Mosquito Creek Mischief...

Holy moly!! Folks, I have just returned from what may have been the most wickedly fun weekend on record!! And I didn't even have to leave Alberta for it! Hee hee! One of my best friends is getting married in two weeks, so we had her stagette this weekend at Mosquito Creek (north of Lake Louise). Picture it: fourteen women... three days... one Rocky Mountain hostel... Oh, my!

How are we all gonna fit??!

The real Mosquito Creek Hostel!

Suffice it to say, the majority of the events from the past 72 hours will not be discussed in this post... I'll leave it up to the bride-to-be to reveal as much as she dares! What I can tell you is, that I'm pretty certain all of us had a kick-ass time - there was hiking and drinking and campfires and dancing and socializing (not necessarily in that order!), and I met many fabulous new friends over the course of the multi-day party.

Jody - our Guide Bride!

Crowfoot Mtn and Glacier in the background.

On the way to Helen Lake.

Jump - jump - jump! Jump around!!

The only wildlife we saw all weekend.

Jody, Julie, Heather, Megan, Megan (yes, there were two!), Chelsea, Kendra, Maren, Monique, Darcie, Marian, Christine, Kirstin... you ladies ROCK! I can't wait to see you all again on the big day!!

Cheers!

Foiled Again!

Today I was supposed to meet my good friend Ruby and her two awesome kids, Haley and Erik, for a quick hike up to Baldy Pass (down in K-Country). I was soooo looking forward to it, since I haven't seen their smiling faces in quite some time! Well, unbeknownst to me, there is a place of a similar namesake out near Nordegg... and after hanging out at the trailhead along Hwy 40 for nearly an hour beyond our meeting time, I was able to get ahold of said hiking partners, only to find out that they were waiting for me... three hours from where I was waiting for them!! D'OH!!

Somehow our directions got mixed up, and Ruby and the kids went north, and I went south. We didn't ended up getting together after all. Booo! But, since I was already there, I thought I might as well zip up to Baldy Pass anyhow and check it out.

Just a few minutes below the pass, I caught up to some really nice ladies who were out from Calgary for the day. They very kindly invited me to join them, so I did, and I spent an enjoyable afternoon getting to know Loral, Helen and Monica.

Even though the day didn't turn out as planned, it still ended up pretty darn good! The weather was gorgeous and I met some really nice peeps. And Ruby, Haley and Erik... I still hope to catch up with you soon!

Cheers!

Aerial Views

I love being in an airplane, always have. Cruising along, miles above the earth, being able to see as far as what seems likes forever on a clear day... love it!!! I also love all the shapes and patterns that are visible from the air. Some of the most gorgeous, unique sights go completely unnoticed from most vantage points at ground level!

Flying is such a cool experience - to me it feels like I'm almost suspended in space... and I so look forward to getting on a plane again soon!!

Cheers!

Good People and Good Times!!

Sylvan Lake was the place to be today! I spent the day with friends at a cabin on the lake, and we had so much fun on the water!!

Peddling around.

Finding a quiet place to ski.

Toni rips it up!! Yeah!

I even gave it a whirl! This was like, the second time in about 25 years!

The day was beautiful, the company was fabulous, and I had such an awesome time! Thanks so much Karen, for inviting us out, and thank you Mark for taking us waterskiing - it was a blast!!

Cheers!

A little bit of outside time...

Today was one of those days where I spent more time driving to and from the trailhead, than I spent actually ON the trail. Oh well - I still got out for a bit of exercise and fresh air, so it's all good!!

View of the North Kananaskis Valley and Barrier Lake
from the ridge of Mt Baldy.

Randomness!

Not sure what's up for tomorrow... it is supposed to be another nice day, so as long as I get to be outside, I don't really care what I do! Yeah!

Cheers.

I saw Shamu!

This past weekend I made it into an extra-long one - I hopped a plane with my good friend Toni and headed for some Southern California sun and fun! The real excuse for traveling to San Diego was my baby sister... she and her husband spend a week every August in the Mission Bay area... so it was doubly awesome to get to hook up with her as well!!

It was a whirlwind tour, for sure. We hit SeaWorld (amazing!), the Gaslamp District (super cool), the San Diego Zoo (that place is HUGE!!), the USS Midway (fascinating), Old Town (historic), and of course a few malls here and there. The weather was perfect and I had a fantastic time! Talk about hard to come home...  **SIGH**

Here is an overview of my favorite things from SD:

SeaWorld!

Killer whale tricks!

Shamu puts on a darn good show!

This was an all-day affair...

Lunchtime!

So serious...

I had no idea hippos could stay under water so long!

Check out the gorgeous landscape!

Well, it's back to work for a few days, and then the plan is to get out for two or three days in the mountains. I just realized that it is dang near mid-August... oyy!! And I haven't even come close to getting to all the trails and peaks on my 'To Do' list yet. Guess I better get on it!!!

Cheers!

Another beautiful day!

This morning I got up and drove out to Kananaskis Village, to meet one of my bestest friends for a hike. And in all honesty, if it weren't for the fabulous company, the venture would have been a bust for sure. Contrary to yesterday's trip, there was very little 'wow' factor to this trail. It rambled up a boring logging road for the first half and then through thick forest for the second. Views were pretty much non-existent until the very end, and if you know me, then you know that I hate spending alot of time in the trees. And today, I spent 16km worth in the trees. Booo.

Oh well, I'll stop whining already! The weather was gorgeous and the conversation was great, and I still managed to snap a few pics. Even though the scenery wasn't the best, it was still nothing short of awesome to spend the day in the mountains!

Jody!

Ribbon Peak

Bogart Tower above Memorial Lake

Wildflower that Jody knows the name of but I don't!

The spider that Jody nearly ate.

I had such a good time catching up with Jody and am grateful I got to hang with her for the day. Thanks so much Jodes!! I miss you and look forward to seeing you again soon!

Cheers!

Talk about WOW! factor!!

My friend Lynn joined me today for a fabulous walk up to Wilcox Pass. What a day!

Ready to roll!

Never-ending views!

This has got to be one of the most scenic trails I've ever been on. The pass is expansive beyond belief and the Columbia Icefields dominate the scenery. Plus the trail is easy-peasy! The only down side to it is the crowds. We went early so we missed most of the gong show... and we also had time for a jaunt over to Wilcox (aka Nigel) Lake.

Wilcox (or Nigel?) Lake

Above Wilcox Pass

Wilcox Pass

What a view!

The skies were clear and the temps were warm, but it was moderately windy - which is to be expected I guess, since it is a pass after all.

windblown

A great friend, and a great hike - it was a fantastic way to spend the day! Thanks so much Lynn!

Cheers!

Lake-fest!

What an awesome couple of weeks it has been! We just got back from a great camping holiday in the southwest corner of Alberta. There wasn't really a plan in place when we left - following the sunshine was pretty much the only thing on the agenda... and we got as far as the Pincher Creek / Waterton area and that is where we hung out. It was absolutely fabulous!

Between hiking and kiting and beach time, we visited several lakes including Oldman Reservoir, Keho Lake, Waterton Lakes, Cameron Lake, Wall Lake, Upper and Lower Rowe Lakes, and Crypt Lake. Of course I would have loved to have seen more (read: every lake in Waterton Nat'l Park!), however there are only so many hours in a day and only so many days in a vacation.  **SIGH**  But I'm definitely not complaining - I had so much fun and am sad that it is over.

Now. Are you ready for this? Since I didn't take my laptop with me, I was not able to post while I was away. Which means that I have a ton of pics to share... and about a quarter of them are coming at you in this one MASSIVE SLIDESHOW. Note that it may not start properly on the first try... not sure what the problem is...? At any rate, enjoy!

Cheers!

What A Weekend!

The past three days have been super fun! Friday and Saturday, Todd and friends had a couple of wicked kitesurfing sessions at Gull Lake, and today, Todd and I spent the day in Kananaskis.

Here are a few pics of crazy Peter M. and his fluorescent green board at Gull yesterday:

Peter does a hooked-in railey

Hooked-in railey! Not bad!!

Pre-wipeout

You can imagine how this one ended...

Todd and I got up early this morning and drove down to Kananaskis Village where we proceeded to hoof-it into Ribbon Falls. That has got to be the easiest trail in K-Country - confirmed by the fact that everybody and their dog was on it... literally! It was quite busy, but it was still awesome to be out enjoying such a fabulous day.

Ribbon Creek

Mellow walk to Ribbon Falls

Ribbon Falls

Ribbon Falls

Above Ribbon Falls

What a view!

Descending the chains

The falls are impressive, and we explored above them with the intent of checking out Ribbon Lake (which we got to see last year from Buller Pass). After the first set of chains up the cliff band however, we decided that we had gone far enough, and we turned around and headed back down to the car.

Tomorrow, the usual work grind awaits... but it's tolerable this week because on Thursday, I start some summer vacation... and I can hardly wait! No travel plans are set in stone yet - it will be a last  minute decision that will heavily depend on the weather. Come on, Sun!!

Cheers!


Ribbon Falls - including ascent to the cliff face on the headwall
Time (car to car): 5 hrs  (1-3/4 hrs to the falls)
Distance: ~20km
Elevation Gain (to headwall): ~500m