Kananaskis – Page 8 – 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!

Fall Hiking on Opal Ridge

Omg, I'm hiking in the fall! It's so pretty... :) — Omg, I’m hiking in the fall! It’s so pretty… 🙂

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”

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”

A Sergeant on Heart Mountain

Heart Mountain. It’s kind of shaped like a heart!

The weather this past weekend was just perfect for mountain hikes. On Sunday, my friends Paul and Robin and I decided to attack Heart Mountain. Why is it called Heart Mountain? Because it’s shaped a bit like a heart. Heart Mountain is located in the Canmore/ Bow Valley area close to Yamnuska. According to Alan Kane’s “Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies”, it’s an easy and popular scramble with one moderate step. When we parked, we were greeted with a large bear warning sign! After a little thought (i.e < 1 minute), we decided to proceed. As long as we made lots of noise, we figured we’d be okay. So onward we went… Continue reading “A Sergeant on Heart Mountain”

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”