More Magic

More mountains, more magic

After a Saturday filled with heckling at a cross race (hopefully more on that later, photo sources are needed to do that justice...), riding a messenger race in the downtown after dark and taking over 17th Avenue by bicycle until the early hours (more later, photos again), Sunday's hike was to serve as a welcome tranquil relaxation from the hectic 24 hours prior.
The alpine group is getting skinned to the core, with only J Sparls and I taking the short drive out to Moose Mountain on the eastern reaches of the long arm of the Rockies. Winter is coming as was apparent once in the Kananaskis. We drove the 7 kilometers up the lower slopes of the mountain to the official trail head. Along the way we stumbled upon a handful of hearty mtb riders braving the snowy conditions.
significantly as we became more exposed to the wind. This leads me to the only real hair raising moment on this trip. As we rounded a corner the wind started gusting to a speed that must have been in the 100km/hr range. I was using my trekking poles and all my strength to push onwards. Then it happened. With my head down the wind caught my new Oakley Eyepatch glasses and slipped them off my face. I watched helplessly as they bounced off the rocks once and then literally blew off down slope towards a cliff to the north. It didn't take long before I was bounding through the snowdrifts after them and only seconds before disaster they finally gThis hike starts out incredibly tame compared to weeks past, in fact it never really gets difficult at all. We covered the approach to the summit along the ridge in record time and began to navigate the first set of switchbacks. Although warm the temperature began to plummetot caught in the snow and I could nab them only meters from the edge of the drop. Safety first... After stowing my eye wear we proceeded to navigate more snow and high winds to reach the summit and the ranger station that is situated there. Apparently rangers spend up to 5.5 months on the mountain without relief, receiving all of their suppliers by helicopter. It was from the helipad teetering on the mountains edge that I nabbed this panorama to the west. After a lunch on the ranger's patio it was time to head back down. Moose Mountain is special in its easy accessibility and true summit nature. The views are 360 degrees with the Rockies on one side and the vast prairie grasslands to the east. We could just make out Calgary through the haze it has created for itself, nestled there in the open wasteland it calls home. It always baffles me how a city can simply appear in the middle of nowhere and in the span of 100 years be what it is today.
Conditions are changing in the mountains and winter is fast approaching. I got my new Salomon trail runners today. With their Gore-Tex protective qualities they will be a welcome change from the ultra light road runners I have been using to gain access to the overworld.