Ling has incredible views from the top in minimal hiking time, so I figured it would be a good intro for a weekend of hiking. Right after work on Thursday, we headed to Canmore and began the hike around 5:30 pm.

I’ve blogged about the hike itself before, so I’ll focus on something else. Aidan. It was great to meet Dan’s brother after hearing about him over the years, and he was eager to get to the mountains to hike. But apparently he hadn’t eaten a lot in the two days prior to the hike, and he was a bit off. He craved gatorade and drank about four bottles of it. He also had a prosciutto sandwich right before we booted it up the start of the mountain. So after gaining about 100 metres in elevation, he stopped to say that he needed a break. Then it happened. He barfed. And not just a little. A lot. About 5 or 6 full heaves-worth. Of red gatorade. And bread. And prosciutto. I wish I captured it on Instagram. He definitely left a little bit of himself on the mountain that day. We ended up hiking a bit with a guy named Ali, who told us he heard a bunch of belching at one point and thought it was a joke. Nope. No joke. Just a fountain of barf. On another note: descending Ha Ling in the dark with head lamps while it rains = sketchy and treacherous.

All in all, despite two rounds of vomit and a bit of rain, we had a great hike with an awesome sunset behind the mountains. Aidan and Dan agreed it was a good starter and training hike for what was to come on Saturday…. Mount Indefatigable!

Ha Ling: It’s Time for More Hiking!

There’s a part of me that’s a bit disappointed with the amount of hiking I’ve done this year. I guess it’s because I always want to head out to the mountains and sometimes life events happen that prevent this. For example, vertigo… vacations… road trips… gatherings… or just plain laziness, like today. It’s not that I don’t enjoy those things, because I definitely do, but there’s a yearning for the mountains that never goes away.

This is why it was so awesome to head to Ha Ling with Robbie and Jess yesterday and conquer this short climb. The weather was sunny and cloudy but perfect for a hike. We had all been itching to test our legs on the mountain. Now that the summer has started with the completion of Ha Ling, we can look forward to a summer ahead of many more mountain summits. And so today I proclaim: there will be many more summits to come! And my goal this year is to avoid, as best as possible, repeats of hikes. Why? Because there are just so many amazing ones out there!

One important thing we realized? “It’s not worth it if you’re going to die.” I suppose this is common sense. If there’s an activity where certain death is the outcome, it’s probably not worth it. Taking smart risks, on the other hand… well, those usually turn into quite the adventures!

Stats (according to Runkeeper):

Distance: 6.32 km
Duration: 3:53:49, starting at 2:10 pm
Pace: 36:59 min/km
Elevation: 756 m

A Short Hike with an Amazing View

Ha ling Peak at 2408 metres

When I think of shorter hikes that I’ve done, I think of Ha Ling Peak. It’s a majestic looking summit from Canmore, but after driving up Spray Lakes Road and parking near the trailhead, the elevation gain of 700 metres isn’t so bad.

Hiking in the rain

Robbie and I knew we wanted to get out of the city this weekend for a short hike, and our hopes were almost dashed when we realized it was going to rain each day. Alas, we headed out to Canmore anyway with fingers crossed that the rain would clear up completely and the skies would be incredibly blue and beautiful. That’s what The Weather Network said would happen. What were the chances, right? Either way, we were determined to hike. I had conquered Ha Ling Peak once before, and I figured it was a good one to do :).

Scrambling to the summit

Well, once we started the hike, it started to rain. And then it poured. I can’t say it was miserable though. After hiking Mount Baldy on Friday in the rain, the rain didn’t bother me so much. I was just bummed that we wouldn’t be able to see the amazing views of the surrounding mountains and Canmore below from the summit.

Almost at the summit with Canmore below

But then it happened: the skies began clearing, and before we knew it, the sun was shining brightly and the sky was a gorgeous blue. What were the chances? I guess a weather forecast can be right from time to time :).

Finding a geocache and leaving a magic towel

The hike through the trees and the scrambling section to the summit were strenuous, but persevering up the mountain was completely worth it! We took in the scenery, stopped to eat our lunches, fought off some chipmunks who tried to steal our lunches, and even found a geocache. Geocaching is lotsa fun :). We started the hike at 3:15 and finished at 7:30… not too bad at all. What began as a rainy hike ended in a beautiful one.

Pure evil. Or super cute. Either way, this critter tried to steal our food!

Ha Ling- we conquered you!

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 :).