Mesa Butte

No, this is not a hike that is going down hill...we do gain some elevation. After all, we are in the foothills. This is a fun hike, with a height gain of somewhere around 320 metres, and a total hiking distance of about 10. 5 kilometres. This is not so hot a day, with a bright and sunny blue sky. But it will get quite breezy at the top of the butte. http://kananaskisblog.com/mesa-butte/2010/

North Fork campground parking lot.

While Ken had the front end covered, I take care of the backside.

All but two hikers had lunch on the summit of Mesa Butte. Sharon and Judy took their lunch break lower down, but they were still within sight and we were able to have talkie-walkie communications.

There are four-legged hikers today as well as the two-legged variety.

All Cinched Up

"Ready to hit the trail pardner?" "I'm ready, but I think I'll walk."

Two minutes from the parking lot, and our lunch destination comes into view. If you follow the grey line up the slope towards the top of Mesa Butte, the tree at the very top of that line is in the vicinity our lunch stop. Those two lone pines along that line part way up the slope is the upward route I chose to take, and maybe not such a brilliant choice at that.

The View in Reverse

Our cars are parked in the open area with the two lone pine trees, in the topish-left-centre of this photograph. This is looking down from the summit of Mesa Butte and our lunch location. The two pine trees on the slope to the left is where I came up. Now we'll head back to our hike's beginnings.

Although the sun is quite bright, a lot of shadows are lingering about.

As I move along, I am in contact with Sharon and Judy, who are about fifteen minutes behind me, by way of our talkie-walkies. When I pass a very noticeable landmark such as this bridge, I make note of the time, and when Sharon crosses over it I have a good idea how far she and Judy are back.

There are lots and lots of those pretty yellow flowers growing about. There is a pretty good chance that clump of dirt in the lower right corner is from a bear digging for something.

Some necessary adjustments need to be taken care of--I guess. I hope they are not trampling down those pretty yellow flowers.

One hour from the parking lot I arrive at this gas well. The Kananaskis country tail guide from 1997 mentions this point, and tells the hikers to head off to the left and into the trees, and reconnect with the trail up to the butte. At the time of writing the trail guide of '97, this gas well did not exist. However the trail is still within the opening to the left through the trees, and with the expert construction of the arrow by two fellow hikers twenty minutes ahead of me, there is no confusion as to the correct way to go.

Someone's Lonely Hat

The first thing we come upon after emerging from the trees, is the log and lonely hat. This is the spot where Judy and Sharon hunkered down for their lunch. Our lunch table is at the top, just within those first set of trees, and from there it is quite easy for us to see each other, and to talk back and forth by way of our communication devices.

Keith--that blue dot in the distance--decided it was time to venture off the trail and take a not so gradual ascent to the summit. I decided to do the same, but when I was at the point of no return I was thinkin' out loud, "this was not such a wonderful idea."

I certainly used up hordes of energy going this way. Silly me. This grass was extremely slippery, and the slope is steeper than it appears. With every ten steps gained upwards, I would slip three steps backwards.

The other hikers followed the real trail through the trees at the left, and emerged out and onto the slope beyond that cluster of brown aspen. They are difficult to see from here, but the front of the group are spread out along the far ridge with some of them in front of those pine and aspen trees in the centre of the photo.

Looking Back

The two people lower down wandered off the trail as well, which is just beyond those first row of trees.

A half hour has passed since I arrived at the top, and with my peanut butter, date, and jam bagel gobbled up, I'm taking some time to mingle and relax.

There is a lot of mingling going around.