This was the first example of Instagram making me do something I would not otherwise have done. Because I kept seeing photos popping up of people hiking up Prairie Mountain, and beautiful mountain-filled shots with the Canadian flag at the summit cairn. And so when we were trying to come up with a run to do, I suggested Prairie Mountain.
The reports I’d read had led me to suspect a fairly dry trail. This was a lie! The trail was dry low down, but then a good solid sheet of ice for a good while. We scampered about back and forth through the trees, and marvelled at the trusty Kananaskis trail building – find a hill, then make the trail go straight up it.
I started off with the spoiler photo that gave away the fact we made it to the summit. And that the summit was totally in cloud, and so our scenic summit shot was all flag, no view. But the conversation and company were great, and the people watching was pretty entertaining too (tiny white fluffy dogs being carried, people without spikers attempting to walk up and down and ice, intense men with hiking poles striding up the hill while engaging in very loud and deliberate breathing).
The run ended with us successfully negotiating our way down through the treacherous section and back to the car. Nice to make it to the top of a new mountain, maybe I’ll do it again some day when it has a view.
Distance: 7.5km
Elevation gain: 700m (according to my watch, which isn’t perfectly accurate)