Thanksgiving weekend was a satisfying one for your blog host. We Canadians roast our turkeys on the second weekend of October, rather than waiting another six weeks like our friends to the south.
The first order of business was another parkrun. We had a special visitor from Cold Lake for the weekend who was up for the challenge. Dan was seeking more mountain adventures, and yes, the promise of a turkey dinner. There was no better way to start the holiday weekend.
Conditions were ideal. Dan took off right from the gun, while Deb and I settled into a more pedestrian pace. Unlike our foggy Nose Hill parkrun (#285) of two weeks earlier… our first… this Saturday morning brought fine fall weather.
Clear skies meant we could see every detail of the challenging circuit. It includes mixed hard asphalt, gravel and a short section of single track. The Nose Hill course consists of two laps of about 2k each, with an out and back section making up the 5k distance. It’s a good test.
We enjoyed a brief peek of the mountains at the far end of the course. (The dusting of snow there was a prelude to our next adventure.)
When we arrived at the finish line, Dan was already cooling down, having put in a hard tempo pace to reach his goal of a sub-20-minute 5k. We were content with a finishing time that was close to (okay, a bit slower than) our previous result. We headed home, all satisfied with our performances.
The energy level is always higher around the house when Dan is there, and this weekend was no different. So, we were not surprised when he explained that his plans for Sunday included a hike in Canmore.
I reminded myself that we would soon be lamenting the return of cold, dark and short days. I asked him to count me in. Who needs sleep anyway?
He had selected Ha Ling Peak, a moderately challenging 8k round tripper with 700m of elevation gain. I had always wanted to try this one, especially since the trail modifications that were done in 2019.
We made an early start, figuring that many enthusiasts would already be on the trail, all keen to burn some calories before a big dinner. In fact, it wasn’t that busy. We encountered more hikers making their way down from sunrise treks to the summit. It would have been a good one, based on the beautiful pink sky we enjoyed on our drive to the mountains.
Our ascent was quick. We stopped only briefly at the two intermediate viewpoints. Then we marvelled at the engineering behind the wooden staircases built into the steep upper sections of the trail. Dan was nimble on the last scrabbly (and unmaintained) section before the summit, and as always, considerate enough to wait for me every so often.
I wondered how I’d do near the top, given that Ha Ling is known to be a bit of a challenge for those prone to vertigo. I have to count myself in that category, after my vertebral strokes.
I focused on the ground in front of me, only looking up when I stopped to catch my breath. Fortunately, I had no issues at all with my balance on the day.
Views of the town opened up below us near the top. It was spectacular; a very rich reward for the 90 minutes of effort needed to get us there.
Dan proposed that we make the side trip to Miners Peak, maximizing our reward even more. I was slightly intimidated by the prospect, until he pointed out that I was looking at the wrong peak. We checked out the cairn at the col, before making quick work of the small peak… more of a mound… directly in front of us.
Having skipped down the mountain in no time, after meeting many groups of hikers on their way up, we made the obligatory stop at The Bicycle Cafe in town for an excellent latte. Delicious!
All in all, it was a fine and memorable weekend. It was made even better by the impressive results achieved by my Adrenaline Rush teammates (and many other Calgary runners) in top-flight marathons in Chicago, Victoria and St. George. More on that in a future piece.
I feel very thankful indeed!
My Second Running Life 