| Author |
Topic |
|
High River, (just south of Calgary eh!), Alberta
Canada
1700 Posts |
Posted - 06/17/2007 : 3:49 PM
|
Misty-Mountain-Hop: June 16, 2007. Prairie Mountain and Moose Mountain
The objective: Twofold. One, just to get out and put some miles on my lazy legs and two to hike with a co-worker of mine who is relatively new to the area and we’ve been discussing routes etc on breaks at work. The first place I sent him was Nahanni Ridge (to get up high but hopefully no snow) a few weeks ago and then realized not knowing his ability he could fall off “Then I’ll have guilt!”… but he did the whole thing and raved about it. Great guy, better shape than me so I could push as hard as I felt my knees and heart were capable of.
Early start, trail head by 6 a.m. so after a quick look on the internet at the radar which showed several substantial systems moving thru the area (grumble grumble) off to K country. Must have heard some Led Zeppelin on the radio...
"So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains where the spirits go now,Over the hills where the spirits fly,"...
Took the secondary roads providing sightings of many deer, a couple coyotes, a blue heron, and moose that gave my anti-locking brakes a test by Three Point Creek. They just don’t get the concept of cars.
We climbed Prairie Mountain first with a round trip of about 2.5 hours (Granticulus, your record is safe from me for some time ) and there were some nice views from part way up.
 
At the top not much more than 100m of visibility but a light breeze made it feel chilly.
We climbed Moose next, round trip around 5 hours including a lunch break on the heli-pad. The well fed Golden-mantled ground squirrels don’t even wait for an invitation to lunch. The fire lookout attendant greeted us explaining that the poor little fellows had been buried again mid-week by about four inches of wet snow. As he is there from Mid-May to Mid-October (longer than they are active) he feeds them and treats them as pets. His thermometer said 2 degrees C with windspeeds between zero and twenty and it wasn’t long before we were reaching for toques and gloves. Same visibility as Prairie, not much more than 100m.
 
 
All in all a good day… have to get back up to one of them for the longer views at some point. The attendant said on a clear day he can see north to Didsbury, West to Assiniboine, East to Bassano and I’m not sure how far south but he did comment that he quite liked watching the first of July fireworks in High River. |
|
Courtenay, British Columbia
Canada
78 Posts |
Posted - 06/17/2007 : 9:13 PM
|
Sounds like you had a fun trip. Does the fire lookout attendant stay up there in a cabin for the 5 month period, or does he/she go back and forth? Where can I sign up.  |
|
|
Calgary, AB
Canada
498 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2007 : 07:58 AM
|
An ambitious early season outing. Good thing you chose Saturday. I tried Moose Mountain on Sunday, but was greated with fresh snow. |
|
|
 Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13453 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2007 : 12:53 PM
|
Neat how the mists drape over the ranges like that.
Regards, |
|
|
High River, (just south of Calgary eh!), Alberta
Canada
1700 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2007 : 8:22 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by islandtrekker
Sounds like you had a fun trip. Does the fire lookout attendant stay up there in a cabin for the 5 month period, or does he/she go back and forth? Where can I sign up.
I think they stay for the duration of the fire season but I'm not totally sure about that. And its not all peaches and cream either. I asked about wind and the highest he said he'd experienced up there was 220 kmph. |
|
|
737 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2007 : 10:27 PM
|
Sodbuster and islandtrekker: Perhaps this photo will provide you with the info you're looking for...
Sodbuster: It's a shame that you and your buddy didn't get a view...It's a bit like my Holy Cross scramble on the same day. Did you get wet??? It was raining pretty hard on the way to Longview around 08:00.
By the way...two peaks in one day...pretty impressive considering you had to actually drive after getting down off of one mountain (most people call it a day at that point!) to head over to Moose. Prairie is about 715m elevation gain and Moose is about 670m with all the ups and downs. That makes a very respectable 1385m and 20.6km for a pretty wet day. Way to go! |
|
|
High River, (just south of Calgary eh!), Alberta
Canada
1700 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2007 : 8:47 PM
|
| Thanks Granticulus, but pretty tame mountains compared to what you were doing. A few very minor showers and the mist from the low cloud was the precip we had. There was some pretty heavy rain later in the day...as I was on my roof unplugging the gutters. |
|
|
|
Utah's canyon trekking,deck chair packing desert explorer who dreams of visiting Canada someday
3988 Posts |
Posted - 06/21/2007 : 9:03 PM
|
"Well, you know, they asked us to stay for tea and have some fun"
So, they did (the ground squirrels, that is...) 
Listening to GORILLAZ not ZEPPLIN, right now.
I agree, that shot of the mist on the mountains sure is a commanding view! Next time, you'll get the views! yes! I met a fire ranger on the Arizona Strip once. He was pretty hard up for company, too.
He was so excited to show off his garden. Then he said:
"Durn! Where you at?" He was looking around and said he had a rattler that lived up there and must be out hunting. He was bummed we couldn't see his rattler. Do all fire rangers have pets that live right up there? Too funny! |
|
|
Calgary, alberta
Canada
670 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2007 : 3:48 PM
|
quote:
he first place I sent him was Nahanni Ridge (to get up high but hopefully no snow)
I hope you didn't send him all the way there (NWT, or YUKON I think) I think you mean Nihahi, which is at the end of Highway 66 in K country, right by the Little Elbow campground. Nihani is lovely hike, I don't know about Nahanni though..
BB |
|
|
High River, (just south of Calgary eh!), Alberta
Canada
1700 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2007 : 6:40 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by Bernbaby
quote:
he first place I sent him was Nahanni Ridge (to get up high but hopefully no snow)
I hope you didn't send him all the way there (NWT, or YUKON I think) I think you mean Nihahi, which is at the end of Highway 66 in K country, right by the Little Elbow campground. Nihani is lovely hike, I don't know about Nahanni though..
BB
You are correct... I spelled it wrong, Nihahi is the correct spelling and off the end of 66 is the location. Thanks for the heads up. (Apparently it means "rocky" in Stoney lingo) |
|
|
Chilliwack, BC
561 Posts |
Posted - 06/24/2007 : 8:59 PM
|
| I'd like to get up there but dont think I'd want to stay there for six months though, pets or no pets lol |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
Prairie & Moose Mnt (Kananaskis AB) June 16, 2007
