We celebrated our anniversary yesterday by taking our first hike of the season. We were expecting rain all day, but we were determined to get out to the mountains and take in that fresh mountain air and try out our hiking legs that have gone unused all winter long. The trail we picked is called Moose Mountain. It's about 45 minutes west of Calgary in the Bragg Creek area and is the most easterly Rocky Mountain near Calgary.
The hike provides the opportunity to hike to the summit fire lookout station. The hike to the summit covers 7.1 km one way with an elevation gain of 477 m. The first part of the hike drops steeply 60 m downhill which leaves you wondering how you will ever make it back up to the parking lot at the end of the day. The day was beautiful and we only encountered a bit of rain at the summit when we pulled out our PBJ sandwiches to eat, of course!
Last but not least, I saw my first moose. A mama moose and her calf were crossing the road as we turned onto the dirt access road to the trail head. And I was so excited I didn't even get a picture!
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| Starting our hike |
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| Our goal in the distance., Moose Mountain summit. |
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| We will cross the valley and hike up the peak of the gray mountain in the distance |
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| Ridge above treeline |
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| I found this gnome in the snow |
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| Looking up to the summit |
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| From the summit |
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| On the way down. See the downpour in the background. We were worried that the storm would reach us before we reached our car. |
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| Does this man look like he has been married 34 years? No, he does not. |
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| Looking back down the valley we came from |
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| Watching the world cup game between the Netherlands and Mexico at our local pub the next day |
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