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After a very late night watching the aurora I only managed 4.5hours sleep before daylight forced me awake, I hung around the house drinking tea and contemplating an afternoon nap for a while but the weather was too good to waste so I packed up my gear and headed out to highway 40 in Kananaskis in glorious sunshine and temperatures of 28 degrees.
Grizzly Peak is an 'unofficial' name for this lump of rock which adds confusion for non locals aiming to find it as there is an 'officially' named Grizzly Peak just 18km further along the same road, which is why I have added the suffix No.1 to differentiate between them.
To reach the trailhead for Grizzly Peak No.1 simply follow highway 40 south from the TransCanada highway to the only gas station on highway 40 (Fortress Junction Station) from here it is 4km further south to the unmarked 'Ripple Rock Creek' which passes under the highway. You can drop down into the cess on the east side of the highway and park entirely off the road behind the 90kmh speed marker located there.
On the north bank of Ripple Rock Creek is a small cairn and a clearly worn trail. From here the wall of rock towering above you is Grizzly Peak, the trail rounds the western bulwark on the south slopes.
There is no way to get this route wrong in the early stages as the well trodden trail cuts a clear path through the green meadows, the first few hundred metres allowing the legs to warm up for the very steep ascent to come.
After stepping up in stages along a terraced rock formation I reach a more significant wall which is easy on the ascent but a little more taxing on the descent. It's not difficult but it does need my full attention on the descent with weary legs.
After the short scramble up the steep preceding rock face the trail is still easily apparent on the upper levels of the rock terrace. As with all steep ascents the views very quickly open up and the vista to the south along the heavily forested highway 40 corridor is a wonderful start to hike.
The hike continues up terraced rock for the next kilometre or so, though not technically difficult the ascent is made harder by the loose stone which moves underfoot at every opportunity on steep hard pathways .
It's a good steep grind up the rock terrace and the heat of the day combined with a lack of sleep already has me tiring and I'm only a third of the way into the hike. As I reach the top of the terrace the open views toward Mt Packenham and Mt Hood promise much and any thought of tiredness leaves me as I make my way along a flat section that traverses the southern slope of my target.
As the traverse rounds the corner of the valley it rises high above Ripple Creek and is washed out in a number of places which leaves some very dodgy footing over short distances. Looking back to the Kananaskis Range and the Spray Mountains beyond there is still some snow dusting the highest peaks.
Around the corner the beautiful valley opens up and the lush green meadows stretch across flanks of Mt Evan Thomas, Mt Packenham and Mt Hood, no wonder this area is so attractive to the Grizzlies.
The trail circles around the southern flank of Grizzly Peak until it is right around to the east side of the mountain which now stands directly between me and the trailhead. There's an abundance of ground squirrels around here squeaking my presence to their companions. The ground steepens even further here and the ascent begins to drag the energy out of me.
The steep grunt has me stopping to 'admire the views' frequently and though I examined the high meadows in detail I couldn't find any grizzlies out there which is a shame as they are always so wonderful to see. Behind me Kananaskis Lakes are now visible and even from here I can see how incredibly low the water is right now.
To the east the views are still blocked out by the towering peaks of Mt Evan Thomas and Mt Packenham but the col between them and Grizzly Peak is now in sight though the ground is even steeper and made of the worst kind of loose horrible scree.
Almost at the top of the scree slope (some of which is made of coal) I stop again and look back over Mt Packenham to King Creek Ridge and the huge array of mountains along the Opal Range
Eventually I break out onto the col between Grizzly Peak and Mt Evan Thomas feeling very tired. Directly north across Grizzly Creek is the large open meadow behind Opal Ridge which was still snow covered a few weeks ago when I stood on the peak looking for a circular route out.
I don't really know a lot about Grizzly Peak including where the actual summit is so I decide to walk to the furthest point on the short ridge and hike the whole thing from north to south. From the north ridge ascent the folded rocks of Opal Ridge are a beautiful natural phenomenon that never fail to draw comment from everyone driving by on highway 40.
The ridge narrows considerably to the north summit where a good sized cairn balances precariously on the final point. The clouds are really bubbling up now and their shadows race across the mountains and meadows below in an endless stream.
It's a little bit of a 'close up' of yours truly on the northern summit as there is nowhere to go here, behind me is a sheer drop as is the ground to both sides so this was as far back as I could get.
I quickly leave the north summit behind and set out along the ridge to the south, initially targeting a high point in the middle of the ridge that looks like it could be the true summit.
The north summit and beyond seen from the centre summit, to the west (left) is the Kananaskis Range, then highway 40, directly north is Opal Ridge and its high meadows connecting to Mt Potts and Mt Denny, it is a wonderful view of an area I now know very well
The centre summit has a small outlier so I decide I might as well go out there too, I'm tiring now and really could lay down and take a quick nap. I decide against it as last nights lack of sleep might have me out for the count and waking up burnt to a frazzle by the sun.
The continuing ridge to the south is just as easy as the previous sections and it's really nice to enjoy the wander along the summits watching the cloud shadows race by.
A shot to the east shows (from left to right) Mt Denny, Mt Potts, Mount Evan Thomas, Mt Packenham, Mt Hood, Mt Brock and Mt Blane lower down is the beautiful alpine meadow in the col and the steep scree slopes adjoining.
There are some narrower sections toward the southern end of the ridge where those of a nervous disposition might not enjoy the traverse quite as much as I did. In truth it's unnecessary as the centre peak is clearly the summit so if you don't feel comfortable on narrow ridges there's no need to do this section.
From the southernmost end of the ridge the stacked lines of mountains look almost too perfect and the narrow valley that holds highway 40 is a ribbon of forest reaching as far as I can see.
Even right up here at 8309 feet (2533m) on the furthest edge of a rocky ridge I'm joined by a little furry friend looking for a handout, we shared a tracker bar (well I got one bite) before I set off back along the narrow ridge toward the descent.
Just one last look to the north before I begin the descent, it's hard to leave this beautiful ridge but I am really knackered and ready for a shower, a cuppa and a kip.
I took a more aggressive line back off the ridge and down to the scree slopes below cutting off a little distance but resulting in some incredibly steep scree running for the first 500m or so.
The route back is just a reverse of the route in barring a few different scrambles on the rock terraces, I did notice a nice collection of 'Indian Paintbrushes' in one particular spot as I neared the end of the hike so took one more shot with Grizzly Peak high above in the distance.
In one more week the winter gate on highway 40 will open and I'll have access to the 'officially' named Grizzly Peak and though the highwood area has lots of bear closures I hope to get up Grizzly Peak No.2 before this season ends. I hope it's not as tough a grind as it's namesake 18km north!!
