August 29th. Mount Yamnuska. The Rockies most popular spot for mountain rescue.

Settled back in our familiar camp spot at Spring Hill RV, just outside Cochrane (just north of Calgary). After all the excitement of tearing across the country and finding our next home base, now we are in a holding pattern waiting for the date..!! Some activity being required, and having just acquired a Kananaskis annual pass, Alltrails yielded a promising hike at Mount Yamnuska a mere 38 minutes drive from Spring Hill. Actually it is one valley over from Grotto Canyon where we were last year.

Its always a spectacular drive heading towards the mountains. There is no gradual change in the relief, Its gently undulating prairie, then mountain after mountain after mountain. ( Its just Wow every time..!!)

The beginning of the trail is, as many of them are, a groomed gravel path. The incline doesn’t hesitate to leap out and hit your legs right from the beginning.

I guess its the thing with climbing mountains …..the only way to get to the top is to climb….!!!….up….!!

The first part is through trees so at least there is some shade, once you climb the switchbacks, the view down in to the valley instantly cures the ache in your legs.

Nature also provides a few excuses to stop and catch a breath..

The switchbacks continue on up, and up. You have to keep stopping to look out in wonder at the landscape below (and to catch your breath..!!)

Nearing the top…it just gets steeper…..a bit of a scramble……and quite a bit cooler.

Ravens End was my end of path, but the path does go further for the sturdier of heart than me..!!

Its one of those spots that makes you wish you had brought your lunch and a picnic blanket.

The signage confirmed for me that I was stopping, my intrepid photographer had to go catch a few more pix…!!! I have marked up the next three pictures to point to the path in the first one, and the guy walking up the path (not me) in the second and third.

Once you go through the notch there are chains attached to the rock face to get around…….I am NOT going there…!!

The journey back down was challenging on the knees. It was a steadily steep path. As ever…you find out just how steep on the way back down.

But you also get to see some of the views that you might have been suffering too much to really see on the way up…..LOL….

There may have been as many stops on the way down tho……it was hard on the knees……

All in all it was a great day out.

(Please note…All of the pictures are clickable if you wish a clearer view. Underlined text is also clickable providing links for further information. )

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