Ascending to The East End of Rundle (in the background)
Continuing with my summer trend of not letting a weekend pass me by (especially when the weather is awesome!), today I decided to hike to The East End of Rundle (EEOR) near Canmore. This was a solo hike mainly because I wasn’t convinced I would actually go for a hike after running the 10K the previous night, and therefore, didn’t want to coordinate it with anyone. I figured I would be quite achy, but it turns out I was okay. So rather than rest up for the week, I was awake at 7:30 am, ate a quick breakfast, and headed out to the mountains!
Admiring Ha Ling from the trail to EEOR
Recall that at the end of the Ha Ling Peak blog posting, I threatened EEOR by saying “I WILL conquer you!” And that I most certainly did! EEOR’s elevation is 2590 metres with an elevation gain of 900 metres. The trailhead for EEOR is opposite that of Ha Ling, and it’s a pretty steady hike up with an easy-to-follow trail. The view of Ha Ling from EEOR is pretty amazing. Ha Ling looks so daunting…
Perfect weather for a hike. Ha Ling in the background.
No worries, I wasn’t THAT close to the edge…
“I’m happy to be hiking!”
It’s pretty much a straight fall from this crazy rock face. Eek!
After passing through some trees, there’s a bit of a ridge with a crazy steep rock face, and then a scramble up to the eastern part of Rundle. The views at the top are incredible! This is one hike I would do again for sure. I very much enjoyed the scramble up, but the descent killed my knees as usual.
Hitting the early parts of the scramble
Looking back on how far I hiked. Great view!
Evidence of something… or someone! Ew.
Yatta! I did it! (The first point where I ate lunch.)
Panoramic view of the Canmore side from the top. Gorgeous!
Panoramic view of the other side. Also gorgeous!
Once at the top, there are two stopping points. I ate my lunch at the first, then traversed the top for about 5 – 10 minutes before hitting the second where I found a mysterious box! Actually, it’s not that mysterious. It houses a pen and notepad for signatures. And sign that notepad I did. I actually think I may have been the first one to reach that point today. Exciting!
The second point (on the left)
Once at the second point… a mysterious box!
I gone done that right there…
In terms of timing, I left the parking lot at 10 am, maintained a fairly steady pace all the way up with stops for snacks and photos, and finally reached the top at about 12 pm. After stopping to eat my lunch and then visiting the second point, I began my knee-destroying descent at 12:45 pm and arrived back at the car for 2:25 pm. Not bad, I’m thinking, though I was pretty slow coming down the mountain since my legs were on fire. Let’s see if I can beat my time when I hike EEOR again! 🙂
Descending through a gully. This was not easy for me :S
And even through the trees, it was a steep way down.
Nope- my new toy isn’t a flat screen TV, an iPad 2, or a Bose Sound System, which are all items I want. Nope. My new toy is a book- ‘Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies’, by Alan Kane. Whoohoo! My friend Adriane lent me this book and I’m so excited about it… there are so many mountain hikes to complete! The book includes “156 easy peaks with a wide range of difficulty suitable for novice climbers and experienced hikers who want a little more challenge.” Sounds just like me… PERFECT!
Here’s the kicker: All the hikes are broken up into “Easy”, “Moderately Difficult”, and “Difficult” peaks. Of the 156 peaks in the book, I have completed 2. That’s right- only 2 (Yamnuska and Ha Ling). And they were both considered “Easy”. If my math is correct, I have 156 minus 2 equals…..thinking….. thinking….. 154 peaks left to complete! Time to step up my game.
After the gruelling hike to the Memorial Lakes yesterday, all I wanted to do was relax at home. My hiking boots did not cooperate (thankfully I have another pair of hiking shoes), and so my feet, knees and legs were in pain. But rather than take the remainder of the weekend off and recuperate, I decided to plan a second hike for Sunday! I had always wanted to hike Ha Ling Peak. From Highway 1, passing through Canmore, it looks amazing jutting out into the sky. So I thought, why not make it two mountain hikes in one weekend, which I had never done before. I reckon I’ll be recovering from this all week :S.
Ha Ling Peak (Altitude: 2408 metres, or 7898 feet) is rated as a fairly easy hike. It’s no walk in the park, but it makes a great short day hike. The elevation gain is 700 metres (2296 feet), and there’s a scramble at the top (rated Class 1 – Steep Hiking according to www.trailpeak.com). The views along the hike and at the summit are fantastic.
After meeting up with friends Robin, Adriane, and Adriane’s friend Tom, we made our way to the trailhead near Canmore. Robin, Adriane and I started the ascent to the summit of Ha Ling, but Tom decided to hike up East End of Rundle on the opposite side of the road (East End of Rundle is definitely on my list of hikes to do!). I really enjoyed this hike- great company and conversation, a steady and manageable pace, and it felt like a good workout. At the summit, there were breathtaking views as expected, we dined like royalty, and then we went screeing down the side of the mountain. I had never been screeing and it was so much fun! After stopping for many photos during the hike and relaxing for a bit at the top, the hike took us about 4 hours. Tom, who’s kind of a machine, hiked to the summit of East End of Rundle, hiked down, hiked up to the summit of Ha Ling, and then caught up with us about half way down the descent. Two mountains in the same day. Now that is impressive! I was in quite a bit of discomfort due to pains in my knees and legs, but I guess that’s expected after back-to-back hikes. NBD. No Big Deal. Thanks to Adriane, I had a pair of hiking poles to use, which helped take some weight off my knees. And after a great sense of accomplishment, it’s difficult not to be elated :).
Overall, the weekend was fantastic: Two hikes, a potluck, and a breakfast. I’m so tired… I can’t wait for the weekend :).
Dedication at the start of the hikeAdriane and I pose for a photo. Fantastic views, of course ;).Less than half way up the mountainHitting the scrambleAdriane and Robin- a scramble to the summitGorgeous viewsI like mountainsRobin and Adriane relaxing at the summitMe and the view from the summitHa Ling Peak- “I conquered you!”East End of Rundle- “I WILL conquer you!”
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 