Monday, June 2, 2025

Mount Hoffman, Sheep River, Kananaskis - June 2, 2025

While talking to Sam and Marisol in the kitchen last night I asked Sol what she was up to today. She didn't have many plans and Sam immediately suggested her and I do a hike. I though this was an awesome idea - I am currently carless on weekdays, I always enjoy hanging out with Sol, and I am not one to turn down a hike! After a bit of thinking we decided to do Mount Hoffman, one of our family faves. Sol hadn't been down Sheep River Valley before, the payout to effort ratio is very high, and the forecast looked favourable.

We hit the road this morning around 7:45 and got to the trailhead about an hour later.  With only one other car in the parking lot we knew it would be a quiet hike (other than our chatter back and forth 😊).  I haven't been to Hoffman in a couple of years so was surprised to see all the work that had been done on the trail.  After turning off Sheep River Trail to the Mount Hoffman approach the trail has been completely refurbished.  Instead of a single track cutting directly uphill in places it is a 5-6 foot wide trail with switchbacks at the appropriate spots.  This is good news for several reasons. The switchbacks prevent erosion and braiding of the trail which is a big problem for poorly designed or built trails.  The trail is now also much more accessible, meaning more people will be able to enjoy the beauty of the summit views.

We were quite surprised at the low snow line from last night's rain.  We noticed how white the mountains in the distance were as we were driving to the trailhead, but never thought the snow would reach the lower elevations.  As we approached the summit the snow was 4-5 inches in spots.  We passed a lady who was on her way down just before the summit.  She joked with us that her original intent for the day was to get out and see some wildflowers, but the snow had other plans.  She said that on the upside everything looked stunning between the snow and the early morning sunlight.

First Signs Of Snow

More Snow

As always the summit did not disappoint.  We had spectacular views of Shunga-La-She, Mount Gibraltar, Mount Burns East, and even Mist Mountain in the distance.  We enjoyed the views for about 15 minutes, had a little rest and nourishment/hydration, and started our descent back to the trailhead.

Summit Shot - Happy Hiker

Shunga-La-She (Left), Mount Gibraltar (Center), Mount Burns East (Right)

The way down flew by with more conversations around school, travel (dream trips), religion, politics, Mother Nature, and a bunch of other things.  It was all very enjoyable, and I was so happy to have gotten an unexpected hike in with a new hiking buddy!

Mount Glasgow North, Elbow, Kananaskis - May 31, 2025

Sam is back home after his first year in university. He is working for the City of Canmore this summer, Monday to Friday, and so will have limited chances to get out for hikes. He has surpassed me in abilities and willingness to scramble, so I was very thankful (and a little nervous) when he asked me to join him to do Mount Glasgow North this weekend. Mandy and I had made it to the second false summit back in 2020 before turning around (see here), and Sammy had made it to the third before turning around for a time constraint, so would third time be a charm?

We made it to the trailhead at the Little Elbow parking lot by 7:00 and got on our way. One of the advantages of living so close to where we love to hike is that we are able to get away before everybody else even arrives!  Today was no exception.  We did see another pair getting ready for what looked to be a trail run so we were pretty sure they would be staying low, while we were going high.  The approach part of the trail is very nice in that the first 3.5 km of the hike is on mostly flat ground following the Little Elbow River.  This is nice because you have a little time to warm up instead of heading straight up the moment you leave your car.  The challenging part of this approach is that because the trail is so close to the river it has become very braided and you can often find yourself a little off-trail.  No mind, with the river on our right and technology in our pockets we made our way to the start of the climb, and were gently warmed up for what lay ahead.

Sam And The First Few Steps

Crossing The Little Elbow River

Little Elbow From The Footbridge And Our Destination On The Very Right

The ascent starts on a very steep gulley that takes you to a well defined path that we would stay on all of the way to the treeline.  The trail through the trees is quite steep and a significant portion of the elevation is covered by the time you get out.  At this point the trail starts to play mind games with you due to the number of false summits.  The true summit is never really in sight until the final push at which point you start to doubt if the hike will ever end.  Sam and I took a short break on the last false summit to catch our breaths and for some quick water.

Break Time

The last little bit had some scrambly parts for which I was thankful Sam was there to keep me calm and coach me through.  Shortly after 10:00 we made the summit.  It was a great feeling for me to have done a new hike with my son, and I think we were both feeling pretty satisfied.  The views were spectacular and we spent a few moments taking it in, checking the summit register, and grabbing a few photos.  

Summit Shot #1

Summit Shot #2 - Checking The Summit Register

Summit Shot #3

The wind had picked up a bit so we found some shelter just below the summit for some snacks and more water.

Elbow Valley From Our Shelter Spot - Note False Summits Below Us

The sun was shining down on us at this point, and to our surprise we noticed one hiker making his final push to the summit, so we decided it was time to start our descent.  We actually passed about six groups (one to three people per group, plus one dog) on the way down which really surprised us.  On the way up we commented that we were probably not going to see anybody all day.  We were very wrong.  I was both happy to see so many people enjoying the day and this beautiful hike, and to see them all on our way down. 😁 

Approaching One Of The False Summits On The Descent

JM Descending Through A Rockband

With the sun beating down on us all the way down we made a small detour once we were back in proximity to Little Elbow River to splash water on our faces and refill our water bottle.  Refreshed and rejuvenated we made short work of the last few kilometers back to the trailhead.

As always when hiking with Mandy and the boys, I really enjoy the discussions that occur.  Sam and I covered a wide range of topics today including mountaineering, politics, engineering, plant operation, lawn care, and several others!  It was a great hike, with a great hiking partner, and I felt very lucky to be alive and living such a beautiful life. 💜

Sunday, June 1, 2025

Raspberry Ridge, Cataract/Upper Oldman, Kananaskis - May 18, 2025

After many months of conflicting schedules we finally got the Mountain Men group (me, Nik, Colin) back together. As an added bonus, Sam who is back from first year university, was able to join us. With a moderate amount of snow still at the upper elevations we thought Raspberry Ridge would be a safe bet. We brought our Micro Spikes in case, but did not end up needing them.

Sam and I met Nik and Colin at 7:00 in Black Diamond, and we carpooled from there.  It was overcast but wasn't calling for rain until the afternoon, so we should have been OK with such an early start.  Nik and Colin had never been down the Highway 541 access to Kananaskis at Longview so I was excited for them - it is one of my favourite drives, and definitely my favourite access into Kananaskis.  We had a great time catching up on what we have all been up to since the last time we were able to get together, and there were lots of questions for Sam to answer also.

We were first to the trailhead, but one car pulled in just as we were heading out.  We would only see about three other groups all day.  I was already getting excited for the final moment before getting to the top.  While there are phenomenal views to the East all the way up, Raspberry Ridge has one of the most dramatic reveals as you take your last few steps to the ridge and you get to see what was hiding on the other side.

Pleasant Ascent View

Nik A Few Steps From The Ridge

Wouldn't you know it though, about two minutes before we summited the rain/snow clouds rolled in and all that was revealed was a white fog that allowed a visibility of about fifty meters.  I was so bummed for Nik and Colin (Sam and I had been able to experience the ridge several times before), but it didn't seem to bother them.  They were extremely happy with the firs half of the hike, and what we were able to see then.  That is exactly the right attitude - way to go Nik and Colin!

Snowy Snack Time With The Spectacular View West 😂

Summit Selfie

After a quick snack and water break at the top, we decided to take the loop route back down and were back at the trailhead in the blink of an eye.

Heading Back To The Trailhead

We stopped at the gas station in Longview for our traditional drink and snack, and before we knew it the day was over.  It was great to see Nik and Colin, and I think Sam had a great time hearing us complain about work, and asking us about the plant and being engineers.  We are hoping to reconvene the group before the end of the summer when Sam will be heading back to School.  Mount Burke will be our goal, which will give us a chance to get back down Highway 541, and hopefully reveal some of the amazing views than Nik and Colin missed this time.