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Originally Posted by J epworth kendal
Spectacular. I have to do that Mountain next summer. I'm guessing the snow cover was already getting a little sketchy this time of year? Thinking that it wouldn't be safe to hike it thanksgiving weekend when I'm back in Calgary?
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Should be fine. We were up extremely early (got to the trail head at 7:30am). It looks worse than it was... I think most of that snow was from the system that we got Tuesday night. By mid-afternoon, the sun would have melted off much of the snow. If it wasn't too sketchy for me, you can trust it isn't too sketchy for you, so long as you are in shape to complete it.
Just make sure you do it early enough to allow time at the hot springs. If you miss those on your way down, you've missed the whole experience of rewarding yourself with something deluxe. It's easy to spot from the Unnamed Pass on your way up the mountain. Just before you start making your way across into the rocky alpine zone. Stop... look to the right on the far side of the melt water stream and you'll notice two bootbeaten path's going in the wrong direction of the summit route. Follow that line across and you'll see a big falling patch of yellow and orange that looks out of place. Hot springs are at the top of that. Make note of it's location and make sure you go there on the way back.
Do it.
EDIT: Bring bear spray (duh, who doesn't). We came up on a female grizzly in the meadow before the Unnamed Pass... she was 300m away, but close enough to look at us. We yelled out and she took off, but there was scat on the trail itself, so they're around.