Scrambles – Page 6 – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

Chilly on Nihahi!

Since I’m incredibly exhausted at the time of writing this, I will keep this entry brief. I hiked Nihahi today with my friend Adriane. I had done this hike on my birthday, and at that time, I never did reach the ridge. This time, however, we made it! It was a chilly fall day. The leaves are still turning colour, which made for some beautiful views. And since it’s cold enough, the mountains were topped with snow. Gorgeous!

We started the hike at 11:40 and ended at 4:55, so 5 hours and 15 minutes. Not too bad! We hit the ridge in about 3 hours, and thanks to an awesome scree slope, we were down the mountain in no time!

Stopping for a photo :) — Stopping for a photo 🙂

The Elbow Valley... So pretty... — The Elbow Valley… So pretty…

Descending from the ridge. Snow already! :( — Descending from the ridge. Snow already! 😦

Sargeant Stroker. Well, naturally... — Sargeant Stroker. Well, naturally…

Back down to the river. Nihahi- we conquered you!

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”

Mount Yamnuska Revisited

The ‘safety’ chain on the way to the summit of Yamnuska

On September 7 of last year, a bunch of nerds and I hiked Mount Yamnuska. So when I was thinking about a hike I could do this past Saturday, I figured Yamnuska would be a great one to revisit. I love Yamnuska because it’s close to Calgary, it’s a nice hike with some interesting scenery, and it has a bit of a scramble leading to an incredible view at the top. From Highway 1, Yamnuska is very distinctive. Its flat face and sheer presence are difficult to ignore. Last year I had heard about a chain somewhere along the route that was necessary to traverse the side of the mountain, but we never found it. This time, I was on a mission to find this chain and conquer it! Continue reading “Mount Yamnuska Revisited”

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”