The warm humid trails of my beautiful sunny Queensland were nothing more then a distant thought as I stepped off the plane in Calgary. Towering snow capped mountains were ever present in the distance as was the chill of negative temperatures. Now this was always a ski trip, however how could I pass up the opportunity to take advantage of some of the best winter trails in the world.
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| Johnston Canyon |
My base was to be in Canmore, one thing I realised quickly was how much you take for granted being able to run at home in Australia without the fear of something eating you.... here I was thinking no need to worry bears hibernate in winter, but oh no there are now cougars (mountain loins) you need to watchout for. The first few runs consisted of mostly easy runs around the local area up the beautiful Bow river and through the streets and linking trails that ran through the small town of Canmore. The opportunity was also taken to join my folks on a hike up Johnston Canyon a 12km 400 odd vertical meter out an back trail up to the squid pots. A must do if in the region, it would make a great run if it was done earlier in the morning or later in the afternoon as it does get crowed, with plenty of photo opportunities along the way.
My scheduled program was always going to be a bit up in the air during my trip I mean as I said it was a ski trip, but I was determind to get in the runs when I could and keep things ticking along. I got in contact with a local trail running group (of which there are a couple) Canmore Trail Culture and organised to get out for a night run amongst the back country into an area known as Cougar Canyon.
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| Canmore Trail Culture |
A great showing of local runners attended and the group was broken into sub groups 'Caffeinated and Decaffeinated'. I set off with what was the more quicker of the two groups, heading up from the carpark and into the canyon, the weather seemed to just do a full 180, it was like someone had flicked a switch, like we had crossed through a porthole into a different realm. The snow began to bucket down and the terrain varied from hard packed snow, sheet ice, rocky creek crossings and knee deep snow holes, a challenging yet unforgettable 9km, in the company of some amazing people.
In the days prior to
my departure I ventured up a local Summit Ha Ling a peak at the
northwestern end of Mount Lawrence Grassi — a mountain located
immediately south of the town of Canmore just east of the Spray Lakes
road in Alberta's Canadian Rockies, 2,047m above sea level. The trail has been recently redone to allow it to be a little more accessible for those that wish to do the hike in winter, though with just over 800m of climbing in 7.5km it is far from a casual hike and spikes are highly recommended. I had the pleasure of summiting both during the night (from the carpark) and during the day (Canmore to Ha Ling return, 22.5km 1,261m vertical) both provided a different and memorable experience.
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| Ha Ling Peak |
Thank You Canmore and all those that made my trip memorable for your hospitality I can not wait to return and discover more of the trails on offer.
