 Ha
Ling Peak
- Canadian Rockies
I've scrambled up
Ha Ling Peak four times now. The first time was in February 1998 just before
my first accent of
Grotto Mtn.
What I call "the
February window" is a dry time of the winter before the spring snows
that affords scramblers the opportunity to get up above the valley
bottoms, especially in
this part of the range where Chinook winds scour the rocks for what
seems like an endless dry period. It usually lasts until April or
May and then the spring dump occurs.
Ha Ling; I wonder if
he was a cunning linguist?
My second trip was for photos on June 26/2002 during the G8 Summit
in Kananaskis. This trip had me drive out the mountains in my Dodge
Colt. It, the car, didn't serve me too well. I should have bought a
Russian car instead. They, the Russian cars that is, are built like
mini tanks. You can rely on solid steel to get you trough the
difficult times eh?
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Bow Corridor from Ha Ling Peak
On the way back from
Mount Nestor we
drove by White Man Pond and noticed a red single engine plane
sitting on "The Edge" of the road. Also a cable was strung
across the pond from Ha-Ling Peak. |
During the G8 summit, I thought the lengths
that the Canadian government went to were ridiculous.
On my way past
the Kananaskis turnoff I noticed, just slightly, a few police; like
over 100 mountain bike equipped officers clad in
yellow/attack/uniforms ready for any crazy weirdoes ready to run
across the grassy open plain. That could have been protected easily
and with less expense I might add by a few well placed army or navy
snipers with rapid fire armaments.
You get the idea?
Stupid ain't it!
When I got to the
summit of Ha Ling I had a lump in my throat until I decided to turn it off. It
was a sore one. Ouch! Thankfully I didn't need a lumpectomy though!
I wasn't feeling so great that day but later in the summer things
got better.
The third time was as
a way to fill the rest of the day after a failed attempt to find
Stuart Creek on the way to climb Middle Sister with my friend Ann.
We only got out to the mountains together once in 2002. Not a
vintage year.
And don't expect much
of a creek either.
On the way down I had
to relieve myself at the side of the trail. Ann stood by below,
shy and secretly trying to steal a peek. She seemed frustrated when I
returned. All I can say is nothing in life is
Free Willy.
The fourth trip was
on my glorious
way to Mt. Lawrence Grassi
via Alan Kanes traverse. I made the summit
of Ha Ling in 58 minutes but was
drenched with sweat. The rest of the very sunny warm summer day was spent on
interesting mountain terrain finding my way to Mt. Lawrence Grassi and a swim in the
canal. The traverse was fun and for a lone scrambler is a challenge.
However if the day
has blue skies and is calm and beautiful like the day I went, there
is not much better you could do for a great and rewarding time in
the mountains.
Mountain Photography
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Me in the canal
Hhaaaa! |
Notes
for Monday Oct 4/2004
Made
it up in 1:05:38 then I ran down. I was back a the canal at 1:39:00
hrs
 e are well advised to keep on
nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them
attractive company or not. Otherwise they turn up unannounced and
surprise us, come hammering on the mind's door at 4am of a bad
night and demand to know who
deserted
them, who betrayed them, who is going to make amends. We forget
all too soon the things we thought we could never forget.
Joan
Didion
1934-, American Essayist
©
CanadasMountains.com + Tim L. Helmer
Friday February 08, 2008 11:19 AM
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