Welcome to the new world of hiking safely during Covid times. Everyone arrived separately at the Fortress Gas Station trailhead. A pre-trip meeting (with everyone spaced apart) was held to review the spacing rules during the trip and the coordinator with the verbal approval of the participants, signed the trip sheet for all participants. Seven Ramblers headed up the trail at 8:45 AM under warm windless conditions. The trail up Opal South was bare and in excellent condition, with a small patch of snow just below "the Gates" and compact snow on the last slope leading up to the summit.

Jeanette on the only short scramble bit

Donna heading up to the "Hump"

It was the usual grunt up to the "hump" where the group stopped for a short break and to reassemble. Everyone maintained the minimum 2 metre spacing rule while hiking and at stopping points.

The "Hump" with South Opal in the background

There were actually 2 groups, a faster group of 4 and another of 3, so spacing was no issue. After heading up through the "Gates", we traversed the bare ridge and climbed the snowy last section to the summit.


The faster group heading up the last section to the summit of Opal South.

Jeanette and Donna traversing the ridge

Spaced out on the summit of Opal South

Weather moving in over Upper Kananaskis Lake

Once on the summit, the wind did start to pick up and we could see the weather was moving in.

Traversing back across the ridge

Sim and the ladies heading down from the summit

So after about 20 minutes on the summit , the group headed back down to the ridge, through the "Gates" and retraced our steps back down to the trail head.

Our timing worked out well, as a light rain started to fall just as we reached the parking lot at 2:15 PM.

My thanks to Sim,Jeannette,,Evan,Simon,Donna,Toshiko for their great company and for joining me Kevin (C/S) on an early Spring trip in the mountains.

Total distance 6 km
Total time 5.5 hrs
Total elevation gain 1025 metres