Mount Yamnuska
In true backcountry fashion, we were without internet yesterday so we were unable to post an update. That being said, we had a great hike, hiking the classic scramble Mount Yamnuska. As was stated yesterday, this crew is all business on the mountain and we again were able to hike the mountain in great time, singing all along the way. Mount Yamnuska offers stellar views of the Bow Valley and while we didn’t take the time to fully summit the mountain or complete the scramble, everyone was well satisfied with the scenery. (The classic scramble is actually a loop around the mountain with a “chain section” where there is a ledge walk above a sheer cliff. While several of the teachers in this group have done this loop, we do not as it’s a bit too involved). In this scramble, we began from the parking lot at the base of the mountain and gained a fair bit of elevation as we hiked in the trees around the back of the mountain. The majority of the hike actually occurs in the trees as we climb around the sheer cliff of the front side of the mountain. Around the backside is the “scramble” section of the hike, where we quickly reached “The Chimney.” In this section, we climbed through a short section of rock to get to the scree slope around back. From there it was a short climb up the scree slope to the top of the cliff, where we ate lunch. We all stayed well back of the cliff, despite the optical illusions in the photos! In a very controlled fashion and teacher directed, we bellied up to the edge to take a peek over the edge. After lunch, we make our quick descent as we had some time wandering Canmore and swimming at Elevation Place (the beautiful Canmore rec centre) to get to. The hot tub felt sooooo good after two days of hiking! Tonight was taco salad night and everyone had their fill!
After two days of weather reports calling for rain and/or thunder showers, we definitely feel lucky for our absolutely great weather!
After two days of weather reports calling for rain and/or thunder showers, we definitely feel lucky for our absolutely great weather!