A is for August in Alberta!

A lot can happen in one month - a visit from Brian's Mom, Eva travels to Germany, Brian rides his bike, the garden produces and mountains are climbed!

Well we actually have to go back into July to start this blog post - Brian's Mom comes to visit during the last week of the month to see her son in Calgary, meet Eva, eat from the garden, take in some culture, get a grand view of the Canadian Rockies and for a grand finale float down the bow river,

What a better way to start a trip to Calgary with pizza night!

All smiles in the garden

time to eat

more smiles - this time after a nice bike ride along the Bow river

laughing it up with an obligatory Moraine Lake selfie

rafting down the bow

friendly duck wants to join the fun

Followed by an evening out on the town - being a commonwealth a visit to the local cricket club was in order... home to some of the best Indian food in Calgary according to...

As soon as Brian's Mom left, Eva was off to Germany! leaving Brian alone to tend the garden... The garden provided while the raspberries and Zucchini were especially plentiful.

Daily haul of raspberries

another days worth of produce

tomatoes ripening

Zucchini on the grill

After a week Eva returned home to find plenty of tomatoes and zucchini and more hand grown in garden

August is also the time of year the mountains are snow free, allowing for some nice long clean climbs in the alpine environment. A few pictures from Upper Kananaskis lakes and Peter Lougheed Prov Park...

The goal of our stay was a long traditional route up a single continuous 400m corner on a route aptly named "joy". Brian getting ready...

while Eva ponders the local geology...

Eva nears the base of the days objective

a spectacular view from the start of the climb

Eva enjoys the sun and thinks about geology

Brian racks up and heads off

Eva high up in the corner

and nearing the top!

a little scrambling is required

and we are eventually on our way back down

eventually we are back at the van, where the stufties are happy to see us return

Our next objective is Grillmair's Chimney as you might guess a 300m, 8-pitch chimney system on the iconic Yamnuska. Eva on the approach walking along the famed McConnell Thrust

a short scramble leads to the base of the climb

Eva gets ready...

Brian starts off

while Eva squeezes her way up

and squeezes some more...

while Brian is all smiles, thinking the Chimneys are over...

Brian questions his life choices when he realizes there is one more Chimney to go...

Really!? this is how the route ends???

Happy to be done with that Eva checks out a magical rainbow on the way down....

With Yamnuska in the distance its just a walk left back to the car...

Following a trek up Yam it was time to venture a little deeper in the mountains, this time we head to Cory Mountain and climb a route known as "Hoka Hey!" a 400m system of corners and cracks. Eva on the approach

an ominous view awaits us looking north up valley towards Lake Louise

Brian starts up the corner system

Eva follows

Not to be out done be never ending chimney systems - more corners await!

Finally the corners end

and Eva chargers up the face

what a view!

Brian leads high up on the face

While Eva takes on the technical difficulties like a pro

Nearing the top Brian smiles - best not look behind you - gray cloud on the horizon!

Getting closer!

Topping out just as the rain, wind, sleet and hail hit! Eva is lucky not to get blown off the cliff! quickly she finds shelter under a tree - cold and wet we wait for the rain and wind to die down to make our descent! I think neither of us felt like taking pictures at this point so I'll just leave it to your imagination as to what transpired... but soon the sun was back out, warming us up and drying us off for the last part of our walk back to the van....

at home the gear gets a break and dries off in the bathtub

After a few days of rest and recovery from our wet and chilly adventure atop Mt Cory we set our sights back to Eisenhower tower on the south end of Castle Mt. We attempted this peak earlier in the year but recovering from a bought of COVID a few weeks before made it too ambitious of an objective for the time. Castle mountain, with snow taken in the spring, Eisenhower tower is the first prominent peak in front. The goat ledge is the snow covered ledge 1/2 way up - when we climbed it was snow free :-).

Brian, tights and all, eager to go...

A 2 hour approach is needed to get to the base of the climb on the goat ledge...

The hike up takes you high above the valley floor

nearing the scramble up to the goat ledge

from here we scramble up

and up

to the goat ledge

Brian with Eisenhower tower in the background

Eva for prospective

Brian nearing the base

Eva making her way up the "dragons back"

and looking at what lies ahead

While Brian peaks out from behind the ledge - the goat ledge is seen down below

Brian makes his way to the top!

Summit selfie

Eva explores the broad summit

Brian and Eva pose

Eva checks out the view

the view

eventually its time to head down

a few raps down...

bring us back to the dragons back

and almost back to the goat ledge

Back on the goat ledge Eva enjoys a snack

and takes in one last view

before heading down

After all these big adventures a day of cragging with our friend Rob was in order. Brian and Rob.,..

cragging

more cragging

and even more cragging

Brian done with cragging takes off his shoes while Rob encourages him on...

With August and summer coming to a close one last climb was required - this time on a a 330m wall on a 9 pitch route named "old man rules". Brian on the mossy steep approach up the hill side...

Overdressed and sweaty at the base

Brian follows up

Eva high up on route

and navigating the final corner to the top!

and that was the old mans route!

The day before Brian also did "dreamland" a newer route on Tunnel Mt. that was supposedly 9 pitches long... maybe more like 5 but still fun! Brian and Adam maybe on pitch 6 or is it 4? Who knows who cares...

as always another nice view!

and that was our August in Alberta! Oh wait we also manage one last float down the lower Kananaskis river. Eva cycling to the put in

Brian inflates his boat

and plays in some rapids

on the river

Eva plays in a little whitewater

all the while enjoys some views of Yamnuska

which grows ever larger the further downstream we go

and that my friends was August in Alberta! September Eva resumes teaching, has visitors from Germany and Brian heads south across the border!

Giraffe out!