Yes, I’m doing a lot of hiking these days. Mountain biking is out at the moment, and I’ve been doing some climbing in my fancy full body harness, just not outdoors yet (because my hands and I have an agreement about not going near cold rock… this weekend is looking promising though). And the snow has all gone (well, not really, there’s still plenty around if you’re super keen … that does not describe me at the moment). So in the meantime, I hike.
Most of the time we were in the trees. I do not have any photos of this, as it was one of those “trees trees and more trees” kind of times, and a very steep trail. I’ve hiked Grotto before, but had forgotten just how much steeper it is than the other trails on the main Canmore mountains. The main Canmore mountains being Ha Ling, EEOR (East End Of Rundle), Lady Mac and Grotto, according to this chart I just invented.
Surprisingly enough, getting more pregnant isn’t helping my hiking speed – perhaps I need an oxygen tank and some sherpas. It was also a really warm day. Well, it was 15oC or so, maybe a little more, but it felt really warm being baked by the alpine sun on the side of a steep mountain.
But after hours of never-ending hiking up the steep trail through the trees, we eventually hit the tree-line. It was amazing and oh-so-exciting. Except then the people who’d never been up Grotto before were asking us “Is that the top just there?”. And we had to reply “No, that’s not the top, see all the way over there along the ridge? That is the top”. And there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Once you leave the tree line it’s not far at all to the false summit though, and progress feels a lot more substantial compared to the never-ending trees below. Also, it was a gorgeous day, which didn’t hurt.
Reaching the false summit, we decided not to head all the way along the ridge-line to the summit proper. Half of us had been there before, one quarter of us really wasn’t fussed, and the remaining quarter wasn’t sufficiently enthused to go and do it on his own.
All that remained then was the eternal infernal trek back down the mountain, which brought a few animal sightings (chipmunk? squirrel? wacky grouse birds?) and hardly any bear maulings.
One reply on “Not quite to the top of Grotto Mountain”
I’ve stopped counting the days I see a bear on the way to work because its easier to count the days I don’t see a bear. 5 grizzlies currently in the access-road-valley, a black bear or 2 & the usual assortment of mangy sheep & deer. no wolves yet though.