Old Goat Glacier is one of the K-Country hikes that is closest to Canmore. Behind the Spray Lakes campground, it’s easily accessible, tucked under Old Goat Mountain. And it’s a nice enough little walk. As long as you don’t go out expecting too much from the glacier.
I was underwhelmed. Unfortunately my photographer didn’t capture my thumb silhouetted against the sky, but it’s definitely getting a firm thumbs down rating. The glacier obviously used to be much bigger. And there was a nice moraine to walk in along. But otherwise – not terribly exciting. And walking into the dead-end glacial valley was a little bit spooky, with huge walls looming either side of you and ahead.
I managed to stumble on the scree and slammed my shins into some nice sharp rocks, gouging one hole that was deep enough to show the white bits – the bits you see and go “Ooh, that might need stitches”. Being a busy long weekend in town, needless to say I decided I’d manage without sitting in Emergency for six hours, opting instead to go and listen to some free folk music from the festival.
We saw these Mountain Sheep on the way back into town as well. It would have been more poetic if they were goats. Maybe if you just squint at them a bit and pretend.