Mount Baldy – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

Mount Baldy: In Photos

Even if you don't make it to the summit of Mount Baldy, it's hard not to be impressed with the views within a short period of time. — Ascending Mount Baldy. It’s hard not to be impressed with the views within a short period of time.

Looking for a great after work scramble from Calgary?

One of the reasons I love living in Calgary is its proximity to the mountains. This is no secret and I often post about how grateful I feel to live where I do. Whenever my friend Dan visits for mountain adventures, there’s always an after work hike. This year’s choice? Mount Baldy at 2192 metres and an elevation gain of 800 metres.

After a fun day of statistical programming (weeee!), we left the university after 4 pm and headed to Kananaskis. Taking the Highway 40 exit and travelling south for approximately 12 km, we parked at an open lot on the right and geared up. The trailhead is a little before the lot on the opposite side of the road at a stream. The trail is well worn, steep, rocky, and awesome. Incredible views of Kananaskis Trail, Barrier Lake, and the Baldy ridge make the short ascent quite interesting. There are a few sketchy scrambling sections about halfway up (ie. a scary down climb and a rock wall to climb over) , but all can be avoided by bypassing them to the right. Thankfully for us, clouds blew over as we neared the top and provided amazing views all around. As the sun set behind the mountains and the light faded, we decided to forgo the ridge walk and head back to the car. But hey, that’s okay! For a 4-hour round trip scramble after work, I’m not complaining. 🙂 Continue reading “Mount Baldy: In Photos”

Mount Baldy: Take Two

At the summit of Mount Baldy. YES!

So here’s a quick entry to say that I conquered Mount Baldy! Yes, I attempted this one last week, and it was a great hike. But I didn’t make it to the summit, which meant I needed to go back. When Paul and I decided we would do an after-work evening hike, we figured Mount Baldy would be a good one. Unfortunately, it rained the entire hike, but we were prepared for the weather and it actually wasn’t all that bad. In fact, it was a great hike! It made me realize that the elements should not stop me from completing amazing hikes, so I’ll have to make it a point to do more snow-shoeing and winter hiking this coming winter season.

It was a rainy day. But that didn’t stop us.

That’s where we’re going!

There was much scrambling and the rocks were slippery, but we made it to the summit and signed our names. Done and done! On the way back, there were a few almost-rolled ankles and slips on the rocks. Thank goodness I had my scrambling gloves to help grab onto trees and rocks. And thank God for Paul’s farmer hands! Those calluses really helped him break his fall :). After arriving back at the car, we celebrated with a little post-hike Gaga. ‘Cause there’s nothing better than blasting Poker Face after conquering a mountain.

Scrambling to the summit

We definitely conquered it!

We started the hike at 5:15, and even after having to back track and hike a safer route, as well as a quick stop for dinner, we were back at the car for 8:45, and back in Calgary before dark. I need to do more of these after work hikes!

Paul and I at the summit. We got this!

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To the Gendarme of Mount Baldy

Oh how I’m always itching for a hike. It’s been several weeks since I’ve made it out to the mountains, and that makes me itchy. Today, my good friend Sony and I decided we would venture out for a half day hike and conquer Mount Baldy. It seemed like a good one to do, according to the scrambling bible “Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies”, by Alan Kane. It’s also a short distance from Calgary- after exiting at Highway 40, it’s a little ways past the Barrier Lake picnic area. The weather was a bit hit and miss, but by the time we were all geared up and ready to go, the rain seemed to hold off. Phew.

The ascent was quite pleasant. The incline wasn’t too steep, and it was a nice hike through the trees before revealing great views of Highway 40 and the surrounding mountains. Then the ‘fun’ part began once we hit the scrambling.

According to the book, Mount Baldy is rated a moderate scramble, and I can see why. There were quite a few technical sections requiring up and down climbing, or careful stepping over many loose rocks. The exposure was a bit nerve-wracking at times, and it didn’t help that the wind was fierce! Sony once proclaimed “This is not hiking!” Although some of the scrambling was out of her comfort zone, she persevered no problem and did awesome! You got this Sony… NBD.

Sony is a scrambling machine!

Mid-scramble smile for the camera 🙂

Mount Baldy stands at 2192 metres. Even though it’s not as high as some of the other peaks in the area, it makes a great half day hike. There’s an elevation gain of 800 metres, but we didn’t reach the summit. Sony and I left the car at 9:40 am and reached what Kane refers to as the gendarme (a climbing term and French word referring to a sharp pinnacle of rock or isolated spire on a mountain ridge) at 11:40 am, before returning to the car at a leisurely pace for 1:55 pm. But our pace wasn’t the concern here; I was just happy to be hiking with Sony, with whom I haven’t hiked since our adventures to the Grand Canyon. We always have so much to chat and laugh about, and what better way to spend that quality time than hiking together :). At some point, I’ll have to revisit Mount Baldy to reach the summit and traverse the ridge to South Baldy, and then proceed even further to the higher West Baldy peak. I think that would take a full day though.

So you’d think the crazy winds, technical rock steps, or exposure would be the scariest parts of the hike. No way! Shortly after leaving, I had to pull over when suddenly I felt something gross splatter onto the side of my head. OMG, I exclaimed! A gigantic bee had the unfortunate event of hitting the side of my open window, which led to its oozy guts flying onto the side of my head before its body landed in the back seat’s inside door handle. It was incredibly disgusting. Thankfully, Sony was there to wo-man up and dispose of the bee carcass into a Starbucks bag I was holding. Thanks Sony! You’re my hero, even though you somehow managed to brush the dead bee across my hand and smear more bee guts on me. But don’t worry. That doesn’t end our friendship.