January 14, 2023, Rummel Ridge
Distance: 6.5 km
Elevation gain: 640 m
Elevation: 2,459 m
On Saturday, January 14, Fred and I rose early, and headed to Canmore. As avid cross-country skiers, his brother Dave and his sister-in-law Carolyn were visiting from Ontario to take advantage of the Nordic Center numerous trails and agreed to take a day of their vacation for a snowshoe trek with us. As we were driving into the mountains, I could tell the weather forecast was wrong once again. Ugh! Rather than the promised sunshine and blue skies, dark, thick, and fast-moving clouds were rolling in. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. While I have come to realize there is no such thing as a bad day in the mountains, regardless of the weather or if I have done a hike before, I always want for the best conditions for visitors. And Rummel Ridge on a great weather day is stellar. With crisp, winter air, on a clear day, Mount Assiniboine makes an incredible showing. Oh well.
We picked them up and then headed up the Canmore Hill into the Spray Lakes area. It was wonderful to see them both, particularly as the Schuetz family gathering at Silverstar ski resort did not take place this year.
Once at the trailhead, we all made quick work of getting geared up. Both David and Carolyn are in incredible shape and had no trouble carrying on many a conversation as we climbed. The views at the top were less than ideal but much fun was had taking pictures. We did not linger on the summit for long as the weather was worsening by the minute. All too soon we were back at the car.
The day ended with a wonderful “tea and muffin” time in Canmore before Fred and I made the drive back home.
