I decided to hold off posting my mountaineering adventures since it’ll be a very meaty post, and also my fellow participants took a ton of photos, so I wanted to wait until we had all shared our photos with each other so I would have lots to choose from. But I will say it was an insanely fun, challenging experience and the people were amazing. So stay tuned for that!
Right after the course, I was right back at it with a long, full day hike up Middle Sister, one of the Three Sisters located in Canmore, and not to be confused with the Three Sisters near Bend, Oregon (which I had visited and climbed South Sister in October 2019). One of my friends suggested this hike to me – she used to spend a lot of time in the Canmore area – thank you for the recommendation! The Three Sisters near Canmore, like those near Bend, are located fairly close together, have the same nicknames, and each presents a different level of difficulty:
- Big Sister (Faith) (2936 m) – moderate scramble
- Middle Sister (Charity) (2769 m) – easy scramble
- Little Sister (Hope) (2694 m) – technical rock climb
Comparing South (Oregon) and Middle (Alberta) Sisters, I was expecting a slightly more challenging climb up Middle Sister, as South Sister, though higher elevation (3159m) has a well marked trail all the way to the summit, and I did the climb in two days. Middle Sister, on the other hand, has a large chunk of the climb on loose rock and scree, requiring some route finding, and I don’t believe you can camp on the trail, so I think it’s always done in a single day.
I woke up at 5:45am at my AirBNB in Cochrane, and after a quick stop at Tim Hortons, was on my way back to Canmore. Man I should have booked accommodations in Canmore, so much gas! It was a pretty quick drive and I parked at the end of Three Sisters Parkway where the “trail” begins, and got going just before 7:30am. There are two options for getting to the Middle Sister trailhead at Stewart Creek – take an old access/logging road, or a slightly longer route on the Guy Lafleur trail through the forest. I avoid roads if at all possible, so I opted to take the trail instead. It was a fun walk through the forest and I quickly made my way to the creek where the real fun began.
The next couple hours were spent winding my way up the creek, which involved a lot of climbing over rocks and hopping over the creek. I found out later coming down that in some places along the side there is a dirt trail which would have made life easier! I was surprised looking at my GPS watch how much elevation I was gaining through this section – I guess climbing over all the rocks disguised that a bit! Got some great views of Rimwall and Little Sister on the approach, and the weather was fantastic.
Eventually I was greeted by the first bit of snow, which started just as the more serious elevation gain began, and right before I entered the bowl encircled by the Orphan, Big Sister and Middle Sister, full of loose rock. I donned my microspikes and made my way up, being careful around the edges of the snow as that is where it is typically thinnest. Eventually, I arrived at the bowl and removed my spikes, and began the slow grind through the rocks up towards Middle Sister.
Eventually I rounded the bend in the trail, with Big Sister looming up above me, and started encountering a fair amount of snow, including an area that looked like an avalanche had come through previously (small snow chunks/boulders strewn about, in line with the slopes of Big Sister), so I put my microspikes back on and quickly made my way through, carefully kicking out steps to avoid slipping. After a long grind up, I eventually reached a much gentler slope leading up to the false summit and then actual summit, and noticed a couple other hikers making their way up. Finally I was at the top!
I spent about 45 mins hanging out at the top, taking photos, enjoying the breathtaking views (I could see many familiar faces including the other two Sisters, Lougheed, and even Pigeon Mountain), and chatting with the two hikers who followed my trail through the snow up to the top. It took just over 5 hours to reach the summit, though I stopped a lot to get my bearings. I think in good conditions and with more familiarity of the trail, 4.5 hours would definitely be feasible.
For the descent, I put on my waterproof pants and glissaded down small sections, but otherwise moved carefully to avoid injury. I encountered quite a few hikers on my way down, includng a few from Ontario, one of whom was relocating to Alberta since he was tired of the cost of living in Ontario. I don’t blame you, brother!
I did take a bit of the fall on one of the last snow sections on the way down, and mildly hyperflexed my knee (knee bent in the correct direction, but a bit too extreme). It hurt a little bit but I quickly determined that it wasn’t super serious, and was a bit more careful continuing onwards down the trail. I encountered a couple marmots along the way and got some epic photos of them.
At the foot of the creek, I met a couple with their dog who had turned around right as the snow got serious. Had a nice chat with them (the guy was from Collingwood, ON) and decided to take the access/logging road to the car, since it was faster, flatter, and easier on my knee. I got back to the car after 9h 35 mins (roughly 2h 15 min of breaks) of hiking, with over 1500m of elevation gain and 19 kilometers travelled. What a day!
After an A&W dinner on the way back, I went to Shoppers for some TLC for my face (lips and nose super sunburned) as well as a tensor bandage for my knee just to help with stability. The rest of the day was spent relaxing at my AirBNB before my flight home the next day.
The trip home was incredibly chaotic and stressful! I had initially planned to meet with my colleague to hand off the bear spray since I couldn’t bring it home. He had forgotten he was going to Vancouver that weekend, so he wasn’t in town. I quickly reached out to the storage people at the airport and they said they could hold it until my colleague could pick it up (later that evening after my flight left). So I was able to get that stored away. Unfortunately things got worse from there. I had been inundated with emails from Flair Airlines (carrier for my flight home) that day which had my flight being pushed back over two hours. When I finally got to the check-in desk, I was notified that my flight was cancelled. Incredulously, I found out that the flight they rebooked me on was 11, yes ELEVEN days later. And the hotel voucher they offered was just for one night. Oh, and the meal voucher they offered wasn’t accepted anywhere in Calgary Airport! What a disaster of an airline!
I quickly sprang into action. I had bought travel insurance for my trip months prior, so I knew this was a case where I would likely be covered. I joined the check-in line for Westjet, and was rebooked on a flight leaving around the time the Flair one was originally supposed to leave. I was shocked how much it cost – over $1100 CAD! (Note my return flight, i.e. both ways cost under $400 in total when I booked originally!) After that, things went pretty smoothly. Flight was uneventful, and got home before midnight Toronto time.
Overall, what a fantastic trip! I cannot wait to go back to beautiful Alberta.
Veg 'n' Alpine 