Green moss on the rocks while descending Sparrowhawk
I have certainly been tired this past week. After Dan and his brother left Calgary, I didn’t really have a chance to relax. Here we are, a week later. I’ve had a very relaxing weekend with no hiking gasp. And I’m finally getting a chance to reflect on Labour Day’s hike of Mount Sparrowhawk.
When I was thinking about a good hike to end the weekend of hiking, I narrowed it down to two: Mount Bourgeau in Banff, and Mount Sparrowhawk in Kananaskis. Bourgeau would be new for me, but I wanted to be sure that Dan and Aidan would have stunning views from the top of a mountain. Sparrowhawk has one of the best (if not THE best) summit view that I’ve experienced since hiking in Alberta. Aidan was also drawn to the name “Sparrowhawk”, so in the end, we were off to Kananaskis!
Just for you Paul. Just for you.
For me, it was really cool to hike Sparrowhawk again. Two years ago, Paul and I decided to do this hike as a tough one for the season. I remember a really steep start, lots of rocks and scree, rocks sounding like broken glass, fossils, and a sketchy scramble to the top. It was really long, epic, and we were a bit hysterical and exhausted by the end. This time around… I thought and experienced the exact same things. It was like I was reliving the hike with different company, but the same sunny weather as last time! Sparrowhawk 2.0. But not.
Ascending to Mount Sparrowhawk. So much rock. Such a long hike.
Similar to before, the ascent alone took about 4.5 hours with much of that time over talus fields and scree. After hours of concentrating on my step due to rocks or the really steep incline, I was mentally shot. Done. But it was all worth it. Sparrowhawk amazed me all the same, and this time, the wind wasn’t too fierce at the top. It was nice to rest at the summit, step onto crazy ledges for crazy photos, and take in the incredible panoramic views all around us.
Scree slope to the summit. We did it!
After the long day, we took a break at Spray Lake, gazing over the peaceful water as the sun set behind the mountains. I continue to realize this, but I never get tired of the mountains. There’s a beauty about it that just calms me down every time I go. I feel so fortunate to be living in a city so close to amazing summits, snow-capped peaks and glacial lakes. It’s something I don’t take for granted.
Dan’s always making photos so awkward
Based on the feedback from Dan and Aidan, it’s safe to say that the hiking weekend was a success :). Until next time guys. There are too many mountains to hike, so visit again soon…
I never get tired of these mountains
Stats:
Elevation: 3121 m; Elevation gain: 1350 m; Distance: ~10 km (?); Start: 10:40 am; End: 7:20 pm (a long hike!)
Dan and I approaching the south peak of Mount Indefatigable
Mount Indefatigable.
I can’t remember when I learned about this hike, but ever since I was informed of its epic-ness, I’ve wanted to conquer it. That was a couple of years ago. I remember saying to Dan last year that I had a good hike in mind, but winning the Big Mountain Challenge introduced other mountains to climb. Fast forward to this past weekend. I knew Dan and Aidan wanted a good hike. Better than good. An epic show-stopper, in fact. I also wanted a new mountain summit under my belt. Indefatigable was a clear choice.
It’s decommissioned… but onward!
Before Saturday, I called the Kananaskis Visitor’s Centre to inquire about Indefatigable. It turns out the trail was decommissioned back in 2005. Did that mean we shouldn’t hike it? According to the guide, it’s definitely hike-able. Due to high grizzly activity in the area, the trail was constantly being closed when it was an official Kananaskis trail. Now that it’s decommissioned, it’s hike-at-your-own-risk. Thankfully the trail is extremely well travelled. So on Saturday, we were up early and made our way to the North Interlakes parking lot in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park with one simple goal: Conquer Mount Indefatigable. (Spoiler alert: No, we didn’t encounter any grizzlies thank goodness, but I was very much expecting that this would be the first time I would cross paths with one while hiking. Phew!)
Absolutely gorgeous views of the Kananaskis Lakes
Mount Indefatigable has two peaks: the popular south peak, and the more difficult scramble to the north peak. An amazing ridge walk connects the two. When we started the trek, I thought we’d ascend to the south peak. We quickly emerged from the tree line to absolutely incredible views of the Kananaskis Lakes on either side. Mountains stretched far in the distance. We had hiked less than an hour and we were awe-struck. The weather was perfect that day too. Perhaps the giddiness helped boost our confidence. Or perhaps we were overzealous. Either way, we decided: Let’s just do the north peak and traverse the ridge! It was still early in the day, so why not?!
Wowza.
Here’s the thing: Alan Kane rates the north peak and traverse as a difficult scramble. According to his rating system, difficult scrambles require much handholding; steep, loose and exposed sections; smooth and down-sloping rocks; and risks of falling to your death. Up until Saturday, I had never completed a difficult Alan Kane scramble. Despite not having helmets for head protection, we decided to go for it. Smart? Not at all. Live and learn: a helmet is an upcoming purchase. But I’m glad we pushed through because it ended up being one of the most difficult and thrilling scrambles I’ve done in the Rockies. And boy had I been itching for a good scramble all season.
Approaching the north summit. Sketchy!
We trekked onward through forests while looking behind us at the amazing views. There were bear prints and evidence of ungulates (which I think were from the mountain goats we spotted!). We passed a dried up tarn and stopped for lunch right before the scramble to the north peak. To say that the scramble was sketch is a bit of an understatement. Dan, Aidan and I were in full concentration mode. A misstep could cause rocks to dislodge, and we did not want to be sliding down the mountain. Thankfully there was no one beneath us as Aidan accidentally sent rocks flying down the mountain. It also didn’t help that we took a wrong turn somewhere (or so we think). Hand-over-hand climbing went on for what seemed like a long time, but eventually we all made it to the summit. There would be no falling to our deaths on this mountain.
After surviving the moderate/difficult scramble, we were greeted with an amazing sight.
The views were absolutely incredible! I’ve hiked a lot of mountains, and I would rank the summit view in the top three, along with Mounts Sparrowhawk and Tyrwhitt. Maybe Eiffel too. We sat there for a while and took it all in. We also needed a rest- that scramble was intense! The traverse to the south peak was not nearly as scary as the ascent. In fact, I would say it wasn’t scary at all. Even though there were moments of crazy exposure and the ridge was narrow, there’s something amazing and oddly comforting about having steady footing on the ridge while the mountain drops on either side. In terms of ridge walks, this ranks highly along with Tent Ridge and Pocaterra Ridge, but takes the cake in terms of exposure and risk of falling. So much fun!
Traversing the ridgeMaking our way to the south peak
We snacked again at the South peak, and after remarking on how amazing the traverse had been, we made our descent. The views of the Kananaksis Lakes and surrounding mountains were just as amazing the second time around, now with different shadows and colours cast by the setting sun. The day ended 8 hours after we began, and the three of us were all smiles, extremely happy with our accomplishment. There were a lot of crazy awesome moments while conquering Mount Indefatiable… but what was the craziest thing I learned during the hike?
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!
Dan and I at the summit of Cascade Mountain one year ago
Exactly one year ago, I was in the midst of an incredible experience. Dan and I were hiking up Cascade Mountain with a Yamnuska guide, a Parks Canada guide, and Jeff from The Real Banff. I had won the Big Mountain Challenge that month, which resulted in a $26000+ donation to The Kidney Foundation of Canada. Of course, hiking mountains was also part of the win… and hiking mountains is what we did!
Fast forward a year later, and Dan (this time accompanied by his brother) is about to board a plane en route to Calgary for what we have called the Big Mountain Challenge-versary! Dan and I don’t see each other very often since we live in different cities, but when we do, there’s usually some sort of adventuring to be had. And since I have had a lack of scrambles this year, scrambling will be part of the adventure! All I know is that I’m pretty stoked about a weekend filled with hiking, laughs, and shenanigans. I guess spending quality time and catching up is okay too eye roll.
It seems I’m about to lose count of the number of times I’ve hiked and will hike Yamnuska.
On Sunday, Robbie, Adriane and I ventured out to Heart Mountain, but we discovered that Heart Creek Trail had been completely wiped out due to flooding and rock slides. It was quite the sight :S. We ran into a Parks Canada guy who explained that most of the Kananaskis landscape has now been changed. Bridges are destroyed; rock slides and floods have completely altered the trails; and many areas are now inaccessible. I think he said something like 400 mm of rain in a 24 hour period (or maybe a 48 hour period?) plus an additional 300 mm of melting snow. With that crazy amount of rain in such a short period of time, flooding seemed inevitable. It was very sad news to say the least, and it will be many years before the Kananaskis trail system will be back to ‘normal (… after such an event, is it even possible?).
He did recommend the east side of Yamnuska as a good place to go. We were itching to hike so of course we would venture off… and so would many other hikers. The lot was super busy, which made sense, seeing as it was one of the only trails in the area deemed safe for hikers. The sun was ridiculously hot that day and the mosquitoes were swarming like mad. Irregardless, it sure felt good to get out to the mountains! We didn’t reach the summit, but that’s okay- I think there will be many more opportunities this summer to conquer Yamnuska. Again.
It seems I’m about to lose count of the number of times I’ve hiked and will hike Yamnuska.
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 