...was as amazing as being there! Check out the google earth photo attached below and you will see how close we came to reaching the summit of Rummel Ridge today! While some were disappointed we didn't reach the summit, others considered it a day of summiting in their own personal way whether it be the place we arrived at and actually stood at or where the scenery and physical effort took us mentally!
I was one of the fortunate ones to have summited today! I knew it when I arrived exhausted, a short distance above tree line, to a wide open space and I turned around and saw this! It took 5:13 (includes a 20 minute break along the way) to arrive here, only covering 3.7km and 560 meters of elevation. When it was looking like we were not going to reach the top, it was a view like this that I wanted now more than anything!
For five hours and thirteen minutes, we took turns with each of us taking 10 to 20 minute turns, breaking trail uphill through knee high to thigh high deep snow. All the while, we were in dense forest. I couldn't resist shaking a tree or two after all it's fun to frolic in a winter-wonderland. After voicing excitement a few times, my friend announced he had a new nickname for me - "melodramandra"! Yet another friend renamed the creek valley we were following - "Andra Canyon The Joy of Life"! I will accept these as compliments in the spirit which I hope they were meant.
After all the hard work and snow play, here I am at my summit place!
Being a group of experienced mountain folk, knowing safety is always of the utmost importance, we choose not to push on to the very top even though it was right there in front of us, a very very short distance away. We used up much more than our allotted ascending time, which meant time was no longer on our side. At times you swallow your pride, decide this isn't the day to reach the top and you turn around and head back so you can be in the mountains playing another day real soon.
Now we had nothing but a quick downhill ahead of us. What took us 5:13 to ascend only took us 1:25 to descend. I was happy the hard work was over and now we could celebrate! Thank you for safely getting us off the slippery Smith Dorien into Canmore for our earned reward. My hat goes off to you also for your cautious driving in blizzard like conditions the majority of the way back from Canmore to Calgary!
Safe play!
Safe drive!
We live to play another day!
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| yellow star marks our destination |
What program do you use for your elevation profile?
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