Mist Ridge prettily packed

I wanted to make a meander on Mist happen with hopes of coming away with many memorable moments.  Mmmm, Mother Nature are you going to cooperate was on my mind!  I put the mention of my plan out there and much to my delight many friends motioned their approval by jumping on board.  The Mist Ridge & Rickerts Pass Loop would be my biggest hike this season with many kilometers to cover along with many meters of elevation gain and many hours on the trail.  I was motivated and ready.

our view as we crossed Highway 40 to the trail head on the other side

We spent close to two hours in the trees working our way up and towards the Ridge.  It was warm right from the get-go but we just put our heads down, kept on the quiet side and got that business done.  Then WOW that climb now became worth the effort when we were offered up views like this.

After reaching the south summit we had a chat with a group from Outward Bound and I believe this link would be the group and the event.  We then carried on and began our up and down meander along Mist.  Enjoying the beauty and the peacefulness, right out of the blue from the ridge in front of us, along came this plane so close I felt like I could reach out and touch it.  The pilot tilted back and forth acknowledging us with a wave.  I was able to quickly snap this shot after he passed us. Talk about exciting and creating an adrenaline rush!

view along Mist Ridge

my destination shot along Mist Ridge

a dip along the way and opening up a view of forever

I quickly moved ahead of my friends so I could capture a photo that puts this Ridge in perspective.  We just descended from that high point and were now beginning to ascend to another one.  We enjoyed roughly 10 kilometers of views, terrain, ups & downs like this along the entire length of Mist Ridge.

You can see the whole line of peaks we still have to reach.

my fun friends & me

We thoroughly enjoyed the scenery,

being buzzed by the plane,

 and on top of that

we got to watch a cavalcade ride by.  

The entire stretch of the Ridge was covered in rocks & boulders & slabs of all sorts.

I would suggest this Ridge to be a geologists dream.

stopping for a short rest along the way

We finally reached the north summit of Mist Ridge.  This is my destination shot at this end.  From this point forward we had a short scramble to a rocky high point and then it was all down hill from there.

coming down the grassy slope towards Rickarts Pass

We arrived at Rickerts Pass.  We took a second lunch break here to admire the scenery, rest a bit and fuel up for the last eight kilometers back to the trail head.  Getting through this distance to come would be back to putting our heads down and getting that business done.

a few short minutes before arriving to where we would be calling it a day

This day will be a memorable one for me.  

I would not have asked for it to play out any differently than it did. 

Mentally & physically I felt like I was "on top of the world"!