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.

No comments:

Post a Comment