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!
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
I have always wanted to try rock climbing. I figured I would enjoy this activity after all those years of climbing trees as a kid…. because you know, trees and rocks are the same thing, right? So when I was creating my List of 30 before 30, “Try Rock Climbing” was an easy addition. At the time, I envisioned I would take a short lesson on a climbing wall at an indoor gym, which would certainly be fun. But then, lo and behold! In April, the Calgary Climbing Centre (CCC) was offering a full-day Outdoor Beginners’ Rock-Climbing Course through Groupon! After some quick research on the company and calling to inquire about safety and the experience of the instructors, I signed up and booked a spot for June 11 (yesterday). Exciting!
A cold and wet WasootchClimbing RopesA grigri belaying device
The course took place at the Wasootch Slabs in Kananaskis. A lot of climbing courses occur at Wasootch, and it’s a good spot for beginners. I knew I was in for an interesting rock climbing experience when nature decided to send torrential rain for the drive out to the mountains. Luckily, the CCC sent an equipment list, which included a rain jacket and a warm fleece sweater. Turns out these would definitely come in handy.
I met the group in the parking lot and signed my life away. Apparently there are dangers involved with rock climbing… you know, falling or injuries from rocks or the equipment and such. I love adventures. Safety is so important, but there are always risks. After the sky diving, bungee jumping, and canyon rappelling, I’m familiar with signing waivers and taking full responsibility for my (crazy?) actions. Following introductions, we chose helmets, climbing shoes and harnesses, and we were off to the slabs. And of course, I tried to find the nice gear, because you know, rock climbing is a fashion show like running or fashion shows. Since I signed up on my own, I was partnered with a guy name Mike, who was also on his own. It’s amazing how quickly I trusted him with my life within an hour of meeting!
Rock Climbing: It’s a fashion show.Me about to climb while my climbing partner, Mike, belays.
I won’t get into all the details of the course, but needless to say it was super fun! The instructors, Scott and Robin, were fantastic and emphasized safety the entire time. As the climber, we learned to fix the rope to the harness using a figure of eight loop, and as the belayer, we learned to exert friction and pull in excess rope using a grigri belaying device. Apparently I can take a belay test now! Self, partner, and instructor safety checks were done before every climb, and communication was a key part of climbing safely. There were lots of “Climb On”, “Belay On”, “Take” and “Lower” being yelled throughout the day. Mother Nature decided it would be fun if we learned to climb on rocks while it rained heavily. Maybe it didn’t make for the best conditions, but it was still awesome. And as the rain let up for lunch and the rest of the afternoon, the rocks started drying and we were climbing like pros! Well, not really, but we had a good enough grasp on the basics that we could climb and belay safely.
Overall, my rock climbing experience was fantastic. I would definitely go again, or take a lead climbing course. So many options!! For now though…. Rock Climbing, you are crossed off the list, w00t!
Rock Climbing: It’s a fashion show.We joked that it’s like being Spiderman 🙂“I’m happy to be climbing!”Confused on where to place my footAlmost there! The rocks were a bit slippery.Mike belayingAt the top of a much higher climb later in the day. It was a long way down. Yatta!! Awesome climbs rocks!
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 