Category: Travel posts

Custer South Dakota is a great jumping off point for many spectacular parks and historic sites around the Black Hills. This visit was primarily for the Balloon Festival in Hot Springs, but we made some time for some extra adventures while we were here.

Last time we visited the National Parks, Wind Cave National Park, and Jewel Cave National Monument……this time we headed for Custer State Park.

Custer State Park and Wind Cave NP butt right up against each other, both have those extraordinary distinctive Black Hills landscape and bison herds roaming free.

The 7 day pass for Custer state park is a mega bargain at $20…… and the top recommended hike for the park is the trail up to Black Elk Peak. (the highest point in South Dakota with a fire lookout built on top) too good an opportunity to miss and an excellent reason for a day out….. 😁.

The trail head is at Sylvan Lake and was not immediately obvious, there were a few people milling around trying to figure it out same as us…….but eventually we found the signs…

Here in the Black Hills the landscape is like some fake Styrofoam film set for a 1960’s Star Trek shoot…….except this stuff is real…..lol…

It was a hot day…so we were well prepped with lots of extra water…

Part way up there is a side trail to Little Devils Tower……well why not….!!!!!

It’s not far (when you look at the map…!!!)…but then you get to this little baby. A fissure in the rocks that you have to climb up…….

It looked worse than it was…..ironically…..when you are crammed in between two rock walls it dramatically reduces any sense that you might fall….!!!

The next bit looks easier than it is…..I clambered part way, then could not make myself go any further…….so I stopped here for some water and a snack…Scott continued on up….(Editor. My protestations, come on it’s for the blog, were completely ineffective)

The intrepid blogtographer, dedicated to his craft…LOL…….

….and took some pretty spectacular pictures whilst calling to me how easy it was to get up there ( not buying….!!)

The previous picture (above left) is of the Cathedral spires……you can’t actually make it out on the picture…..but there were tiny little ant sized climbers on top of the spires…..amazing….

….and then he reappeared……triumphantly…..!!!

…and then it was time to go back down that crevice…..

back on the regular trail to the fire lookout……we met lots of folks walking the loop in the opposite direction to us. Interestingly….I think it’s the first time we have done such a popular hike where every person we met was appropriately dressed for the hike….and carrying water.

It was a fairly gentle hike to this point…other than the bit of rock climbing at Little Devils Tower

This area has a generous dusting of mica flakes from the rock formations glistening in the sand causing parts of the trail to look almost wet…or siliconised with the amount of now powdered mica through the sand…….it was impossible to photograph…so if you want to see it….you’ll have to go there….

At this point the trail started to climb…seriously climb…

The Black Hills is an area which has seen more than its fair share of settler/native conflict. Much sadness has happened around these places.

…and …did I mention that it was hot. The last part of the trail separates for the cheaters on horseback…..

…and then…at the top…access to the fire lookout is carved from the rock of the peak.

This is the highest point in the USA outside of the Rockies.

It’s one of those ‘top of the world’ places….the view is outstanding.

Mount Rushmore is just around the corner……we were pretty sure we were looking at the backside of it

Harney Peak was originally named for a US general, despite some of his conduct during his time in the army. After 50 plus years of campaigning to have the name changed and restored to its indigenous name ( Hinhan Kaga)…..in 2016 the Federal US Board on Geographic Names voted to rename it as Black Elk Peak , after Nicholas Black Elk.….a distinguished medicine man/shaman.

It’s easy to see why this was such a sacred land for the indigenous peoples.

We lingered for quite while here…….drinking it in.

Then the journey down and around the other half of the loop

By this time, we were pretty tired. That last part was a hard climb on a hot day.

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After the reconnaissance trip that took us to the wonderous Mammoth site…..the day of the Balloon Festival finally arrived. Well, it had not quite arrived when we had to be out of bed and going LOL. It was an early 3.30am start. (Time to get the coffee brewed for the drive ….and we needed to get to the Hot Springs airfield before 5am)

The journey to Hot Springs crosses the amazing Wind Cave National Park and once we hit the edge of the park, it became clear we should probably have left a little earlier. The road across the park is narrow, winding, undulating with no shoulders and a darkness that completely absorbed the head lights. The ever present wandering bison herds add to the usual deer/elk hazards. Suffice to say speed limits were carefully observed and both of us were wide awake anticipating the big beasts on the road around every corner….LOL

We made it down without incident…parked at the airfield in the persistent darkness and readied ourselves to be wowed just after sunrise..!!

And wowed we were…

As the light from the unfolding sunrise started to infuse the airfield….team trucks started arriving and unpacking.

My intrepid blogtographer disappeared as soon as they told us we could wander through the emerging balloons as long as we were careful and listened to the pilots.

We were able to wander through and observe the whole process.

The first balloon to be inflated is ‘the hare’. Once the hare is aloft, the others start inflating and then ‘chase’ the hare.

On this occasion the hare was Roaring Glory.

In that last picture you can see the guy with the camera bag holding down the inflating balloon eyeing Scott.

He had spotted a guy with a camera same as his….so handed Scott his camera and asked him to take pictures for him while he helped with the balloon….!!!

The Hare balloon was kitted out with US patriotic Roaring Glory Eagles and Red white and blue livery.

The Hare carried the flag and as it rose from the ground an incredible rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner resounded from the field……an emotional moment for sure.

After the hare was aloft…all the others started their inflation regime in an effort to catch said hare. First, they are filled with cold air, then they fire up the heat and up they go.

It’s a slow beautiful ballet as they gracefully lift from the ground.

As each one pops up to the fully upright position…there’s a little emotional catch in your throat …. every time…….or at least there was for me ….!!!!

What a sight …these huge billowing tents rising up into perfect drops of light and colour before drifting skyward.

One by one they float upwards and don’t ‘take off’ as much as they ‘let go’ of the ground…..

More and more of them waft upward and fill the morning air with colour and delight.

….and then ….once they were all up and floating above our heads……I felt a bit like a kid watching bubbles….

….it was quite wonderful…….!!1

With almost no wind that morning, the balloons did not travel far….which just added to the beauty of it from the ground……it may have been a mite disappointing for anyone who paid to go up for that short trip…..most of the balloons managed to do a round trip and actually made it back to the airfield.

Then there were these guys in their motorised kite things weaving through the balloons. ….. if I was not so deathly afraid of heights that might even look like fun….!!!

If you have ever considered going to a balloon festival…..find one and do it. We thought it was going to be busy, fun and pretty…..We were not prepared for how truly awesome it is as those jewels float up into the sky. It is surprisingly emotional, breath-takingly beautiful yet overwhelmingly quiet and peaceful.

We might have to check out Albuquerque for a future trip……😁

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Custer, South Dakota is one of those little towns I imagined to be large and touristy (kinda Niagara Falls-esque) simply because of its proximity to iconic American tourist attractions, Mount Rushmore being one of them…!!

It really isn’t…..yes it has a bunch of rock shops and some kitschy souvenir places …but overall…it is a lovely little town with a classic main street of small stores and a clean and friendly vibe to it.

The campground we stayed at for a second time, Broken Arrow Horsecamp, is nestled in the hills above town. A great location as a jumping off point for Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave NP, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore and Deadwood. (yes, it’s a real place ..!!)

We just had to stop at the Founding Fathers brew pub and indulge in their ‘Rattlesnake Bratwurst’……. I had a taster of Scotts…that was enough of a challenge for me….(it was not bad actually….LOL).

We found ourselves in the area again to attend the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Hot Springs, SD on the Saturday. The plan on Friday was a pre-flight check of the 45 minute drive, and the actual location of the event so that we were not trying to find it at 4.45 am in the dark..!!!

Hot Springs SD was another little surprise gem of a town. The buildings are all red sandstone and looked like a movie set.

…and all the local stores had hot air ballon stuff happening..!!

In dire need of caffeination when we arrived……who could resist the Wandering Bison coffee shop…!!!

Our visit also managed to coincide with the farmer’s market. Browsing the vendors took us across the creek/river that runs through town where the embankment has springs of water bursting out in several places.

Since we were there for the day we visited the Mammoth Site, one of Tripadvisors recommended activities for this town. It is an incredible place.

Basically, the story is that in the 70’s a developer bulldozed some dirt off what turned out to be a mammoth tusk. Recognising that it might be important he contacted the appropriate people to investigate, and excavation of the site revealed it to be an ancient sinkhole with not only a variety of animal fossils trapped in the prehistoric mud…….but also 62 mammoths. The museum has been built over the site (beautiful building also…!!) and they continue to excavate to this day.

This is an incredible ongoing project…..and well laid out for curious visitors, built and operated entirely by donation, volunteers and entry fees.

The walkway has QR codes that we could play with our smartphomes.

While wandering the walkways, we watched volunteers in the pit still carefully scraping and dusting to expose more creatures from the ancient mud.

I had to keep reminding myself that this was the real site and not an elaborate reconstruction in a museum.

If you ever find yourself in the area…this is one that is definitely worth the price of admission.

While in Buffalo WY, nestled in the Bighorn Mountains there was an opportunity to find a decent hike. Our boots were in need of a little exercise.

We were not looking for anything to strenuous but hoping for something interesting. Crazy Woman Canyon was a strong contender…but unfortunately the trail had been closed after some flood damage. So, we plumped for Mosiers Gulch. The reviews were promising, and the elevation was tamer than many we have done (this was still in August…so it was hot..!!)

To sweeten the deal, it was a short drive from the campground. Did I mention the campground in Buffalo? We stayed at Indian Campground a good choice…It has gravel, level pull through sites and huge old, old cottonwoods which shade the sites beautifully. Clean, tidy and well kept. We would highly recommend this campground for anyone stopping in the area.

Anyway..Mosiers Gulch.

The trailhead was easy to find and although there were other cars in the parking area, we met very few people along the actual trail and most of them were dog walking near the beginning.

The trail follows Clear Creek up the valley, which was another reason for choosing this trail as it tends to be a little cooler next to water.

The trail is well marked and easy to follow but still rough enough to be glad of hiking boots…….and it was a day to be carrying lots of extra water.

The path takes you up to an old hydro electric power plant….

…and then winding on up the valley following the creek …….

….up through the Ponderosa pines and choke cherries……there were many moments where I was certainly tempted to take my boots off and soak my feet….but it was hot, and it just seemed like too much effort…LOL

The trail came out of the tree cover and across a meadow……so when we found ‘Joes Trail’ back along the creek bank…….we took it….

Its a very pretty little trail and the musical tinkling of the water makes it feel cooler and fresher …I am sure….!!!

Then we came back up onto what I think must be a logging road. The road was clear enough to follow….but we were quickly in to waist high prairie grasses…..

With the occasional deer leaping out as we disturbed them….but moving way too quick to get pictures of them….so you will just have to believe me… 😁

When you are walking out in the full sun its amazing how much steeper the path seems to be…….even though it looks flat….LOL…

The end point of the trail for us on this day was the dam. The trail does carry on up into the mountains…. It looked like an interesting path….maybe for another day…

We lingered around the dam for a bit…..hydrated a little more before heading back to base.

We had a look around….enough to be quite sure we need to come back and do a bit more of this trail.

On the way back…….it turns out that we had been going uphill for quite a bit of this path……….as we (almost) trotted back down the meadow section…..

I was still sorely tempted by how cool and fresh that water looked……but the probability of ending up with sand in my socks cured that thought.

It was a beautiful landscape and a welcome stretching of the legs…….. happy to be sweaty and dusty….and looking forward to that hot shower……(and maybe a beer…..always have to test the local stuff..!!)

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Another bonus of being home was the opportunity to witness the master of the baler at work ….Andrew…our neighbour. It’s a fascinating process ….and even somewhat balletic watching someone who really knows what he is doing operating that big equipment.

Scott went out at first light to catch this event happening…..

Now that Scott has his Canadian passport (new Canadian…woohoo..!!) we could plan a trip that he had wanted to do down to Hot Springs, South Dakota for their annual Hot Air Balloon Festival ( upcoming post.. 😁)

Its 12 hours of regular driving to Hot Springs from home (plus 15 minutes per hour of ‘trailer time’) so we did a couple of hops on the way….an overnight just outside Helena, which is the capital city of Montana.

Next stop was a Harvest Host, Canyon Creek brewing in Billings MT. I had found an article the night before on Montana’s Fordhenge….an homage to the Cadillac Ranch on Route 66….it was 30 minutes out of our way….so of course we had to go….

Big bonus…it is in the tiny town of Edgar, Montana……so we had to take extra pictures for our friends who share the name…LOL…

It’s quite the thing……we pulled the airstream into this tiny, tiny town with one paved road running through it….

…and there it is…..

…and I have to say….I have never seen the Cadillac version…..but it is actually pretty cool……!!!!

…we were tempted to test out the local bar……..but we had somewhere to be…..so we had a wander around the town of Edgar……..

…and then back on the road through the Bighorn Mountains with the next stop being Buffalo Wyoming. For anyone who knows us, you will remember how much we have loved our travels to Buffalo NY over the years….so this just seemed like a must see stopover on the trip.

Buffalo Wyoming…what a great little town where the presence of ‘Longmire’ was a surprise to us. Buffalo WY was apparently the town that inspired the author, Craig Johnson, to create the fictional town of Durant that is featured in the series.

There is lots of art in the town itself, much like Buffalo NY. The downtown has a collection of great little independent stores.

Big bonus for the yarn addict ….there is a wool mill…..Mountain Meadow Wool Mill….and it has a shop…!!!

If you do the self-guided tour through the mill, they give you a 10percent discount on purchases…… 😁. Scott fell in love with this bison wool hat, fortunately Bison shed their winter coat so no shearing required…..

I’m not going to pretend that I did not buy a couple of skeins of wool……well I had to…!!!

Buffalo also presented us with an opportunity to get a hike in…..but that’s another story…… 😁

This one ends with us arriving at one of our favourite campgrounds, Broken Arrow Horsecamp in Custer, South Dakota.

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We have had such great experiences with the Patricia Rodeo, it just seemed all too convenient to pop along to our local rodeo at Writing-on-Stone on August 5th 6th and 7th…the 55th year of this unique and beautiful rodeo. The largest amateur rodeo in Canada this year and the only rodeo held in a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Writing-on-Stone is a unique and beautiful Badlands landscape just 25 minutes east of the spot we now call home. There have been previous notable visits to the park. Our first visit in Sept 2022,(click). The second visit in snow cover in November 2022 (click) , and then a return visit with Emily in January 2023 (click)

An amateur rodeo, if you can find one, is totally worth the visit. It’s always a treat to watch the skill of the people and the animals.

First a bit of roping……

Then some broncs……

Sometimes…..in less than eight seconds……it goes from looking pretty good…….to all coming unglued……!!

…and then those terrific pick-up guys are there to do their thing and make sure no people or animals are hurt…….

……..there is always something strangely compelling about watching someone go face first in the dirt……then pick themselves up and be all ready to do it again.

As the light started to fade, they started the barrels races……not for the faint of heart…. those guys move fast….

The additional draw this year was ostrich racing…….now who can resist a bit of ostrich racing…..really…!!! Herding them proved more than a little trying for the pick-up guys more used to four legged participants.

Unfortunately they were mostly too far away to get shots of the people actually riding the ostriches……suffice to say…it was ‘gripping’……LOL…

The added adventure to the day happened as we were leaving to head out to the rodeo. As we approached the end of the driveway we found this poor fellow hanging on the fence.

He is a juvenile Swainsons Hawk, completely trapped on the barbed wire with a barb of the wire fence buried in his shoulder. We could not leave him there, but we had neither the equipment nor knowledge to help him…..after a quick turnaround and speedy drive over to the neighbours for help….

Andrew has had experience with injured birds in the past…..and more importantly he had welding gloves….!!!

After a bit of surgery with wire cutters, forceps and a bit of determination….he was, as gently as possible, removed from his entanglement. Isn’t he magnificent…!!!

Carefully wrapped and put into a box to protect and keep him calm, we arranged for the Birds of Prey Sanctuary in Coaldale to take him and.. hoped…..allow him to heal and be released.

Unfortunately, his wing turned out to be too badly damaged……so he will remain at the sanctuary and live out his life there.

Birds of Prey in Coaldale (click), just slightly east of Lethbridge is a truly wonderful place. When we took the bird up the next morning, they took him in and let us have a visit through the facility. The bald eagles flight demonstration was absolutely incredible…these birds are amazing creatures. We had the opportunity to hold some burrowing owls. Such sweet little beasties……and it’s like having a tiny piece of fluff on your hand (with big talons..!!)…they weigh almost nothing….

This sanctuary for injured raptors receives no government funding, so if any of you out there are looking for a worthy cause to make a donation to these guys have a sponsor a bird program as well as other ways to support the centre. Definitely a recommendation if you are in the area looking for an amazing experience, open Victoria Day to Labour Day.

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Continuing on a theme of more sedentary activities. After a great visit to Blairmore and the Crowsnest Pass……and some larger-than-life adventures up scary mountains……a trip home was in order.

There were chores to do and grass to cut.

….and some noxious weeds to poison……

We have an invasion of Babies Breath……a pretty floral decoration…but not native and out of control here…..and it makes huge tumbleweeds in the fall cleverly spreading thousands of seeds as it rolls along in the wind and gathers along the fence lines. Me and my backpack sprayer are on a mission.

My garlic was nicely cured so it was time to bring it in…..I was very pleased with it…. All will be returned to the soil in the fall then next year we’ll have a crop large enough to replant and add to the winter larder.

Oh…and I missed a side trip we did to visit another couple of great people we met on the road……they bought some bricks and sticks in a small village northeast of Calgary and have made a home in this lovely little community. The bird is named ‘Pumpkin’…she was rescued by one of their neighbours….funny little thing that she is…..

These guys are fellow Airstreamers…so it was kinda cool to have the two trailers side by side…..and it’s a very pretty little village they have chosen.

We spent a day out with them in some of the neighbouring towns…Big Valley is another spot that used to be a bigger town in the days of the railroad. Laterally it has been a tourist destination and is another place that was hit hard by the ‘pandemic’ shut down.

But….more importantly …we had to come home because the New Canadian in the house had to pick up his shiny new passport…… (Yay..!!)

This meant we could cross the border again (until it’s my turn…!!) so we eagerly picked out a State Fair to go visit….

Montana State Fair, Great Falls Montana.

This was a lovely day. One of the great things (in my opinion) about fall fairs is the pride in the livestock. Chickens, bunnies, cows, pigs and goats. That and the 4H stuff. We attended the Erie County fair in Hamburg NY a couple of years ago and were delighted to see how much involvement there is of the next generation of young farmers. It was evident here in Montana also, even though this was a much smaller affair than in Hamburg.

I think all of the pigs and cows being washed and blow dried for show were being handled by kids.

Montana cow pies….I can attest to their yummieness…….a brilliant idea for fair food. (it’s a cross between a grilled cheese and a burger, pressed in a pie shape, sealed around the edges and then deep fried..!!)

…and when we stop travelling and fill our fields with animals…..I have to have not just ordinary goats……but spotty goats……

Back home again we had a major storm warning. On the prairie you can see this thing form as it comes off the Rockies.

…as it swept towards us the light and the power of the sky above was incredible (at this point we were still standing outside)

We watched in awe as that hook of cloud swirled down looking very much like it was going to touch…

….then the sky darkened forty shades and the wind picked up…….time to go inside.

There are no pictures of the next bit….because there was nothing visible ..LOL…the rain hit us like Niagara Falls coming sideways…. 2 inches of rain came down in 15 minutes of pounding and wind before it swept on east. The lightning was visible to the east for a couple of hours…..

After the storm….these next pictures have not been retouched in any way.

On our last day in the Crowsnest Pass for this visit we started out with a plan to drive over to Oldman River Brewery in Lundbreck. We were hoping for a growler fill of their fine brew to take home with us. It was not to be….the brewery was not open on a Monday….argh…!!!

But we made the stop in this tiny little town of Lundbreck anyway.

…and, on the recommendation of Jordy (of Turtle Mountain fame……LOL) we stopped at Lundbreck Falls…..the Niagara Falls of the west.!!

It’s a bit like Niagara Falls miniaturised…. very pretty stop actually and handily just off the highway if you happen to be driving through.

Next stop Leitch Collieries. We had driven by this site a few times and with plenty of time and our recent search for old mining towns it seemed appropriate to stop.

Its a place that does not require much imagination to ‘see’ the way it was all set up……

….and the interpretive walk is well laid out to tell the story with pictures of the original buildings.

Another stop on our way back to the campground was the Hillcrest Mine Memorial Park and Cemetery. It is an incredible site in the shadow of Turtle Mountain and in view of Frank slide. This site has a memorial to all the deaths in mining accidents across Canada, the most notable here being the Hillcrest Mine disaster in 1914

The explosion in the mine killed 189 men (aged 17 to 54)…… most of them laid to rest in this cemetery and many of them in mass graves.

It is an extraordinarily somber place to pass some time, pay respects to the souls buried here and reflect on the tragedies this area has witnessed.

The story is tragic and the arrangement of the cemetery is powerful and sobering as its story unfolds with the name plaques of all the men lost that day.

There were some positive outcomes from this awfulness. As a result of this incident, legislative changes included the implementation of trained mine rescue teams on every mine site. Regulations regarding occupational health and safety. Workman’s Compensation changed to a no-fault system providing better protection for victims and support for families left behind.. 

It makes the drive back past Frank slide with its similarly awful history just that bit more compelling.

There are days where it is good to be reminded of how fortunate we are and remember the hardships and tragedies of those who made our lives possible….and comfortable.

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After that epic trip up Turtle Mountain….a quieter day seemed like a good idea.

It was time to spend a lazy day doing not much but dabbling our tired feet and legs in the creek.

The following day, we could not justify sitting still some more, but we were definitely not ready for any big ambitious hikes. Scott had been looking at some interesting ghost towns in the area and seemed like a change of pace with some potential of coolness.

The Crowsnest has been extensively mined for coal from the early days of the railroad to more recent and modern extraction of resources. As you drive west through the pass there are mountains that have been taken apart and put back together in the interests of removing the black stuff.

The first town on our list was Hosmer (click), near Sparwood. Sparwood is very much a mining community ….as you drive through the town there is a huge disused mining truck sitting out in a park as a tourist attraction.

We stopped where the GPS indicated the road to Hosmer should be right by a derelict looking seriously sketchy building (that we were later informed actually still operates as a pub…..!! 😲)

With the help of a local lady who was walking by we did find the road to the remnants of the Hosmer Mine which is now set up as system of walking and ATV trails.

It looked like the truck might not fit….and you definitely don’t want to meet anyone coming the other way….. but heck…having packed our seasoned sense of adventure …why not…!!!

There are quite a bit of the old buildings still standing, and the trails are well marked with information boards and posts.

With a promise of more ‘stuff’ up the incline we tackled the aptly named incline trail. There were rewards at the top with a house/building…….

…and more bits of the mine workings still evident.

We completely failed to find any part of the cemetery…but I did find a link online which suggests that there is more to see there…. the grass was tall (and those horrid little seeds get in your shoes and socks) so we gave up and headed out to the last bit which was the ‘tipple’ (I had never heard of a tipple either..!!)

Morrisey (click) was the next mission……

We found the trailhead and followed the logging road up to where the mine used to be. We were unsuccessful at finding any part of the town or the mine site. But there were some really healthy wild raspberries ….. 😁

Next stop was the town of Corbin (click). The townsite is up the road to Coal Mountain.

The mine was still in operation ’til very recently and is now used for training people for their other sites. The town itself is a combination of very old disused buildings from the original town and more modernized small houses that look like vacation/hunting cottages and very much in use. We were careful not to trespass.

With a stop on the way back out of town to see some of the older mine workings. (the newer part was through a private gate with active security)

The drive up to Corbin was quite beautiful and a very remote quiet road. All in all it was a good way to spend a day.

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If this sounds like the title of a cautionary fable, it probably is. …and it probably includes the follies of challenging young people (who move like mountain goats crossed with Jack rabbits) to climb scary mountains.

We were back in the Crowsnest Pass, Blairmore Alberta to visit with friends Jordy and Tanya. Two lovely people we met on our first trip through the Crowsnest pass.

We arrived in town in time for the first annual Crowfest (unbeknownst to us at the time) in Blairmore, Alberta. The festival included live bands in the park, a vendors market…..and a beer garden with brewskies from two local Craft brewers…..The Pass Brewery (click) and Oldman River Brewing (click). Both of these breweries make mighty fine beers by the way.

Photo op with the Crow…!!!

After some socialising and a couple of adult beverages it seemed like a good idea to have another go at Turtle Mountain (click). We had attempted this one on our previous visit….and only managed halfway partly because of weather…but mostly because it was a very steep hard climb that we were not really prepared for (well I wasn’t..!!)

So…early morning start to try and beat the heat of the day……we convened at the trailhead.

The beginning of the trail was in much better condition than the last time we were here as there had been a trail run competition recently. Mind blowing to imagine how anyone could run up or down this trail……but apparently it did happen..!!

…..and this is just the start….!!!

Even with the improvements to the trail and our vastly expanded experience, it is still a brutally hard climb.

The elevation gain on this one is rapid to say the least.(3,136ft in 4.5 miles…..or 960 m in 7.2km) ….and those darn young people loped on ahead.

It was a warm day for it as well……and this path involves a lot of spots where you are completely exposed and looking down the valley, which is breath taking……..

…using views …and local wildlife…as excuses to stop for a breath…..

….or looking off the edge of a ledge…which is heart stopping.

The whole thing is quite the cardiovascular workout.

I stopped frequently …but I have to say it was not nearly as scary as last time.

The path follows the rock ridge…

…….and is pretty much up….all the way………. ( I guess mountains are like that..!!)

…and there is a bit of hands and knees climbing thrown in……..

…but just little bits.

It’s a very well-marked and well-travelled trail. We met a couple of people on the way up….and quite a few more on the way down.

Just about when you are thinking it can’t go up much more…..

It does exactly that..!!!

It has to be one of the most rewarding hikes for the views all the way. The advantage(!) of being on the rock ridge is that most of the trail gives you this beyond spectacular view right up the Crowsnest pass.

….and then you have to climb up a few more rocks…..

We got up to just before the peak and stopped for rehydration and a bit of wonderment on the side of the ridge where half the mountain fell off in 1903 Frank slide used to be this side of the mountain right here……..

..and now its down there…..!!

Jordy and Tanya continued up the few hundred feet to the peak for this photo op…I was not that ambitious. The chance to rest was welcome and the views of Frank slide were amazing. This thing is impressive from the ground but it is jaw dropping from above.

And so to the journey down. It was a hot dry day and the path was rocky, dry and dusty…….and steep.

My blogtographer was way more amused than he should have been as I ‘starfished’ my way down the path.

I think he may have almost fallen off the ridge he was cackling so loudly…

The descent was about as hard as the ascent (our arms were sore for days after from balancing ………..and the occasional starfish..!!)

Going down gives you a whole different set of views. It is incredibly beautiful.

Towards the end we took a bit of a wrong turn on one of the switchbacks and ended up at the top of a cliff. To add to the torture you can see the truck….right there…….we are almost there……

…and then theres the rock chimney you have to climb (slither on your backside more like it…LOL)

…and then we were down…….

It was time for a beer…..( maybe a shower first….but definitely a beer…)

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