Highwood Spring

Sun. 5 May:  Highwood Spring

These special trips just keep getting better.

Our previous “Tours with Dad” have taken us to some exciting corners of the Canadian Rockies: strolling high above Banff on Sulphur Mountain; canoeing on the dark blue mirror of the Vermilion Lakes; standing beside spectacular Lake Louise; admiring gigantic snow drifts along the shores of the Upper Kananaskis Lake; enjoying a picnic beside Foregetmenot Pond in sub-zero temperatures. 

Today C and I made the best of a wonderful Spring day to explore the Highwood Valley, from the hillsides rising directly above the Highwood Junction.  Here we scaled the steep slopes to enjoy the spectacular views of snowy mountain peaks stretching to the horizon.

Our stroll started from the winter gate at Highwood Junction.  The gate does not open until mid-June, so the wide highway, with its dramatic backdrop of snow-clad mountain ridges, was silent.  Our steady climb up the grassy hillsides was accompanied by the squeaks of many gophers as they popped up out of their holes, looked around, and just as quickly disappeared again.  Some of them playfully ran around after each other.

Higher up, our climb became much steeper, so we zig-zagged across the hillside to reach a band of rocks leading to the top.  Already the views back down to the winter gate were impressive.  We waded across a snow drift to a superb viewpoint among the sturdy limber pines.  From here we could look northwards up the Highwood Valley to the soaring snowy peak of Mist Mountain (10,297 ft.), and west to the jagged line of the Elk Range.  This was a fine place to sit and admire the views.  But of course, this was not nearly enough for C, who decided she wanted to climb a limber pine and sit in the high branches – like an owl perhaps, or even a cougar.  It’s all part of being one with nature I suppose!

We charted a good route down the hillsides to the road below, and back to the car.  Looking up to the ridge, we could see several birds soaring above the cliffs.  This gentle hill with its rugged ridge-top reminded me of a Welsh Beacon.  It made the ideal hike for an afternoon in early Spring.  The first blue and purple crocuses were blooming.  We were careful not to end their brief lives prematurely by stepping on them.

Although we saw no live animals on our journey (apart from the tiny gophers), C managed to find numerous pieces of wild animals:  a head here (with rifle shells beside it), several bones, and a gruesome sheep’s leg further down the hillside.  This may be a paradise for the human, but it looks like a war zone for sheep and elk.

Now, of course, we were ready for the usual five-star picnic, beside the sparkling waters of the Highwood River.  It was a very warm afternoon, ideal for a gourmet meal amongst the magical foothills of Alberta.   

Statistics:

Total Distance: 5.0 km (hike)

Height Gain:         900 ft.

Max. Elev.:       5,850 ft.

Time on Trail:    2 hrs. 23 mins.

Start hike:            10.03 am

Top:                    11.11 am

Ret. to car:          12.26 pm

Temp:                +11 to +19 deg.C

Weather:           Very warm, sunny, cool E. breeze

The Winter Gate at Highwood Junction

Squeaky resident of the hillsides

Finally Spring has arrived:  crocus

Fine views northwest across the Highwood Valley

Mist Mountain (10,297 ft.)

The Highwood River

Gourmet picnic in the Canadian Rockies