Larch season is here again! This is the much anticipated, most cherished and sought after, hiking season for your average Albertan. Prepare for hordes of cars at Highwood Pass and overflowing parking lots at Lake Louise! Everyone wants to get their annual fall photo with the iconic golden larch (including yours truly!). Going for a … More A ‘Larch March’ in Skoki Valley
On September 17th, I enjoyed a mid-week hike with friends Trish and Peishan in Highwood Pass, aiming to see Alberta’s golden larches. Although the fall foliage was not yet out, the day turned out to be one of my top scrambles. We tackled Mount Lipsett, then spontaneously scrambled to Mist Mountain, navigating challenging terrain and celebrating our achievement at the misty summit before descending through beautiful valleys. … More Mount Lipsett to Mist Mountain Loop
On Friday, August 9, 2024, my dear friend Victoria and I embarked on our much-anticipated 4-night backpacking trip for our annual friend-venture. This tradition started in July 2016 as a front-country camping and day hiking trip, but has evolved into a grand backcountry trip over the years. Some of our most memorable trips include exploring … More 2024 Friend-venture on the Sawback Trail (Johnston Canyon to Badger Pass)
The phrase “get your pink back” has become trendy online, thanks to mommy blogger Lindsey Gurk. If you haven’t heard of it, it refers to the phenomenon where flamingos, both male and female, often lose their pink color when raising chicks. Because raising their young is so intensive, and they give so much of their … More Getting my ‘Pink’ Back: Helena Peak via Rockbound Lake
I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to convince my husband Ryan to go on any mountaineering or climbing trips, but he loves camping and backpacking! Let’s be honest, climbing is hard and it takes a certain special (potentially masochistic?!) kind of person to tolerate the mental and physical demands of mountaineering. We also generally … More A mini-backpacking trip to Ribbon Lake
Mount Joffre is an impressive, glaciated mountain located in Peter Lougheed Park that stands at 3,450 m tall! It is generally known as one of the “easier” 11,000ers of the Canadian Rockies, and it was our selection for the first summer mountaineering trip of the year. Hannah, Trish and I met during a Women’s Introduction … More Mount Joffre, the 5th AAWSOME Summit (nope, not a typo)!
The weather is finally getting warmer, the snow is melting, and most importantly, provincial parks have re-opened! May and June are beautiful months to get outside and enjoy nature – but in the mountains, it’s still considered to be “early season” and a lot of destinations are snow covered, especially at higher elevations or further … More Early Season Hikes and Scrambles near Calgary!
The final installment of Victoria and Christina’s grand friend-venture is finally here. I’ll admit this is long overdue, but better late than never right?! If you missed parts one and two, you can find them HERE and HERE! For the last part of our trip, the plan was to attempt Mount Cline, which is … More Cline Lakes and Mount Owen (Friend-venture Part 3)
In mid-July, Victoria, one of my dearest and best friends, and I embarked on our fourth annual friend-venture in the Rocky Mountains. What started out as a casual girl’s weekend camping trip way back when we were rekindling an old and forgotten friendship has blossomed into a celebration of our love for adventure, the mountains, … More Borgeau Lake and Harvey Pass (Friend-venture Part 1) + Mulled Wine Recipe!
In July 2016, I took an Intro to Mountaineering Course through Yamnuska Mountain Adventures as I was keen to develop some alpine skills so that I would be able to start climbing taller and more complex mountains. On that trip, I met a handful of awesome women who have since become dear friends and adventure … More North Victoria – Kicking off 2019 Summer Mountaineering
Christina Lives Freely 