The Hiking / Backpacking Thread - Page 16 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

steve9981 · 07-16-2015, 11:26 AM

nm

GGG · 07-16-2015, 04:30 PM

Get there before 10.

Plain of six glaciers is a good hike and the hoards aren't to bad once you clear the lake shore and much better then the terrible lake Agnus tea house hike.

If you have the energy a fun loop is plain of six glaciers, highline to lake Agnes from plain of six glaciers up and down big beehive and up mount St Piran, then down the Agnes trail. Even the loop going to from plain of six glaciers to lake Agnes is pretty good as if I remember correctly it's out of the trees until you get to the lake.

Be sure to follow the trail past the tea house for another k as the views keep getting better. I perfer doing this hike in September when the people are gone but it is an enjoyable hike.

GGG · 07-19-2015, 08:58 PM

Went out to Waterton this weekend to do the Waterton Triple Crown in one weekend. We did Crypt lake Friday in the rain, Alderson Carthew Saturday, and Akamina ridge Sunday. We cheated a bit on Akamina ridge instead of doing the scramble up from Forum lake to the ridge we just hiked up from the wall / Bennett pass side and did it as an out and back. My legs were gone after the first two days so I wanted some bailout options for day 3.

Fuzz · 07-20-2015, 06:33 AM

Good for you! Not sure I could do that.

metallicat · 07-22-2015, 01:47 PM

Skyline trail is back open again, as is Maligne Lake road.

Weitz · 07-22-2015, 02:15 PM

A friend of mine did the Canmore 4 peak challange (or so he called it) a couple weeks ago.

Parked his vehicle in downtown Canmore. Ran up EEOR, Ha Ling, Lady Mac, and Grotto. Can't remember how long he said it took him but he was coming down Ha ling and the spray lakes road in pitch black at the end haha.

Fuzz · 07-22-2015, 02:24 PM

I saw someone running up spray road a few weeks ago(was it on Canada Day?) and I was wondering why someone would run up the road when they could just take the much more pleasant Grassi Lakes trail.

Also, that's hard core.

GGG · 07-22-2015, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weitz

A friend of mine did the Canmore 4 peak challange (or so he called it) a couple weeks ago.

Parked his vehicle in downtown Canmore. Ran up EEOR, Ha Ling, Lady Mac, and Grotto. Can't remember how long he said it took him but he was coming down Ha ling and the spray lakes road in pitch black at the end haha.

Thats crazy, especially if he did all the running in between trail heads. That probably adds another 20k to the day.

When I was looking at doing the Waterton stuff in one weekend I read about people doing all 3 in one day. I do pretty big day hikes but 60k and over 2500m up and down in a day is nuts. Essentially thats the Rockwall trail in a day.

Weitz · 07-22-2015, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GGG

Thats crazy, especially if he did all the running in between trail heads. That probably adds another 20k to the day.

When I was looking at doing the Waterton stuff in one weekend I read about people doing all 3 in one day. I do pretty big day hikes but 60k and over 2500m up and down in a day is nuts. Essentially thats the Rockwall trail in a day.

I think he said the total for the day was about 60-65 km.

Mind you he runs the death race, sinister 7, ultra marathons etc.. So it's kind of up his alley.

Fuzz · 07-22-2015, 02:56 PM

here is some info on it...
http://x-cphil.blogspot.ca/2011/09/c...challenge.html

Hadn't realized my friend's dad was the first to do it.

DownhillGoat · 07-22-2015, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GGG

I do pretty big day hikes but 60k and over 2500m up and down in a day is nuts. Essentially thats the Rockwall trail in a day.

Haha did the abridged (40 k) version of that last week. I think the full thing in a day would kill me.

Heck even that was almost 2100 in a day iirc. 4 peaks is just nuts.

GGG · 07-22-2015, 09:42 PM

What loop did you do on Rockwall? I backpacked it last year and all the cut offs trails back to the highway are closed.

This year I'm thinking of a hike bike of Egypt lake for a big hike. Bike up red earth creek then do the loop around and hit pharaoh, Egypt, scarab, mummy, hejiduk and shadow lakes and back out red earth creek. With all the side trips to the lakes it should end up around 30k hiking and 20k biking.

DownhillGoat · 07-23-2015, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GGG

What loop did you do on Rockwall? I backpacked it last year and all the cut offs trails back to the highway are closed.

Started at Paint Pots, went up Tumbling, and back out through Floe. Cut about 20 k off vs the full run through Helmet. The only route back to the highway that's closed now is Numa.

EDIT -

Just looked at the gps tracks. Total elevation gain from Paint Pots to Floe was 2667m. Floe back to the highway was pretty much all downhill.

Brewmaster · 07-23-2015, 01:18 PM

Just got back from a trip to Mt. Assiniboine. The scenery and experience was amazing. Took GGG's recommendation and hiked in from Sunshine to Og Lake the first day, which may have been a bit much for some of our group, but made for a nice easy 2nd day on the trail.

Stayed in a Naiset hut for a few nights which was a cool experience. The communal kitchen / cooking hut made it feel like we were living in backcountry luxury without the high price of accommodation at the lodge. That being said, the lodge was excellent in providing us whatever we needed from afternoon beers to evening weather forecasts. They really run a first class facility out there and all the staff were very friendly.

We made it up to Wonder Peak as well as Nub Peak, both of which were outstanding. The postcard views from the Nub were as advertised, and some of the nicest I've seen anywhere. The park is truly a hidden gem and I hope to make it back out there again someday.

GGG · 07-24-2015, 12:46 PM

Good to here you had a good trip. I hope that the reflection of mount assinaboine in og lake made that tough first day worth it.

Thats my favourite camp ground in the area.

Engine09 · 07-28-2015, 12:11 PM

Have never been hiking in Waterton before, is there an absolute must for a trail to hit? Any recommendations?

Wormius · 07-28-2015, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kryzsky

Have never been hiking in Waterton before, is there an absolute must for a trail to hit? Any recommendations?

Crypt Lake is the must-do.

If camping, watch for the deer.

Engine09 · 07-28-2015, 03:19 PM

Done, Crypt Lake it is, looking forward to it.

Thanks!

GGG · 07-28-2015, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kryzsky

Have never been hiking in Waterton before, is there an absolute must for a trail to hit? Any recommendations?

I think Carthew Alderson and Akamina Ridge are nicer than Crypt. Crypt lake is fantastic but if it's nice and a weekend the boat times cause people to clump up and back up on the ladder/tunnel/chains section and then the lake is crowded when you get there.

Carthew Alderson has 9k of above treeline hiking through varied terrain from lush meadow to moon scape and is a one way trip. Akamina ridge via the scramble loop is better as well, through the hiking out and back I would rank a little lower.

You can't really go wrong with any of the three, if you hate hiking in a crowd do something other than crypt.

OMG!WTF! · 08-08-2015, 07:02 AM

As if Pink Floyd could be any cooler...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVhNCTH8pDs

I did Mt Allen from Dead Man's Flat yesterday and a group of serious Floyd fans informed me of the video setting. Looks like the guy actually takes off (with the help of two feathers and a dancing shaman) from Wind Ridge, swoops down to Wind Pond, then along the Lougheed group, up and over Centennial Ridge towards Collembola. Such an earthbound misfit, I.