Barrier Lake - May 16, 2010 (from the archives)

Spring in the mountains...

Little Elbow Trail -- May 16, 2010 (from the archives)

I find spring to be the toughest time for hiking, for any outdoor activities. It's no longer possible to snowshoe, but deep in the mountains pockets of snow and ice make hiking difficult if not outright impossible. Plus, I'm impatient to get the season started. Often I find we're hearing about bugs and ticks long before we've even had a chance to go for a proper trek. If you do manage to catch a nice day, mud becomes your constant companion. Then the next day it's all turned to ice again.

And don't get me started on those thick, wet, late spring snowstorms so common in this region.

So often we stick to the trails we don't get to during the season, those flat ones, the popular ones, just to get our feet wet (so to speak), take a stroll, try to satisfy those hiking urges. Summer will be here soon enough...

That's how we wound up along Little Elbow Trail, a wide, multi-use trail that normally sees backcountry campers and mountain bikers during the summer months, or the hikers headed for Nihahi. Perfect for a spring stroll...

Ah, but there's one other sign of spring hiking that needs to be noted, and observed at all costs.... those grumpy, hungry bears...

When lined up against the hiking pole, you can see these were not insignificant prints... over 40 cm long by the adjustment markers on my collapsible poles...
 

The prints were a little too fresh and the trails a little too isolated for us to continue along the trail (the bear was traveling in the same direction we were), so we opted to save this hike for another cool spring day and leave the bears to their forest.

Snowshoeing - Kananaskis Lake (Lower Lake Trail) - January 24, 2010 (from the archives)

Sometimes you have no idea the hike you're about to take will turn into a classic....

Lower Lakes is fairly simple, flat terrain with plenty of chances to turn around or turn it into a partial loop.

Nat and I were still breaking in our new snowshoes and a simple lakeside trek in beautiful Kananaskis seemed like the perfect way to get our feet.... er, wet?

Only a few minutes into our trail, these friendly little whiskey-jacks made their presence known.

They had no fear of humans. 

Absolutely none....

Nat quickly found herself outnumbered...

A bird on the head is worth two in your hand?

Even your intrepid writer found herself targeted.

Once it was established we had no food, our new found friends cried fowl (heee!), and left us to our hiking. Fair-feathered friends indeed.

But still some beautiful sites to be seen.

Snowshoeing -- Kananaskis Village Loop -- January 10, 2010

It was almost two years ago, but what we saw still applies today. This isn't a terribly popular trail, likely because almost every time we've set out, there hasn't been enough snow. We've learned to stick with the north side of the trail that leaves from the NW side of the village parking lot, and only attempt the south half of the loop when there's plenty of snow cover to be found.

Fullerton Loop Trail -- Nov 16, 2009 - From the archives

Every year I forget how late the snow comes to the mountains. Fall hiking is probably my favorite time of year. Once the snow hits, I'm barely able to wait until there's enough for snowshoeing, but it's always nice to sneak a late fall hike in a familiar spot and see the brown and yellow fall colouring for the last time that year...

Putting the Hip in HipHiker...

While HipHiker the geek has been sucked into the Twitter vortex for some time, HipHiker the blogger hasn't really committed to it... until now.

Find and follow us at @HipHiker. I think it could be a lot of fun....

And... we're back

Hello old friends.

It's been a while since I've last updated this site. Real life took over for a while.

Family health issues led to a decline in available time, and blogging was something that had to be put on hold. That temporary hold led to a much longer one as my own medical issue developed, but that was a much nicer situation.

Our twin boys were born in March of 2011. ;-)

So for now the HipHiker and crew are back, maybe hiking a little less (and snowshoeing!), maybe posting a little infrequently. Maybe sharing the joys of the boys' first excursions onto the trails come spring (Grassi Lakes, my eye is on you). Maybe taking it a little easier as this old body gets back into shape (but not that much easier).

There will definitely be some clean up, some moving of things around.

It's nice to be back. I've missed you.