With the promise of a real summer day there was a good turnout for this trip; we weren’t disappointed. After the climb out of the parking lot we took a break at Elbow Lake:


Rest stop at Elbow Lake

From there it was the gentle descent along the Elbow Road.


Down the Elbow Road, Piper Creek valley to left

There was much speculation about a more direct cross-country route to the Piper valley, but the prospect of bushwhacking through willows and dense forest was not appealing. So it was down to the Elbow for a crossing of the river; most donned sandals to ford the current:


Ghulam fording the Big Elbow

Then it was the same at Piper Creek, although there were more opportunities for rock hopping or stream leaping there. Surprisingly for this relatively low area there were glacier lilies still in bloom. Up through the forest there were a number of patches of anemones so the snow was not long gone. Above the treeline there was a nice spot for first lunch with fine panoramic views of the upper valley:


Upper Piper Creek panorama

Most continued on up the meadows to the big rock:


Ramblers below Piper Pass

from there it was up the scree trail to Piper Pass where the views were excellent:


SW from Piper Pass; Elpoca Mtn. on right, Mount Rae in distance

Northwest view of the West Fork of the Elbow from Piper Pass

Some continued a little higher to the sides of the pass for alternative views:


Ginger above Piper Pass

It was even warm enough to loiter in the pass for a while without donning fleece and gloves. The trip out was nice, although the creek crossings were a little higher with the day’s snow melt.

The Kananaskis Highway on the return drive was the gathering place for bighorns; there was a big herd at the Lakes junction, another group a couple of kilometers north and more near Galatea. The TransCanada was made more challenging for the drivers as there were two thunderstorm downpours to drive through before reaching the city. Thanks to Philip for calling the trip (although he couldn’t come} and to participants Bernie, Bill (photo), Aldis, Nancy, Kathy (photos), Ginger, Norman, Nadine, Douglas, Ghulam, Francine, Rita, Francisco and guest Maria. Ron C/S/P.