Trail to Peak: The Adventurous Path
Hiking, Exploring, Travel & Adventure
Category: Banff National Park
Iceberg lake + Bow Glacier’s Big Toe
We climbed ancient moraines, balancing along their very pointy, lofty, narrow ridge-like tops. We scrambled up steep scree slopes. We accessed heights that from below seemed totally daunting, but up close were simply a grunt. We crossed (and got soakers in) many mountain streams. We hiked through pristine high alpine meadows with no trails, marmots, pikas and fall colours. We revelled in lofty views. We walked along airy ledges. We scrambled a bit through notches in cliff bands. We saw cascade after cascade of icy glacial water. We got above the Bow Glacier to marvel at its wrinkled skin and poked our head into the vast blue depths of its toe (a little like peeking under a toenail!!).
Blustery Bourgeau Peak
Battling the wind up that rocky rubble, we eventually found ourselves standing on a very large, wide peak, with views all around, having climbed 1500m on the 23km trail to get up there… that’s a long hike that includes climbing one and a half kilometres straight up into the sky!
Skiing the Fairview Trail
Alright… I’ll admit it… the weather here has been exceptionally cold lately, with -25C to -30C days (that’s -13F to -23F in American). I’ve always embraced the saying, “There’s no such thing as bad weather; just bad dressing.” But I’ve had enough of it.… Continue Reading “Skiing the Fairview Trail”
A Wintry Heli Tour
Bill and I have been married for 25 years now, and we decided to mark that momentous occasion with a special treat: a helicopter tour over the places that we’ve been hiking, snowshoeing, photographing, adventuring, skating, cycling, and picnicking our way through the years.… Continue Reading “A Wintry Heli Tour”
Hiking the Paradise Valley to Sentinel Pass & Moraine Lake
Paradise Valley is a spectacularly beautiful valley, running parallel to the majestic Valley of the Ten Peaks, sharing the slopes of imposing Mount Temple, Pinnacle Mountain and Eiffel Peak. It has a beautiful creek, picturesque Lake Annette (a great day hike destination in and of itself), lots of little wildflower meadows, an impressive rock fall area to explore, lofty heights from which to see the mountains and the valley through which you’re passing, and a gorgeous glacier-filled cirque. Its beauty gets right in to your very core and infects you with a sense of euphoria… so great that you don’t notice the lengthy distance you’re putting in with those dusty hiking boots.
Abbot Hut… A Bucket List Adventure (Part 1)
This the first in a five part series of posts on our adventures in the Lake O’Hara area. It serves as an introduction to our Abbot Hut experience and gives you a sense of what’s to come. Abbot Hut is an Alpine Club of… Continue Reading “Abbot Hut… A Bucket List Adventure (Part 1)”
Bow Glacier Falls: The Right Mix of Everything (Except Difficulty)
Looking to do a hike that our daughter would enjoy… one that lacked the “spicy-ness” of our regular adventures… we settled on Bow Glacier Falls. And what a gem it was! It lies across the valley from Helen Lake & Cirque Peak, at the… Continue Reading “Bow Glacier Falls: The Right Mix of Everything (Except Difficulty)”
Where Do We Get Our Inspiration?
I’ve been meaning to build up a resources section for a while for my readers, and store it for handy access in the Playful Bits section of my blog’s website. Every good adventure starts with careful planning and research. If you are planning a… Continue Reading “Where Do We Get Our Inspiration?”
Not Fairview Mountain— GREAT-view Mountain!
Wanting to get clear of the forest fire smoke haze that had enshrouded Canmore for so many days from the Verdant Valley forest fire, we headed back to the Lake Louise area, getting to the trailhead super early to beat the crowds. Our destination… Continue Reading “Not Fairview Mountain— GREAT-view Mountain!”
Un-Peaked Eiffel Peak
I have to confess that I find terrific inspiration from the humour, the evocative descriptions, the language and the sensibilities of the Copelands, authors of some of our favourite hiking guide books (Don’t Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies, and Where The Locals Hike).… Continue Reading “Un-Peaked Eiffel Peak”
Do you know your ABCs?
Trail to Peak: The Adventurous Path 