64. West Wind Pass / Wind Tower

Distance: 10.6km round trip
Elevation gain: 988m

August 23, Wednesday, time to do another hike. We chose Wind Tower and based on the description decided not to invite anyone else. The tower at the end of the ridge looked very stark and impressive from the road and we prepared for a slow and steady pace.

The trail started ascending immediately and never stopped. The tower remained daunting.

After reaching the pass, we analyzed the tower and expected a zigzag climb up the side to a leisurely walk on top to the end. Not so. The hike along the side to the ridge started out in bushes, with low headwalls to climb periodically.

The trail was well marked with cairns everywhere.

Much of the way we could see Spray Lake behind us, growing as we climbed and getting smokier as the day progressed. Across the lake was Goat Glacier where we fondly remembered camping and hiking earlier.

Then the trail turned up and we started a long, steep climb to the tower. The rocks were not very slippery or treacherous.

Beside Wind Tower and part of it is the massive Mt. Lougheed.

We reached the top, finished our lunch and totally rested in the sun and shelter breaks from the warm wind. What an accomplishment! I didn't need to be ashamed of my quads being tight for the next couple days. It was work.

To the north, Herm pointed out Canmore and Wind Ridge as well as various other familiar landmarks.

A half hour sleep and we had to descend, more easily than I had feared.

Since it was still a very warm day at the bottom we had a light supper at Driftwood picnic site before we went home, just stopping to take a picture from the highway near Deadman's Flats.

63. Piper Pass

Distance: 21k round trip
Elevation gain 617 m

Wednesday, August 2, we hiked Elbow Lake/Piper Pass with Harry and Tena. We hoped for nice weather and not much smoke. The theological/spiritual discussion in the car made the miles fly by and we were at the trail head before I realized it. The first part of the hike would be very familiar because we had already done Tombstone Lakes and Rae Lake in previous years.
We got right to work and hiked up to Elbow Lake.

The next part of the trail was a quite level, old, wide road which made conversation easy and again the kilometers passed quickly.

We had to turn north off this road into Piper Valley and cross the ice cold Elbow River but we were prepared.

After the wide road, the trail to the meadow was very narrow but clear.The day was warming up.

The most beautiful wildlife on this hike was the butterflies. I counted 6 varieties including this painted lady (which was also frequently seen in our backyard this August).

Also along the narrow trail were small clearings filled with flowers.

Then the woods opened up with a grand view to the pass. Harry and Tena explored the meadow while we tackled the pass.

Once up the steep, scree trail we took a picture of our successful selves with the other side in the background.

Then a picture back down the trail we had come up. Definitely a warm day now.

On the way back we decided to try a bushwhacking shortcut described in Copeland's book since we had seen a small cairn marking the beginning. Herm led the way and did an excellent job leading us back to the main trail. This time the streams were small enough to rock hop across.

We got back to the trailhead having taken significantly longer than the book suggested, but it was still a beautiful warm day and the picnic tables were in the sunshine so we ate a picnic supper at the end of the parking lot. The day was everything we had wished for.