East End of Rundle

It had been 4 years since I last went up East End of Rundle (or EEOR, as it is commonly called).

According to my photos, anyways. I can't seem to remember where I've been anymore unless I have a set of photos from that day.

My parents were in town and I wanted to take them on a short, steep hike to get warmed up for the rest of their trip to the Rockies.

It was a perfect day, with sunny skies, a light breeze, and warm temperatures. Compared to the literal train of people going up Ha Ling, EEOR was much less crowded, and therefore more my style.

Ha Ling, from a break in the trees

Frank and Tiiu were also with us. I had forgotten, but the trail was a bit scrambly in sections, and Tiiu was increasingly worried about the return trip down. They turned back a bit lower than my parents and I.

Tiiu heading up the slabs

The hike was a lot more interesting that I'd remembered. There's a bit of exposure, some loose sections, some slabs, and great views of Ha Ling and Mount Lawrence Grassi.

My mom resting at one of the grassy shoulders

We stopped at the last shoulder before the summit, took a break, then started heading back down.

The last shoulder before the scramble to the summit

The south summit of Rundle in the distance

On the slabs, there were trails littering the slope, and it seemed as though a good portion of the trails funneled towards the west, which led to a trail that exited onto Goat Creek. In the end, we ended up a bit south of the starting point, but it was only a short distance back to the car.

It was a beautiful day and I will have to try for a panorama of the upper bowl some other time.