Lougheed, Mount

Dist: 13.2km    Elev: 1385m    Summit: 10194'    Time: 5h    Difficulty: 4/5

The much anticipated "big hike" after a summer of family mini-adventures with our newest addition. As is always the case when planning a day in the mountains more than 24 hours ahead of time, Byron and I were at the mercy of unpredictable weather and in this case faced with a forecast of low cloud and rain. However, aware that rescheduling is not an easy proposition these days, we elected to stick with our original date. While the high elevation views that this mountain is known for were nonexistent for most of the trip, the moody clouds and misty sky still provided an exciting sense of wild and adventure. My unconditioned dad bod also benefitted from an excellent workout as we ran the entirety of the descent due to the rain and hail that greeted us on the summit mere moments after our arrival. All told, while slightly disappointed by the lack of views, it felt amazing to get back in the mountains and spend a day catching up with a great friend.

Beautiful meadows at the base of the day's objective.

Byron isn't scared. Yet.

Sizing up our rubbly ascent route.

Taking a moment to feel small. Mount Sparrowhawk's summit is hiding in those clouds, as it was 5 years ago.

Achieving the summit ridge. We were expecting these "views" but I had hoped to be wrong.

A brief glimpse of Lougheed's subpeak to the south.

Byron obviously thrilled by our accomplishment. 

Summit evidence. Not great quality but the memory book doesn't discriminate.