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Two weeks ago Julie and I went for a hike at Ptarmigan Cirque with her sister Jill, Jill’s husband JF, and their adorable kids Claire and Sarah. This is my second time completing this beautiful hike. The last time I completed the hike was June 15th 2019. You can view my blog post on it here.
Ptarmigan Cirque is a 4.3 kilometer loop in Kananaskis Park that starts just along Highway 40, before traversing up 355 metres of elevation gain through the thick forest before opening up to a beautiful meadow / rocky area between some mountains. This hike is about 8000 feet above sea level, so make sure to pace yourself or you’ll find yourself out of breath.
After hiking we went back to their campsite at Mount Kidd RV Park. We had a delicious dinner of pulled pork sandwiches that Jill had prepared, and then played a few rounds of Washer Toss, also known as Horseshoe’s. The campsite was one of the nicest campsites I’ve been to because it had high tree density, huge lots, power, and water. I even was able to plug in my Toyota Prius PRIME in to recharge for 40km of “free” range. I purchased the car in March 2020 with only 16000km, and I’m already at 33000km!
Julie and I ended up leaving the campsite at around 7pm as we still had our dog Grady hanging out at home waiting for her dinner.
Check back soon as I write about my next hike that I completed last weekend; Taylor Lake in Banff National Park.
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On July 17th 2020 Dad and I drove to Emerald Lake to do some hiking. Dad decided to hike around Emerald Lake, and I completed the 9.3 km (return) hike to Hamilton Lake in the beautiful Yoho National Park. The hike has 864 metres of elevation gain, so it’s quite the grind up to the top. The hike took me just under 3 hours to complete, but the sticker time on the hike is closer to 5 hours. I would budget 4.5-5.5 hours.
When we arrived at Emerald Lake it was just after 10am and the water was completely still. I’ve never seen it in this mirror-finish before and was quite in awe.
After taking in the beauty of the lake I started the grind up towards Hamilton Lake. There was a few scenic portions towards the top, including a waterfall, but the majority of the hike was in the woods.
At the top you’re presented with a gorgeous view of the pristine glacier fed lake. It had only thawed a few days prior and was extremely cold to the touch. Throughout the hike I hadn’t run into a single person on this entire hike, which allowed me to enjoy the trail all by myself.
Dad and I met in Emerald Lodge for a beer afterwards. our timing was near perfect; within 7 minutes. We both enjoyed an IPA beer in the lodge, which was quite empty due to the lack of tourism in the area because of COVID-19.
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This weekend I completed the short but sweet hike to Consolation Lakes. Sadly I forgot the memory card for my Canon EOS R at home, so I was stuck with my trusty iPhone XS. Luckily I have an app called ProCam, which allows you take take photos in RAW format, so that you can edit them later on in Adobe Photoshop.
The hike starts from the Moraine Lake parking lot and heads east, over Moraine Creek on a fairly new bridge. Off to the right there is a 300 metre long path up some steps to have a beautiful view of the lake. I don’t actually ever recall seeing this vantage point in the past, but my parents may have taken me there as a child.
After viewing the lake. I continued along the 6 kilometre trail towards Consolation Lakes. Near the Tower of Babel I had to cross the river again, but this time there wasn’t a bridge, so I had to hop along the rocks.
Continuing further towards the lakes there is the fast moving Babel Creek off on the left hand side.
The path towards the lakes was very well kept until the last few minutes, where it was a bit muddy. Parks Canada even did a very nice job in the areas that tend to get washed out by building a raised-up pathway area.
When I arrived at the lake I was awe struck at the beauty of the lake. There was a few ducks Wood Ducks swimming in the lake, as well as a few Marmots. I wasn’t able to take great pictures of these with my phone. While sitting and admiring the view I could hear and see the glaciers in the background cracking and falling.
After taking in the views it was time to head back, as there was a storm about to roll in. The hike took me just over an hour and a half to complete.
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On June 19th 2020 I completed the 9.2 km (return) hike to Arnica Lake in the beautiful Banff National Park. The hike starts with a slight downward grade towards the beautiful Vista Lake where you can see a view of Storm Mountain, which raises nearly 3100 metres above sea level. After you arrive at Vista Lake you begin a 1.25-1.5 hour 600 metre elevation gain grind towards the top.
Half way to the top I arrived at a tiny, yet mirror perfect lake, before continuing towards the top.
About 15 minutes towards the top I was in waist deep snow, and even saw a reasonable fresh bear footprint in the snow. After arriving at the lake I enjoyed the beautiful view before heading back towards the parking lot. The total trip took me about 2.75 hours.
If you like the content that I produce and want to donate money towards the upkeep of my site, my travel, or buy me a cup of coffee please feel free to contribute towards it. I really appreciate it.