September 23 - October 13, 2021 - Jojo Comes For A Visit

Family Shot (Missing: Ty 😞)

My dad has been here visiting for the last three weeks.  During that time we got out for a few hikes, and I wanted to catch them here.  It was great to show him some of the places we love so much, and it was inspiring to see him tackle them all in spite of his 75 years!!

Forget-Me-Not Pond

Ptarmigan Cirque - Spotted A Larch Or Two!

Ptarmigan Cirque

Upper Kananaskis Lake

Fullerton Loop

Fullerton Loop Viewpoint

Boundary Ridge - West Bragg Trails

Alder Trail, Bragg Creek And Elbow River, Bragg Creek Provincial Park

Moose Mountain Summit Selfie

Moose Mountain Descent

Ranger Summit (Moose Mountain Summit Over My Shoulder)

Elbow River - Thanksgiving Walk

Ben And Sam - Elbow River Fun

High Noon Hills - Sunrise Hike

Jojo's Classic Pose

Final Selfie Of The Trip

During his stay he saw some interesting things, and checked off a few bucket list items: bear, dear, elk, coyote, yellow larches, milky way, northern lights, hoodoos, badlands, Moose Mountain summit (see previous post), and a sunrise hike on his last day here.  We did allow him a few indoor activities to get some rest in between hikes: French wine and cheese tasting, Oktoberfest at the BavTav, breakfast at The Chuckwagon Cafe, Royal Tyrell Museum, Sam's hockey games, 2,3,4-man crib, Cranium, a couple games of Chinese checkers, and the world's largest dinosaur...

Can you Spot Jojo??

It was a great visit, but of course went way too fast.  Now it's time to plan outings and activities for the next time Jojo comes West to Bragg Creek!

October 5, 2021 - Moose Mountain, Elbow, Kananaskis

About eight years ago, in our earlier days of hiking, I took my dad to Moose Mountain late one fall (~2012-2013) when my mom and him were out visiting us.  The hike went well up to the plateau, but things changed when we started the final push up to the lookout.  The trail was covered with ice, and we were without poles or micro-spikes.  When I looked over at my 67-year old dad at the time, and saw us both holding on with hands and feet not to slide down the steep mountain-side, I asked myself, "What the heck are we doing??"  We abandoned our attempt, got back to safer ground, and lived to see another day.

Eight years later, my dad now 75, trying to put a terrible year behind us, and him wanting to complete what we once started, he, Amanda, and I headed out for a second attempt.  This would be Amanda's third time up Moose this summer alone so she was able to let us know what was coming up and what to expect.  The plan was to take it slow with lots of breaks, but no need.  Jojo found a new gear and we made relatively short work of it getting to the picnic table at the end of the trail in good time.  The last push up to the lookout was clear of snow and ice this time, which made our attempt much more manageable.  I don't think my dad had ever been on a trail like the last little bit, but he dug deep and pushed himself to the top.  I was very happy for him to make it, and for Amanda and I to be there when he did.  He has set a high bar for us.  To be doing what he did today, in another 25 years, is a goal we are keeping our sights on.

Made It To The Plateau

First View Of Final Destination

All Smiles Approaching The Home Stretch

Starting Up The Final Summit

Summit Shot

It Took Us Eight Years, But We Did It!

We took a short rest at the picnic table, ate our PB&Js, and a few other snacks, before starting the long walk back to the car.  The views were spectacular, as they always are, with clear skies and no haze or smoke.  Amanda and I noted how each time we get to a high viewpoint we put one more piece of the Kananaskis puzzle together.  This time we noticed the approach to Bryant Lake, which we did for the first time earlier this season, along with the all the other familiar peaks and ridges.

Summit Rest!  And Snacks!!

Canyon Creek Approach To Bryant Lake

The descent back to the parking lot went well, with lots of looks back to the fire lookout along the way.  Once home, we all jumped into the hot tub for a well-earned soak.  After Jojo took us out for dinner we came home to continue our world series of poker (JM and Sam vs. Jojo and Mandy), which is now tied at three matches to three.  After that there were no arguments that it was bed time for everybody!

Mandy And Jojo Beginning Our Descent

Back To Safer Ground!

A Well-Earned Soak

September 16, 2021 - Grizzly Peak, Kananaskis Valley, Kananaskis

We completed another Kananaskis first for us today - Grizzly Peak.  Amanda has wanted to do this one all summer, and I think we picked the perfect day to attempt it.  At 9:30 at the trail head it was ~4 C, sunny with partially cloudy skies.  Over the course of the hike we probably ranged from 0 C at the top to 15 C back near the bottom.

Our good hiking buddy Professor Lexie, and her son Mikey were with us today, which made for a fun and enjoyable hike.  I think it is safe to say for all of us that this was the hardest 6 km we have ever walked - three kilometers straight up (885 m elevation), followed by three kilometers straight down.  It took us 4.5 hours to cover 6 km, with a quick stop at the summit and a short lunch break on the way back down, which is a good indicator of how tough this hike was.

Beautiful Leaves

It Didn't Take Long To Start Gaining Elevation After Leaving The Road

Lexie and Mikey - Looking South Down The Kananaskis Valley

The highlight of the walk (aside from the incredible scenery) was watching a grizzly mama no more than 100 m below, lead her cubs away from us down into the valley.  This is only our second encounter with a grizzly while hiking, but it was very special as we were able to relax and watch the three of them walking through the meadow without any fear or concern.  It was also pretty cool to be able to say that we saw some grizzlies on our way up to Grizzly Peak!!

Mama Grizzly With Her Two Cubs

Two More Mama Grizzlies!!

There were a number of good vantage points on the hike also that allowed us to get good views of Mount Pakenham, Mount Even-Thomas, Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes, Mount Hood, and the near-vertical layers of the south end of Opal Ridge.  In addition, we managed to spot the two baby larches mentioned in "Scrambles In The Canadian Rockies" on the final approach to the summit in their full autumn colours.

Scree Section Approaching The Saddle - Lower And Upper Kananaskis Lakes In Background

Still Smiling At The Saddle Before The Final Approach

Baby Larch

Final Steps Before The Summit - With A Terrifying Drop-Off To The Left

Lexie Loves Mountains, Hates Heights!!

The hike down was as slow as the hike up but the satisfaction of having made it to the summit kept our minds from acknowledging the fatigue that was starting to creep in to our muscles and joints.  We made our customary stop at the Esso at the corner of Hwy. 40 and the Trans-Canada for a cold pop and piece of beef jerky.  It was a good ending to an exciting and challenging hike!

Lunch Break

Small Scramble Section On Way Down

Home Stretch - Grizzly Peak In Back

August 18, 2021 - Bryant Lake, Powderface Trail, Kananaskis

With a week of rain coming up in the forecast, we had to make sure we took advantage of today - sunny and clear with a nice cool high of 16-18 C.  Last night Amanda asked me to pick a hike for today with our good friend Lexie.  I broke out the maps and Gillean Daffern's Kananaskis Country Trail Guide books.  This one jumped out at me, and it was one we hadn't done before.  It has a moderate elevation gain but lots of payout, with a gorgeous mountain lake at the top, surrounded by beautiful ridges and summits.  The hike follows Canyon Creek initially, and then Upper Canyon Creek the rest of the way up to Bryant Lake.  The creek bed is very walkable the whole way but there are many intermittent trails on the banks which are much easier than the creek bed.  The trails continuously start and end, but it is easy to find another bit to follow.  The creek bed has to be crossed many times, but it seems to add to the fun.  This was made much easier by the fact there is currently no flowing water.

Canyon Creek River Bed

BHB - Best Hiking Buds!

We were hopeful that this would be a good hike, but it far exceeded our expectations.  There were views the whole way up, and every type of terrain and feature - river bed, meadow, rocks, boulders, scree, waterfalls, forest trails, and a beautiful alpine lake.  In addition to all of this, the back and forth across the creek bed and the intermittent river bank trails made this a very fun walk.  Lunch at Bryant Lake was surreal.  "The blue-green tarn cradled in a basin under Mount Bryant" as Gillean Daffern describes it, is a very special place indeed, and we had it all to ourselves.  We enjoyed a very peaceful moment (and had quite a few laughs) as we devoured our PB&Js, and Lexie's delicious Cadbury's Fruit & Nut chocolate bar.

Boulders

Meadows

Scree

Alpine Lake - Bryant Lake

Walking with our friend Lexie is always entertaining, and educational (she happens to be a biology instructor at MRU so we always learn a lot about rocks, plants, and animals as we go).  Today we learned about Lion's Mane Mushrooms, which turns out to be a very good description.  It was a great hike (might be in my top 5 Kananaskis hikes of all time), a great time, and a great workout.  I would highly recommend this hike to my friends, and hope to bring my father on it in September when he comes to visit (rest up, Jojo!!).

Three Amigos

Post-PBJ Shenanigans

Home Stretch