It was a nippy -18’C, when we set of from the Elk Pass Parking lot at 9:15AM. The sky was overcast, everything was generally grey and chilly. We made our way directly up to the Blueberry Ridge. Bushwhacking was easy. The 1 foot deep snow was feather light due to the low temperatures, giving very little resistance. Therefore, we did not use our snowshoes. Just below the high-point at 2,070m altitude, the ascent was a bit steeper, but still easy. We intersected the Blueberry Ridge Trail 400m SE of the Blueberry Hill viewpoint (~2,060m altitude). We reached the Viewpoint for lunch at about noon. The clouds started to lift and the sun started to light up the cloud-veils hanging in-between the surrounding peaks.

After lunch, we made a rapid descent to Upper Kananaskis Lake. Starting this descent, we kept heading NW to avoid some steep areas and cliff bands, eventually following a vague ridge with less dense brush. About halfway the descent, we had to circumnavigate some deadfall. We arrived at the lake at approximately 1PM. The mild winter sun played with the white and blue hues Kananaskis’ panorama.

We were back at the car at 1:30PM after a very brisk but satisfying hike. All participants, thanks for joining!

Participants: Allan (coordinator), Evelyn, Janice, Greg, Cornelis (Scribe, Photographer, GPS & mapmaker)Trip Statistics: 5.4km, Effective Elevation Gain 342m, Total Elevation Gain 375m.