Dist: 13.1km Elev: 810m Summit: 7244' Time: 5h Difficulty: 4/5
Today's adventure required two things: 1) close proximity to the city so I could be back for work in the evening, and 2) a trailhead near a paved highway due to the recent snowfall and my car's aging all-season tires. Wind Ridge seemed to fit the bill perfectly.
The trail started by winding through forest for a couple kilometers, gradually climbing to emerge from the trees after about an hour. Big views of Mount Lougheed and Windtower served as useful motivation here, as the route became significantly steeper from this point all the way to the summit. Some light scrambling was also required, which was a bit tricky without being able to clearly see the rocks beneath the snow.
This would be a challenging hike in any conditions, and I was prepared for that, but I certainly underestimated the energy required to break trail in knee-deep power. By the time I reached the summit I was truly exhausted, but the spectacular panorama of Mount Lougheed, Windtower, Rimwall, the Three Sisters, and the town of Canmore below made it all feel worthwhile.
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| Multiple bridge crossings during the first half hour. |
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| Expanding views as I emerge from the trees. |
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| The first of two rock bands requiring hands-on scrambling. |
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| Mt Lougheed and Windtower as I climb. |
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| Looking back at Highway 1 below. |
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| Almost there. The Wind Ridge summit can be seen to the right. |
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| The Three Sisters, visible only from the summit on this hike. |
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| Summit panorama! From left to right: Mt Lougheed, Windtower, Rimwall, Three Sisters. |
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| Heading back down, into the colourful forest. |
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| Final view from the parking lot. A gorgeous autumn day! |
I thought your Mist Mountain climb looked beautiful but chilly, but I'm downright cold seeing all the snow on this hike. No wonder breaking trail was exhausting...but the photos you got are phenomenal. You're capturing quite a professional-quality collection of mountain scenery. Thanks for sharing it with the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteHi Mim! Thank you for your kind comments. It was a cooler day to be sure, but as you can imagine with all that climbing I was more than warm enough. And I really appreciate your encouragement regarding my photos - it has been rewarding to learn a little more about photography as a result of all the blogging :)
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