Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Ha Ling Spring Tune Up
Yeah, I know, I'm about two months late in getting started this year. Not sure why I haven't had hiking and scrambling at a higher priority, but there you are.
Anyway, I've been thinking about doing this for a couple of weeks. I was out of town last week, and had stuff going on this last weekend, so if it wasn't for Canada Day falling in the middle of the week, I would still not be started this year.
I was at a deserted Goat Creek parking lot just after 8:00 and wasted no time starting up the trail. It was a muggy, close day and in the forest, with no breeze, I was quickly at the hot and sweaty mark.
There wasn't much out of the ordinary as I climbed as aggressively as my lungs would let me. I wanted a workout and I pushed hard.
At about 2200 metres, the trees thinned and the wind was making itself felt. It was a cool enough of a day, and that wind had a little bit of a bite. I kept at it, and as the trail split into many in the scree, I kept to the uppermost. I wanted to gain the col as quick as possible.
Across the way, the east peak of Mount Rundle was swaddled in a lenticular cloud, sculpted into a flying saucer shape by the wind. Mount Lawrence Grassi was also topped by cloud. Both were looking a little dark and dreary.
As I crested the col, the wind hit with icicles. Not really strong like the last time, but it was cool, and I was wearing a technical tee, which was absolutely no barrier to the wind. I dug out my fleece.
I clambered up from the col along the edge of the bowl to the top of Ha Ling, and stood to check out the view. Grotto and Lady Macdonald were mere shadows in the haze, as was the view toward Dead Man's Flats. Canmore lay below, looking awfully quiet for a town about to put on a Canada Day parade. I found a spot to sit, and dug out my lunch and field glasses. Really early for a lunch, but I was hungry.
I could see nothing much moving down below. A few cars roaming the streets, and one or two coming up the road around the reservoir to the Nordic Centre. A chubby rodent with a short tail and striking multi-coloured stripe down each side, edged toward me, looking for a handout. Which reminded me that I need to get some trail mix. (Not that I share with these critters.)
Several other squirrels started to pop up out of the scree. These were smaller and had several stripes distributed evenly across their backs. Meanwhile the original had gone under the boulders, and I could hear him shifting pebbles around.
I'd cooled down in the breeze, and decided to start moving again. I went a little farther along the peak to peek down on the damn above the Grassi Lakes, and used the field glasses to check out the trails up Mount Rundle. Then I backtracked to the col.
At the col, rain started to come down just enough for me to need my rain jacket. The cloud still hid the top of Lawrence Grassi, and behind me, more cloud was rushing up between Rundle and Ha Ling like a serpent hunting for lunch.
Up the other side from the col, I reached a small meadow, which rose up to a point overlooking the town. I began to head toward it, and coming up on a flatter part of the meadow, a silvery-brown critter roused itself to stare at me. We looked at each other for awhile, then I advanced up the slope. The marmot decided he was shy and slipped over the edge down a rock cut. I watched until he disappeared under an overhang.
I'd been up on this side the first time I came up, and it's a good vantage to watch the rock climbers coming up the face of Ha Ling. I could see no one this time, but the spot I'd found was out of the wind, so I just sat and gazed over the valley. Meanwhile the rain kept up, kind of spitty, but easy to ignore. I love the clothing I bought last year for hiking, as it was totally repelling the water.
One of the things about being on top of a mountain is that no spot is entirely comfortable to sit on for too long, and I got up and headed back to the meadow. On the other side a scree slope showed several faint animal trails that lead to a notch, and a lone goat wandering high above them.
I crossed the meadow, climbing a small rock band to the scree. From that side the trails completely disappeared. I started a traverse to the notch, and the goat moved that way too, looking over his shoulder at me every once in awhile. Eventually I noticed one of the trails a dozen metres below me and I worked my way down. When I looked up again, the goat was gone.
About half way across, the scree thinned to reveal hard clay, which was a little to slippery for me to trust my footing on in the rain. Thirty metres below, a broad ledge jutted out of the scree, green and tastefully decorated with a couple of small pines. Another marmot wandered past the tree to sprawl near the edge of the lawn, overlooking the chasm below.
I made my way down to the ledge, and the marmot dropped over the edge. Once I got down to the grass, I peered over the edge to see him looking back at me from a small spur several metres below. Across the way, two or three waterfalls plunged noisily down the side of Lawrence Grassi from small snowbanks dotting the side, to disappear in the scree below.
I climbed back up to the meadow, and headed back down to the col. Two gentlemen had stopped there, to tie a large flag to one of their trekking poles. One of them had matching boxers on, with the maple leaf strategically placed. We talked for awhile, then I continued on down, while headed up toward the meadow.
A foursome with dogs passed on the trail to the peak. Later, three young girls were passing the tree line. I was surprised I hadn't seen anyone before this. I would have thought the locals would have been up on the holiday.
Once in the trees, I was out of the rain and the wind. I stripped off the rain jacket and fleece and stuffed them in my bag. I passed two more couples, and near the bottom met two friends. I had talked to Carla about organizing a group hike, and had suggested this one. Now her and her boyfriend were checking it out. I'll likely see them again next weekend at the marathon - we're both running the half.
At the parking lot, a dozen cars were sprinkled along its length. I tossed my stuff in and drove back toward Canmore. At the three-way stop, a young lady in a safety vest directed me toward the Three Sisters Parkway, as the Canada Day parade had stoppered the downtown. Not having gone that way, it was an interesting drive, to the TransCanada and home.
Ha Ling
Starting elevation: 1672 m (5486 feet).
Highest elevation: 2484 m (8150 feet).
Lowest elevation: 1672 m (5486 feet).
Elevation gain: 812 m (2664 feet).
Distance: 7.8 km (4.8 mi).
Time: 4:11.
Anyway, I've been thinking about doing this for a couple of weeks. I was out of town last week, and had stuff going on this last weekend, so if it wasn't for Canada Day falling in the middle of the week, I would still not be started this year.
I was at a deserted Goat Creek parking lot just after 8:00 and wasted no time starting up the trail. It was a muggy, close day and in the forest, with no breeze, I was quickly at the hot and sweaty mark.
There wasn't much out of the ordinary as I climbed as aggressively as my lungs would let me. I wanted a workout and I pushed hard.
At about 2200 metres, the trees thinned and the wind was making itself felt. It was a cool enough of a day, and that wind had a little bit of a bite. I kept at it, and as the trail split into many in the scree, I kept to the uppermost. I wanted to gain the col as quick as possible.
Across the way, the east peak of Mount Rundle was swaddled in a lenticular cloud, sculpted into a flying saucer shape by the wind. Mount Lawrence Grassi was also topped by cloud. Both were looking a little dark and dreary.
As I crested the col, the wind hit with icicles. Not really strong like the last time, but it was cool, and I was wearing a technical tee, which was absolutely no barrier to the wind. I dug out my fleece.
I clambered up from the col along the edge of the bowl to the top of Ha Ling, and stood to check out the view. Grotto and Lady Macdonald were mere shadows in the haze, as was the view toward Dead Man's Flats. Canmore lay below, looking awfully quiet for a town about to put on a Canada Day parade. I found a spot to sit, and dug out my lunch and field glasses. Really early for a lunch, but I was hungry.
I could see nothing much moving down below. A few cars roaming the streets, and one or two coming up the road around the reservoir to the Nordic Centre. A chubby rodent with a short tail and striking multi-coloured stripe down each side, edged toward me, looking for a handout. Which reminded me that I need to get some trail mix. (Not that I share with these critters.)
Several other squirrels started to pop up out of the scree. These were smaller and had several stripes distributed evenly across their backs. Meanwhile the original had gone under the boulders, and I could hear him shifting pebbles around.
I'd cooled down in the breeze, and decided to start moving again. I went a little farther along the peak to peek down on the damn above the Grassi Lakes, and used the field glasses to check out the trails up Mount Rundle. Then I backtracked to the col.
At the col, rain started to come down just enough for me to need my rain jacket. The cloud still hid the top of Lawrence Grassi, and behind me, more cloud was rushing up between Rundle and Ha Ling like a serpent hunting for lunch.
Up the other side from the col, I reached a small meadow, which rose up to a point overlooking the town. I began to head toward it, and coming up on a flatter part of the meadow, a silvery-brown critter roused itself to stare at me. We looked at each other for awhile, then I advanced up the slope. The marmot decided he was shy and slipped over the edge down a rock cut. I watched until he disappeared under an overhang.
I'd been up on this side the first time I came up, and it's a good vantage to watch the rock climbers coming up the face of Ha Ling. I could see no one this time, but the spot I'd found was out of the wind, so I just sat and gazed over the valley. Meanwhile the rain kept up, kind of spitty, but easy to ignore. I love the clothing I bought last year for hiking, as it was totally repelling the water.
One of the things about being on top of a mountain is that no spot is entirely comfortable to sit on for too long, and I got up and headed back to the meadow. On the other side a scree slope showed several faint animal trails that lead to a notch, and a lone goat wandering high above them.
I crossed the meadow, climbing a small rock band to the scree. From that side the trails completely disappeared. I started a traverse to the notch, and the goat moved that way too, looking over his shoulder at me every once in awhile. Eventually I noticed one of the trails a dozen metres below me and I worked my way down. When I looked up again, the goat was gone.
About half way across, the scree thinned to reveal hard clay, which was a little to slippery for me to trust my footing on in the rain. Thirty metres below, a broad ledge jutted out of the scree, green and tastefully decorated with a couple of small pines. Another marmot wandered past the tree to sprawl near the edge of the lawn, overlooking the chasm below.
I made my way down to the ledge, and the marmot dropped over the edge. Once I got down to the grass, I peered over the edge to see him looking back at me from a small spur several metres below. Across the way, two or three waterfalls plunged noisily down the side of Lawrence Grassi from small snowbanks dotting the side, to disappear in the scree below.
I climbed back up to the meadow, and headed back down to the col. Two gentlemen had stopped there, to tie a large flag to one of their trekking poles. One of them had matching boxers on, with the maple leaf strategically placed. We talked for awhile, then I continued on down, while headed up toward the meadow.
A foursome with dogs passed on the trail to the peak. Later, three young girls were passing the tree line. I was surprised I hadn't seen anyone before this. I would have thought the locals would have been up on the holiday.
Once in the trees, I was out of the rain and the wind. I stripped off the rain jacket and fleece and stuffed them in my bag. I passed two more couples, and near the bottom met two friends. I had talked to Carla about organizing a group hike, and had suggested this one. Now her and her boyfriend were checking it out. I'll likely see them again next weekend at the marathon - we're both running the half.
At the parking lot, a dozen cars were sprinkled along its length. I tossed my stuff in and drove back toward Canmore. At the three-way stop, a young lady in a safety vest directed me toward the Three Sisters Parkway, as the Canada Day parade had stoppered the downtown. Not having gone that way, it was an interesting drive, to the TransCanada and home.
Ha Ling
Starting elevation: 1672 m (5486 feet).
Highest elevation: 2484 m (8150 feet).
Lowest elevation: 1672 m (5486 feet).
Elevation gain: 812 m (2664 feet).
Distance: 7.8 km (4.8 mi).
Time: 4:11.
# posted by Kelly @ 9:21 p.m. 
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