Created 5-Jun-11
Modified 20-Dec-23
2011-06-04 | Volcano Ridge (Kananaskis, AB) | 2132m | 19.9km | 843m gain
Super-Saturday season opener with Peter and Jay. An early (5am) roll time meant sweeping the highway for countless deer, then elk, moose & sheep. Rain, fading to drizzle, to very light drizzle at the trail-head but quite socked in. Trail-head is on Gorge Creek Trail west of Turner Valley, Gorge Creek parking lot. It was looking like a 'no view' kind of day until the final approach to the summit of Volcano Ridge when the sky cleared and we could see the Blue Rock Mountain, Mount Rose, & Three Point appear magically out of the fog bank. We were on top of the clouds looking east out onto the prairie, just endless cloud tops. But I didn't take a picture! Sunshine nap on the summit, early lunch and back out again in the sunshine. One sketchy creek crossing – the one place for some reason they haven't put in a bridge, otherwise just a few isothermic drifts to cross on the side trip to the highpoint on the ridge and a fair bit of mud.
Jay's sharp eyes spotted a black bear mother and cub not far from the trail-head on the drive out. I detoured to Sheep falls – a favourite place – before heading home.
© Clayton Ditzler