May was an interesting Month. It started with snow, continued to snow with some intermittent patches of sun, and finished with intense smoke. I refused to let the snow get me down, so I escaped to the sun with a backpacking trip, a camping trip, and a backcountry ski up the highest mountain in Alberta. Each of these adventures could have been a blog post in and of themselves, but I don’t have time for that so here is my synopsis.
- Minotaur Thursdays Continue! I am loving these group mountain run/bushwhack/scrambles. The number of people coming out has been increasing and everyone has really embraced the sense of adventure. In May we climbed up Limestone Mountain, Engagements Mountain/Razor’s Edge, Nihahi Ridge, Mt Kidd Lookout and Wasootch Ridge.
Wasootch Ridge
Wasootch Ridge
Summit fight club on Mt Kidd Lookout
Mt Kidd Lookout
Chilly on Nihahi Rdige
Nihahi Ridge
Limestone Mountain
Limestone Mountain - Solo Backpack in Crowsnest. The weather was nice for a few days and I decided I needed to take advantage. Unfortunately Matt couldn’t join me, so I went out on my own for a solo backpack exploration in the Crowsnest area. I was stoked to try out my new sleeping bag and pad from Spry, and I’m happy to report that it was a super lightweight, warm and comfortable set up. I didn’t really know where I was going so I downloaded a topo map of the area and tried to keep my route to the sunny slopes where the snow had melted. At times I did well with my route selection, but I wasn’t perfect and I spent a couple hours doing some extreme bushwhacking. I also did a lot of post-holing/crawling in my determination to spend my first night camped on top of Tent Mountain. Alas, I had to give up on my quest only 100 vertical metres from the summit. The snow was simply impassable. On the bright side, I found a lovely snow-free spot to pitch my tent and I got to watch a spectacular sunset. The next morning was spent wallowing in snow as I made my way back down the mountain and then followed a snow-mobile route back north to the sunnier trails. At least I was moving a little easier than the bear I was following (see photo). On the afternoon of my 2nd day I scrambled 1000m up the ridge of Ptolemy. The scramble was super enjoyable and I sat on my perch sipping wine, watching avalanches and feeling like the luckiest person in the world. On day 3 I returned to my car, dropped off my camping gear, and then scrambled up Mount Sentry. I knew nothing about this route, but it wound up being super enjoyable. The top section had some exposed scrambling with a little ice still clinging to the rocks, which made route selection a bit spicy. From the summit it was obvious that there are multiple routes up/down this mountain, so I opted to avoid going over the ice again and take a massive scree run off the top. It was the perfect end to an excellent weekend.
I hiked to BC!
Hanging out on top of Trail Hill
Hours of this 😦
My companion for the weekend
Campsite on the first night
I had company during my picnic
The best trail brunch. Wine, cheese and pepperoni sticks
Poor bear was post-holing for miles
The ridgeline on Ptolemy
Happy in my element. Right before my hat blew off
New summit tradition. Canned wine is so good 🙂
Heading up Mount Sentry
Views of Crowsnest
Hanging out on the summit
More summit views - Mount Columbia! My third big adventure in May was a backcountry ski trip up Mount Columbia. I had never camped on a glacier before, and I hadn’t been on my skis in a month so this was a very novel experience for me. The weather was about as good as it gets, with hot temperatures at the lower elevations and bluebird skies. Hanging out at our glacier camp was absolutely stunning and I had a hard time going to bed. The morning of our summit attempt was freezing cold, but we soldiered on regardless and the temps were much more reasonable once the sun came up. The summit block on Columbia was wind blasted and the bootpack up was a bit intense. Thankfully the summit ridge was sheltered from the wind and we were all able to collapse on the snow and catch our breathe. This was only my 3rd time using crampons and it was the biggest snow slope I’ve ever climbed. We celebrated with a little prosecco on the summit, and then a bit more when we were in safer and more hospitable conditions. What an incredible experience!
Skiing up through the crevasse field
Onto the flat portion of the icefield
Mount Columbia comes into view
Building camp
Our completed camp with Mt Columbia in the background
Sitting, admiring the views. I should be going to bed
5:30am start
Our destination
Heading up the steep bootpack
Looking down, about 1/3 of the way up
Arielle the champ!
Selfie on top, out of the wind!
We made it!
Hanging out on the summit
Back below the bootpack,with an opportunity to relax - Camping in BC. The weather at home sucked, so I booked Monday off work and drove out to the BC side of Assiniboine (near Nipika Mountain Resort) where the sun was shining. We had never been to this area before, but I had been looking at maps and considering backpacking out this way in the summer. We found a fantastic camping spot along a creek where Matt could cook a roast, Moxie could play with her rocks, and I could explore the trails. It was warm down in the valley, but I soon found the snow line about 500-600 vertical metres above camp. There was also a ton of avalanche debris on the trail and I spent a lot of time bushwhacking. Every time I came back to camp I would have fresh scrapes and bruises. It was a successful training weekend in that I spent a lot of time on my feet, but I wasn’t able to get in as much vert as I’d hoped. This shoulder season is endless.
Road tripping!
Moxie in her element
Trying to get to the pass, but not being successful
We are camped way down there
Lake Lunette
I had to turn around
Looking down on Lake Assiniboine
Cool rock pillars
Bushwhacked up to this gorgeous lake
WAterfalls make the bushwhack worth it
Slghtly different route, still didn’t make it to Marvel Pass
On top of a huge waterfall
Closer to the edge
Trying to get a photo of the moon - Not Winning #Capravert. Capra Running store in Squamish was having a vert challenge for the month of May. I was leading the field and feeling pretty good about myself, especially considering the amount of snow I had to deal with in May compared to all the other runners out in Squamish. On May 31st I knew I would have to put in a big day, however the smoke from the fires in Northern Alberta blew in and the air quality was terrible. Some people seem to be able to handle smoke, but I am not one of those people. I decided to take a rest day instead of pushing for the win. I felt good about that decision. I feel like I’m growing up 🙂
As I write this, Bighorn 100 is less than 1 week away! Despite my relative lack of running I am feeling fit. I have a lot of time on feet, and I’m banking on the fact that being able to run fast really isn’t that important in 100 mile mountain races. My stomach feels better than it has in years and I think (hope) I have a good mental mindset. Competitive goals seem to make me anxious, so this year I have decided to focus on celebrating my ability to participate in these ridiculous events. I aim to run with gratitude, to embrace the pain as an opportunity to explore my limits, and to enjoy the community that surrounds this event.
Happy Trails!
Joanna Runs 