Thanks to a great group, this turned out to be a hot, scenic, 6 1/2 hour day on the well trodden anti-clockwise circuit of Heart Mountain.

We started out punctually at 8.35am and crossed Heart Creek on a good bridge before ascending steadily on the well trodden trail up Heart Mountain. There were only a few other groups around (<10 hikers total). With several clothing adjustment and regrouping stops we arrived at the crux 3 metre scramble. This is well marked by plastic diamonds. Its also somewhat polished from many previous scramblers but is solid and all made it up safely.

We had lunch in a sunny meadow below the (true) summit sheltered from the wind around 12 noon. In this area there was some well packed old snow. There were several photo ops on the ridge bumps before we descended round to highway level and finally back to the crowded parking lot about 3.10pm.

Striped Coalroot Orchid on the Heart Mtn Trail

Group on Final Bump of Heart Mtn circuit

Group crosses Heart Creek east to west at the end of a hot day

It was now quite muggy with a few drops of rain. Although there is some construction near the road, it was easy to walk around and ignore. Thanks to everyone for keeping the mixed group together and stopping at appropriate intervals. Advance advice about expected conditions from Clifton was also appreciated. Apologies to those who were disappointed not to make it on the trip, but it filled in 1 1/2 hours after posting 36 hours in advance. I hope that you managed to find a good alternative. Stats: 11km, 930m, in 6:30hrs. Scribe David.

Participants: David,Arnold,Nancy,John,Jeanne,Jeannette,Inge,Brian,Tatyana.