Geocaching

It seemed as if I was floating along the Ministik trails today. Of course I wasn’t. Gravity was actually in full force. But during a couple of snowy hikes this winter, even when walking on snowmobile tracks, it was hard going, having to push, sink and sometimes slide in the snow with every step. It wasn’t at all like that today. The snow along the trails was packed down by sled tracks, but more importantly it was crusty-hard and supported my weight with every step.

A winter walk over lake ice to Birch Lake Isle near Innisfree, Alberta.

I found out about the “Crooked Trees” from my sister so I made a point of visiting on my way back to Edmonton from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. My scientific opinion?: “They’re weird!”

Although not at all easy to get to even by vehicle, the Cardinal Divide is a memorable place to visit.

This recon hike was made and the blog post written early in my explorations of the Ministik Bird Sanctuary. It’s fun for me to relive the experience these days when the area is well-known to me.

A hike to inner depths of the Cooking Lake - Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area. Starting from the Islet Lake Staging Area, I was on the hunt for ‘cigar’ caches.

A made the memorable climb to the summit of Folding Mountain mid-August, 2010.

It was my first ever visit to Kananaskis where I made the very memorable off-trail climb to the central summit along Lusk Creek Ridge. It was July 1, Canada Day, too!

Grande Cache in the distance as seen from the summit of Mt. Louis Mt. Louie (elevation 1844 m / 6050 ft.) is one of the six Bronze mountains in Grande Cache’s now defunct “Passport to the Peaks” program. During the 5.5 km (one way), sometimes challenging hike to the summit, there’s an elevation gain of 714 meters and along the way the reward of some breathtaking views of the mountains and valleys that surround Grande Cache.

A second visit to Cooking Lake – Blackfoot Recreational Area in two days. After a fresh snowfall, I broke trail to out of the way places that were brand new to me.