Mount Ware

Five days of snow!

The forecast in Canmore / Kanasaskis / Banff calls for snow every day for the next five days. This is good news if you're as anxious to start backcountry skiing as I am. However, with the impending snow, hiking season is coming to a close.

Mount Ware is in the southern part of Kananaskis Country, skirting along the edge of Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park. I had never even heard of this park before today, so obviously there's a lot more to Kananaskis Country than what I am familiar with. Access is via Turner Valley along a very innocuous little side road that eventually bursts out into acres and acres of farmland. I'm always amazed at what is hidden in the foothills south of Calgary.

The first half of the trail is shared with horses, so is a bit chopped up and muddy in sections. Eventually, one breaks off the trail and goes cross country through a forest and then some hilly meadows. There was a fair bit of snow cover, even on the trail, but fortunately a couple had passed through earlier (I eventually caught up with them) and they did most of the hard work of figuring out exactly where to go. There are trail markers along the way (little orange and pink ribbons tied to the trees), but sometimes it's just easier to put your head down and trudge uphill.

The last bit to summit Mount Ware is a bit scrambly and loose, although it's probably not all that much worse with the snow than without. The view from the top is quite nice, as you get a very good panoramic view of Bluerock Mountain. The winds were howling in from the west, portending a wet weather system moving in.

Cairn on the summit of Mount Ware (2150m), with Bluerock Mountain (2790m) in the background

And now, it's time to clean the gaiters and boots. My road bike is already clean and in storage, so summer is really at an end. But my skis are waxed and ready to go, so here's to hoping for a good winter.

Forgetmenot Mountain

The snow has been falling on the interior mountains, but the front range is still very much free of the white stuff. As is always the case around this time of year, there isn't enough snow to go skiing, but it is too cold to climb. Those desperate to get out are limited to the front range, and so that's what I did on this day.

Forgetmenot Mountain (and ridge) are accessed via Elbow Falls Trail, which is an area of Kananaskis Country I seldom visit. I'm not sure why that is, but it's quite close to Calgary (less than 1 hour to the trail head from my home) and the scenery, while not as rugged and impressive as the interior, is still quite pleasant.

About half way up to the summit of the ridge, you get a good view of the surrounding mountains. In the centre is Nihahi Ridge, and then moving left, we have Mount Glasgow (the tallest looking one, at 2935m), Mount Cornwall (2978m), Banded Peak (the closer one, 2934m), and Outlaw Peak (2970m).

The hike is quite gradual, although the rocks you have to walk across are a bit awkward (they're the perfect size for rolling your ankles). Getting up to the summit of Forgetmenot Ridge (2330m) took a little under 3 hours. From there, the summit of Forgetmenot Mountain is another hour.

Cairn on the summit of Forgetmenot Ridge

The hike up to the summit of Forgetmenot Mountain is a bit more awkward as there are more blocks of limestone to contend with. However, it's still a hike (as opposed to a scramble)

You can see Calgary from the summit of Forgetmenot Mountain, which means one should be able to point out the summit of Forgetmenot Mountain from Calgary ...

While on the summit of Forgetmenot Mountain, it started to snow, so I figured it was time to go.

This is the valley south of Forgetmenot Mountain, which looks very promising for touring. However, access is via snowmobile (the roads are closed in the winter)

I've always liked the look of a light dusting of snow on a steep face

By the time I got back to the car (6.5 hours), the snow had stopped and the skies were partly blue. I suspect this area will be hikeable next weekend as well, so perhaps I will be back.