Rocky Point

Name: Rocky Point

Activity: Snowshoeing (Can X-Country Ski too)

Distance: ~10 km (RT)

Area: Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

Crew: Bennett

Lisa's Mom Rating: Yes

Additional Info:
Unfortunately I pulled a muscle in my back while downhill skiing the day that we arrived in Whitefish, so we settled on a snowshoe in GNP. This was a lovely trek with relatively no elevation change, and with a beautiful view of Lake MacDonald at Rocky Point!

 Beautiful forest on the way to Rocky Point

 At Rocky Point

 Bennett and I

Bennett on our way back, exploring the lakeshore.

Mount Baldy ii

Trip #2:Crew: Bennett
Date: November 20, 2016
Time to Summit: 1:30
Click here for the Mount Baldy Post

Mount Allan

Hike Name: Mount Allan / Olympic Summit / Centennial Ridge

Activity: Hiking/Scrambling

Distance: ~15 km (RT)

Altitude: 2,819 m (Mount Allen), 2,470 m (Olympic Summit)

Elevation Gain: ~1400 m

Area: Kananaskis Valley

Crew: Bennett

Time to Summit: ~3 hours

Lisa's Mom Rating: Yes

Trailhead: Ribbon Creek Parking Area

Getting There:
Head south on Kananaskis Trail (Hwy 40) from the Trans Canada (Hwy 1). Take the turnoff toward Kananaskis Village, then follow the signs to the Ribbon Creek Parking Area.

Additional Info:
Take "Hidden Trail" and follow the Centennial Ridge path. It is the highest maintained trail in Kananaskis, so it is well signed, there is no way to get lost! This is a beautiful hike that I would recommend to anyone. Of the 6 hours, we only spent 1 hour below the treeline. Just be aware that it is a big day at 15km and ~1400m gained! We did a there-and-back from Ribbon, but you can continue along the ridge, the whole Centennial Ridge trail, and drop down into Deadmans' Flats.

Bennett and I 

 Snow. We actually could've avoided this but we were trying to get some respite from the crazy chinook winds

 Playing on the cool rock formations

Bennett on the ridge

Whiteswan Provincial Park

Name: Whiteswan Provincial Park, BC
Activity: Camping/Natural Hot Springs
Crew: Bennett
Dates: November 10-11, 2016

I am on my reading break so Bennett and I decided to go out to Whiteswan Provincial Park in BC to check out the Lussier Hot Springs and go camping. We left Calgary in the early afternoon, stopped in Canmore at the Rocky Mountain Bagel Co (yum) and then made it to the Lussier Hot Springs at sundown and enjoyed the sunset and a little company. There were 4-6 people in the springs, even after dark - it is a pretty popular spot.
However, we were the only ones camping and had the inlet creek campsite to ourselves. We started up a fire and made the best camping quesadillas.. then slept in the back of the truck (may I add - with the tailgate open! It's November!). We visited the hot springs again the next morning (when it was a LOT more crowded) then headed back to Calgary.
I came to Lussier hot springs with my family back when I was in high school as well. It hasn't changed much... except that maybe it is even more popular now!

 Driving!

 The view we woke up to! (We arrived in the dark)

Driving past Whiteswan lake in the morning

Midnight Peak

Hike Name: Midnight Peak

Activity: Hiking/Scrambling

Distance: ~12 km (RT)

Altitude: 2,348 m

Elevation Gain: 915 m

Area: Kananaskis Valley

Crew: Steph, Jeevan

Time to Summit: ~2:00

Lisa's Mom Rating: Maybe if there is no snow

Trailhead: Old Baldy Pass Parking lot

Getting There:
Head south on Kananaskis Trail (Hwy 40) from the Trans Canada (Hwy 1). In about 15 minutes you will see the parking lot for Old Baldy Pass on the right. Cross the 40 in the crosswalk and begin the trail there.

Additional Info:
We hiked up to Old Baldy Pass then turned right up towards Midnight Peak. We then descended by doing the ridge-walk and cutting down the drainage (which is the alternate route up), aka bushwacking. I'd recommend taking the pass up for sure, as the small slope and clear path make it a quick ascent. For the way down I recommend taking the same route down to the pass, unless you are comfortable with routefinding and bushwacking. The alternate route is a beautiful ridgewalk until you hit the trees - which made our descent route worth it for me - but unless we missed an obvious path on the way down it was a lot of route finding.

Looking up at Midnight Peak from Old Baldy Pass. There was a decent amount of snow.

 I am including this selfie mainly because I want to show how STEEP the slope is behind me. It was a little more challenging with the snow but manageable with microspikes.

Group summit selfie!! 

Me and Steph walking the ridge, heading down the alternate descent route.

Yellowknife, NWT Trip

Name: Yellowknife NWT Trip

Crew: My Capstone Group!

Dates: Thursday October 13th - Sunday October 16th, 2016

Itinerary:
Day 1: Calgary to Yellowknife
Day 2: Meetings with the gov
Day 3: Small plane flight up to Starfish Lake, and drive to the end of Highway 4
Day 4: Yellowknife to Calgary

I went to Yellowknife, NWT for a school project. We are working on a all-season road route assessment from Yellowknife up towards the Nunavut border. 

 Walking around town and snappin' pix

 "Hiked" up a big rock hill

 Most important stop

 Checking out the landscape in a small airplane. You can see where the winter road is usually built

 Me and Jaimie in the plane!

Jaimie and I infront of the plane, up in the tundra, above the treeline! I pinned the location on my GPS to be 64.069898, -111.14792. Crazy. 

 Drove to the end of the existing all-season road, Highway 4. This nice view greeted us.

Tent Ridge (Summer)

Hike Name: Tent Ridge

Activity: Hiking/Scrambling

Distance: 10.4 km (RT)

Altitude: 2,535 m

Elevation Gain: 640 m

Area: Kananaskis (Spray Reservoir)

Crew: Zach, Zach, Travis

Time to Summit: 2:00

Lisa's Mom Rating: Yes

Trailhead: Parking lot on the right side of the road halfway to Mt. Shark Trailhead

Getting There:
Head south on Kananaskis Trail (Hwy 40) from the Trans Canada (Hwy 1). Take the turnoff toward the Kananaskis Lakes/Smith-Dorrien. Take the Smith Dorrien and then turn at the Mt. Engadine Lodge turnoff. Continue past the lodge, and up the road. You will come across a parking area on the right.
We ski-toured here in 2018.

Additional Info:
I was lucky enough to catch more larches this season up on tent ridge! There was some snow on the top but not enough for microspikes.. soon... winter is coming!

 The bowl before attaining the ridge

Looking towards the Spray Reservoir 

 Zach and Zach take on winter at 2500m!

 The horseshoe

 Great view of some of these big ol mountains.

Some friends back at the car! A cow moose and her baby.