August 14 and 16, 2023 - Hiking With Ben H

We have been trying to get an old high school friend of ours to come visit for a while now, and lucky for us he decided to pull the trigger and visit us this past week.  We had a great time catching up, joking around, and getting out into Kananaskis for a couple of beautiful hikes!!

Ptarmigan Cirque, Highwood Pass, Kananaskis - August 14, 2023:

Ben had not done a lot of mountain hiking so we decided to start easy with Ptarmigan Cirque.  I had not done this one before, but Mandy had.  I think it is an excellent hike to take friends and family on - the drive out is beautiful, the trail is easy to follow and on the shorter side, and it has many amazing views.  Ben tackled this hike with energy and enthusiasm. When we got to the loop at the top we were very fortunate to see a heard of sheep grazing in the meadows, right on cue. 😂

Out Of The Trees And Approaching The Cirque

Ascent Selfie

Hard To See But There Are A Bunch Of Sheep In This Photo

Ptarmigan Cirque

Mountain Man

UFO Invasion Or Cool-Looking Lenticular Clouds??

We made short work of the descent and return to the car.  Our next stop before heading to Banff was Upper Kananaskis Lake for a quick look.  There were quite a few people enjoying the lake, trying to keep cool on such a hot and sunny day.  I am sure many people will disagree, but I think Upper/Lower Kananaskis has Lake Louise beat as a day-trip destination.  It is very beautiful and peaceful, and has a fraction of the crowds.

Pondering Life At Upper Kananaskis Lake 😃

We all agreed this was a great first day in Kananaskis for Ben, and he was already looking forward to our next excursion a couple days later!

Jumpingpound Mountain, Elbow, Kananaskis - August 16, 2023:

We decided on Jumpingpound as it is close, and we know how good the payout is once you get out of the trees.  Once again Ben attacked the climb and before we knew it we were up in the meadows, and on the peak of Jumpingpound.  Already wanting more, Ben suggested we head over to the second top, which Amanda and I had talked about a few times, but had never done.  Off we went, and about twenty minutes later we were at the second top.  After a short break, and some confusing discussion we agreed to go to top #3.  Another twenty minutes later we were on top of the Eastern summit of Jumpingpound - so cool!!  When we looked back at top #1, where we had come from, it seemed much farther than two twenty-minute legs...  With no other options we started re-tracing our steps all the way back to the car.  Although it was quite a bit more work than we had planned for, the conversation and reminiscing about old times made it all go by too fast.

That Is A Big Root Ball!

Summit #1 - Checking Out The Views From An Outcrop

Summit #2 With Summit #1 In The Background

Summit #3 With Moose Mountain In The Background

I was quite pumped thinking back on the hike, which started out as a nice repeat hike for Amanda and I, and turned into a new adventure that we hadn't planned on, thanks to our good friend who pushed us all to go further.  I was also very happy that we were able to share some great hikes with somebody who hadn't had the opportunity before, and who truly enjoyed it all!!