JM and Mandy Hike (And Other Outdoor Stuff)

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

July 15-18, 2023 - The Phillips Come To Visit

As with many stories lately, this one starts with COVID... During the lockdowns Mandy and some high school girlfriends of hers started meeting on Zoom, after many years of being busy with family, work, life. From these get-togethers, Mandy and the girls hatched a plan to organize our 30-year high school reunion, which Mandy made happen in June of 2022. While we were in Ottawa at the reunion, I was able to connect with one of my closest buddies, who I had gone to school with from Kindergarten through Grade 13. We hadn't seen him in a very, very long time, and it was so amazing to catch up and re-connect. Fast forward to July 2023, and Mike and one of his sons Oliver, pulled the trigger on a last minute trip out to Alberta to visit us. We decided to make the most of the visit and pack as much fun and reminiscing in as we could. Mike and Oli were amazing guests, and if they went home half as tired as we were once it was all over, they definitely would have slept the whole way there! 😊

Jumpingpound Mountain, Elbow, Kananaskis - July 15, 2023

Mike and Oli landed at YYC around 11:00 a.m., and we whisked them home for a quick charcuterie-style lunch before dragging them out to Jumpingpound Mountain for a late-afternoon hike. We were worried they wouldn't get any views as the forest fire smoke had rolled in pretty thick. Fortunately it cleared up a bit and they were able to take in some of the surroundings.

Twilight Zone Pano 😁

Summit Shot

Lake Louise, Banff, Moose Mountain - July 16, 2023

Today was a very full day!! We spent the morning and afternoon being tourists, and the evening as backpackers. It was a day I think we will all remember for a long time.

We tried to get out fairly early so we could beat some of the other tourists to Lake Louise. Although we did get out early, we did not manage to beat the tourists... After a bit of figuring, we managed to get Mike, Oli, and Amanda out by the lake for a quick look around and some pictures. We didn't waste any time and immediately headed back towards Banff where we would check out some of the shops and stop for a delicious lunch at the Three Bears Brewery. Once again wasting no time, we headed back home mid-afternoon for a quick rest and to get ready for our Sunset hike to the summit of Moose Mountain.

Sam has written up our Sunset/Sunrise overnighter in another great blog post, which you can find here. All I will say was that it was a very special moment on Moose Mountain summit watching the sun go down with my old buddy and some of our kids. Wow!!

Sunset Summit Shot

Watching The Sun Go Down

Ben And Sam Enjoying The Sunrise

Kananaskis Golf Course, July 17, 2023:

When we got home from our sunset/sunrise hike Mandy had prepared an unbelievable waffle breakfast with fresh fruit, whip cream, hash browns, and bacon. We were starving from all the hard work of camping out, and did our best to consume everything on the table!! After we were able to move again, we took our time unpacking, cleaning up, and getting ready for our 3:45 tee-time at the Kananaskis Golf Course. Mike and Oli are avid golfers and were really looking forward to the round. Unfortunately some weather rolled in as we were driving out to the course. We fought it off for six holes, but when the lightning came we decided to call it a day. Despite the early exit we were able to take in the beautiful backdrop of the course for a couple of hours, and I think we all had a really fun time. The one upside of the short round was that we could head back to the house for some more visiting, a few games, and one or two beverages.😁

Sam And I, Weather On The Way...

On Tuesday morning we headed back to the airport to send Mike and Oli back home, after a busy, super-fun, amazing time. I really appreciated that Mike made the effort to come out to visit us. Life is busy and it's easy to say "maybe next year". Mike and Oli made it happen, and we have some very special memories as a result. We laughed a lot, reminisced, caught up, got to know each other again, and had a really great time. Thank you, Mike and Oli!!!

July 19, 2023 - Mount Ware, Sheep, Kananaskis

Sam and I decided to head out and try Mount Ware on the day before I had to go back to work. We decided to bring bikes to make the 5 km approach and 5 km exit much quicker. It was a great bike-and-hike with some spectacular views of Blue Rock Mountain, Mount Burns, and even Outlaw and Banded Peak in the distance. Sam has done an amazing job of writing the hike up on his blog, which can be found here.

Biking To The Start Of Our Climb

On The Col With Little Ware In The Background

Me Headed Towards Our Final Objective - Mount Ware

Summit Shot With Bluerock Mountain In The Background

2023 - Update #2

Well, I didn't do much better of a blogging job in months 4,5, and 6... Here is what we got up to the last few months:

Mandy and I both went on big trips in April/May.

Mandy visited Italy (Rome, Florence, Venice, Cinque Terre, and some others) and Spain (Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia) with some of her highschool girlfriends. She journaled her trip in a blog which you can find here. I went a pretty amazing trip of my own with my dad to Ireland, Northern Ireland, and a quick side-trip to Scotland. I also kept a blog which you can find here.

As for the hikes here is what happened:

White Buddha, Elbow, Kananaskis - June 21, 2023:

Mandy and I headed out for a quick hike. We decided to do the White Buddha Alt Route, which heads up the hill beside White Buddha, then becomes a ridge walk to White Buddha itself. We descended the normal way and headed back to the parking lot. It was a very fun walk, with a bit of bushwhacking and a ruffed grouse mating ritual demonstration!! 😂

Heading Up The First Hill

Somebody Was Decorating This Tree

Dew On A Plant - Took Me Five Tries To Get This Picture Right 😂

Prairie Mountain From White Buddha Summit

Summit Selfie

Little Ware, Sheep, Kananaskis - June 30, 2023

Mandy, Hannah, and I headed out early to attempt Little Ware off the Gorge Creek Road in Kananaskis. It is an area I have been wanting to do for a while now. The approach is pretty long, and the ascent gets quite steep, but the payout is 360-degree views. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and we had the summit to ourselves. We decided to head down via the Eastern ridge, which was all easy bushwhacking, and made quick work of the return leg. Our customary stop for a pop and a bag of chips in Turner Valley, and we headed home three happy hikers!

Three Musketeers!

Starting The Approach

A Beautiful Indian Paintbrush

Summit Shot, Looking Towards Bluerock Mountain

A Little Chippy Checking Out My Poles

Summit Shot - Mount Burns, Bluerock Mountain In Background

Mount Burke, Lower Cataract, Kananaskis - July 2, 2023:

Mandy, Sammy, Professor Lexie, and I headed out early on a Sunday to beat the crowds and the heat. Sam and I had done this one last year, and were excited for Mandy and Lexie to experience it for their first time. The weather was gorgeous, and our timing was great - had the summit to ourselves!!

Check out Sam's amazing blog here for a better trip report on this hike.

Out Of The Trees, And Onto The Scree

Mount Burke North Peak

Mandy Coming Over The Rock Ridge

Lexie Opening The Window To Get A Better View 😂

Abandoned Fire Lookout At The Summit

Mandy Bundled Up At The Summit

Lexie Above The Clouds!!

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

2023 - Beginning Of Year Update

Another few months have gone by and I haven't done any updates... I am taking the easy way out again by doing one summary post, and hope that I am able to be more diligent at posting going into spring and summer. 🤞

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park Solo Ski - January 16, 2023:

This was my first time cross-country skiing in Peter Lougheed PP. I was first to the parking lot and only saw somebody in my last 100 m on the return. 😁 I did the Elk Pass - Blueberry Hill out-and-back. I didn't understand why I was so tired on the way to the lookout, until I turned around to head back and flew all the way down. The viewpoint of Upper Kananaskis Lake and the surrounding mountains at the turnaround point was spectacular and totally worth the effort of getting there!!

Peekaboo View On The Way Out

Blueberry Hill Lookout Point

Blueberry Hill Selfie

West Bragg Trails Solo Ski - March 10, 2023:

I got an opportunity to get out for a ski on my days off, and decided to try the Telephone - Braggin' Rights loop which I hadn't skied before. It is likely the longest loop at West Bragg. The grooming on Telephone was hit and miss, but I enjoyed the loop nevertheless, and got a great workout as a bonus.

Telephone Loop Viewpoint

West Bragg Trails Solo Ski - March 13, 2023:

Another set of days off presented an opportunity for me to get out to West Bragg for a quick ski. This time I chose the Mountain Road - Mountain View - West Crystal Line - Logger's Loop - Elbow - Iron Springs - Sundog East - East Crystal Line loop. It was another longer outing but very peaceful and warm conditions. This would be my last ski of the season, and it was a good one to end on!

Elbow Trail Selfie

White Buddah (JM, Colin, Nik, and Hanna The Dog) - April 23, 2023:

Colin, Nik, and I had made plans for a hike a few weeks prior, and I was happy we were all able to make it happen. We headed out to the White Buddah trail (winter gates are still closed so options are limited). The weather was very nice (warm and sunny, but not hot), and we had a great walk up to White Buddah, and down the steep backside to Prairie Creek Trail. It was a great walk, great conversation, and we all headed back to my place for lunch and a cold beverage. I really enjoyed the outing and am looking forward to the next one!