We moved to up to Kananaskis early this week, on the Monday of the August Long Weekend. W actually spent the last day in Waterton picnicking. It was another hot day, and everything was crowded with Canadians on holiday. We found a patch of shade under a tree on the lake near town, spread our chairs and a neat sheet and snoozed. The lake breeze and shade were enough to beat the heat. We had dinner in town, saying grateful goodbyes to Waterton Lakes.
Kanaskis is a series of parks and refuges which as I undersatnd it from a trip now 20 years distant was set aside to with money from Alberta's Heritage Fund whch I believe is funded mostkly from oil revenue. It interconnects Waterton to the south to Banff and Jasper to the north. It makes for one unbroken swath of protected land from Glacier (and the national forests around it) through the areas north of Jasper. Provincila Parks like Peter Lougheed, Assiniboine, Spray Lakes, and Sheep Elbow are not as "famous" as Banff, but are plenty pretty and in their own way have a majestic charm.
The travel bible of our outdoor adventures is the "The Canadian Rockies" by Patton and Robinson. I love these guys. We have read a lot of references to hikes and resources, but nobody says it cleaner, more straight forward or true than these fellows. What hey write about a trail is true, you can take it to the bank,
I was glad to see their latest edition covered Kananaskis. They describe Peter Lougheed Park generally (where we ended up staying) as a jumbled pattern of landscape. They suggested the by far the best place to observe the landscape by far wa at the Firetower Lookout whose connecting trail was about 500m from our campsite.
It wa a long plodding hill as the trail rose 500m (1500 feet) over 3 miles. It was not super steep but it was a long plodding effort. You just had to double clutch, throw it into low gear, put your head down, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. The reward was spectacular.
At the top the active Firetower Lookout offered a 240 degree panoramic view of the lakes complex of Peter Lougheed and the sweep of mountains behind it. Steep, gray granitic peaks, with sharp edges and jagged ridgelines covered the view in all directions except directly behind us. What had started out a a gray morning had broken into a day of sun and clouds and it was stunning.
The Fire Lookoutwas manned (and womaned as it turned out) and as the crowd thinned to just Marsha and I, we got a rare invite to come up to the private residence where the Fire Warden and his wife spent the fire season. The view from the upper porch was unobstructed. It was just amazing. Mountains to the left of us, mountains to the right of us, mountains in front of us, and lakes below. It was a s Patton and Robinson said, not a better view was to be had of these mountains, and they did look some how jumbled. I would say somehow tortured. Twisted in weird ways, stark and jagged, all in light gray. I will post some pictures but it will not do it justice.
Kanaskis is a series of parks and refuges which as I undersatnd it from a trip now 20 years distant was set aside to with money from Alberta's Heritage Fund whch I believe is funded mostkly from oil revenue. It interconnects Waterton to the south to Banff and Jasper to the north. It makes for one unbroken swath of protected land from Glacier (and the national forests around it) through the areas north of Jasper. Provincila Parks like Peter Lougheed, Assiniboine, Spray Lakes, and Sheep Elbow are not as "famous" as Banff, but are plenty pretty and in their own way have a majestic charm.
The travel bible of our outdoor adventures is the "The Canadian Rockies" by Patton and Robinson. I love these guys. We have read a lot of references to hikes and resources, but nobody says it cleaner, more straight forward or true than these fellows. What hey write about a trail is true, you can take it to the bank,
I was glad to see their latest edition covered Kananaskis. They describe Peter Lougheed Park generally (where we ended up staying) as a jumbled pattern of landscape. They suggested the by far the best place to observe the landscape by far wa at the Firetower Lookout whose connecting trail was about 500m from our campsite.
It wa a long plodding hill as the trail rose 500m (1500 feet) over 3 miles. It was not super steep but it was a long plodding effort. You just had to double clutch, throw it into low gear, put your head down, and keep putting one foot in front of the other. The reward was spectacular.
At the top the active Firetower Lookout offered a 240 degree panoramic view of the lakes complex of Peter Lougheed and the sweep of mountains behind it. Steep, gray granitic peaks, with sharp edges and jagged ridgelines covered the view in all directions except directly behind us. What had started out a a gray morning had broken into a day of sun and clouds and it was stunning.
The Fire Lookoutwas manned (and womaned as it turned out) and as the crowd thinned to just Marsha and I, we got a rare invite to come up to the private residence where the Fire Warden and his wife spent the fire season. The view from the upper porch was unobstructed. It was just amazing. Mountains to the left of us, mountains to the right of us, mountains in front of us, and lakes below. It was a s Patton and Robinson said, not a better view was to be had of these mountains, and they did look some how jumbled. I would say somehow tortured. Twisted in weird ways, stark and jagged, all in light gray. I will post some pictures but it will not do it justice.
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