Yamnuska Mtn, Kananaskis, June 2010

Early June, Crystal, a former gondie member, came to Banff's for a nite out in Banff. Lucky me, she invite me to go out with her and some of her new friends she meet at the ice. The Icefields are located midway between Banff and Jasper. That day, I met Brian Van Tighem a guy who grow up in the Rockies and who loved hiking like I do, or at least appear to love hiking as much as I do. We exchanged our phone numbers and promise to do many hikes together this summer. The first hike we planned together was Mount Yamnuska in Kananaskis country. This mountain is amazing because once you reach the ridge on one side it's an open view of the Prairies and on the other side it's the Rockies Mountains. So Brian, his friend Matt and myself left Banff at around 11h30 ish all hung over from our crazy night the day before. We all drinks red bull and start hiking Yamuska. Since I never heard of this mountain before I had no expectation whatsoever.

After reaching the tree line the views start open up and I was again amaze with the views. I've been in so many places and saw so many georgious places in the rockies trought my hiking that I'm now lacking of new adjectives to qualifies the feeling I had when I reach the ridge with a vertical drop too insane to even try to explain it. The drop was insane and I cannot imagine many climbers actually do climb the wall. We continue the hike a bit further up until we reach a rope. In order to reach the summit you need to hold on the rope. For some reason, I couldnt do it! The wind was pushing my back down the gully and my hands could barely hold the grip. I dont know why I found that place sketchy and I'm dissapointed after doing Cascade, Rundle and Castle to give up on a mountain for the first time but since I wanted to hi

ke mountains for years to come, I decide it's good to know our limits. That day I had enough, that was my limit and I'm glad my two fellows hikers understood and didnt try to push me to pass that point. Hopefully, I will never give up again on a mountain, but I'm glad to notice I kn

ow my limits, not many peoples do and this is why so many peoples dies into the Canadian Rockies trying to be and hero, trying to accomplish something just to hard and  to fast because the temptation was too palpable and too unbearable. Hiking the Canadian Rockies is a privilege and that day I was happy to have done a first real hike of 2010. Since Brian is a photographer and because I loves photographs so much, and since he is a really cool guy I hope he will be my new best hiking buddy alongside with Dalton. So Yamuska you won that round, but the game isnt over yet.... not over yet....