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Door Jamb and Loder Peak

by Rick Chin 4 Comments

Door Jamb seems so far away!

Door Jamb seems so far away!

Door Jamb and Loder Peak are easy/moderate scrambles near Calgary that can both be conquered in one half-day outing. It’s a surprise that I hadn’t experienced them sooner!

We’ve had a mild winter in Calgary this year, and the easterly location of Door Jamb and Loder Peak along the Bow Valley would almost guarantee a non-snowy May hike. Robbie and I parked at the side of the road on Highway 1A near the eastern cement plant near Exshaw, and the trailhead begins right from the parking lot. [Read more…]

Happy Easter from Prairie Mountain

by Rick Chin 3 Comments

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Happy Easter to all! Is there a better way to spend the day than hiking in the mountains? I guess that’s debatable, but I know my preference :).

Yes, the forecast called for snow. And boy did it snow. The snow even scared away some of my hiking companions. But in the end, three of us brave souls ventured out for a quick ascent of Prairie Mountain in Bragg Creek.

As another early season hike, the ascent was tough at first. Our lungs and legs struggled to adjust. And Prairie is quite a steep one. But as with most hikes, we soon found our stride while immersed in great conversation. We wore microspikes for the full duration of the hike, and thank goodness we did- a snowy hike means a slippery one. [Read more…]

Mount Lady Macdonald: Unplug

by Rick Chin 5 Comments

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Sometimes you just have to unplug from the daily routine and the city stimuli, venture out on your own in nature, and think.

I know. It’s so cliche. But how often do you actually give yourself the time… the space… to be at one with your thoughts? To really honour what it is that occupies your mind? To allow yourself a chance to gain some clarity- without the car noises, text message beeps, pressing work and family commitments, ongoing to-do lists, or multitude of other things vying for our immediate attention?

There has been no shortage of interesting events in my life recently. Even with the life changes and job and school stresses, I haven’t felt too stressed mentally. However, the body knows, and it has been feeling the weight.  With abnormally vivid dreams, grinding my teeth at night, bouts of vertigo, and more fatigue than usual, my body has been saying loud and clear: “Hey you! Take a break!” [Read more…]

Pokhara and Australian Camp

by Rick Chin Leave a Comment

Sunrise with Pokhara in the distance

Sunrise with Pokhara in the distance

Post written December 28: After a relaxing and uneventful day in Kathmandu, I awoke early to catch my 9:30 am flight to Nepal’s second largest city, Pokhara (820 metres). Located 200 km west of Kathmandu, it’s a touristy place near the Annapurna mountain range, and often acts as a base for those venturing out to complete the Annapurna Circuit or other treks in the area. The flight was a quick 20 minutes, and before I knew it, I was walking along Phewa Lake and breathing in cleaner air.

Ramesh suggested we head to Australian Camp for the evening. Australian Camp? Sounds good to me. I packed an overnight bag and then we drove up the windy mountain streets west of Pokhara to Kande (1770 metres). A short hour hike later, we were in the mountains at the small Australian Camp. There are only a few guest houses up there, as well as space for those who want to camp. But for all visitors, the sunset and sunrise views of the Annapurna mountains can’t be beat. Unfortunately, clouds had rolled in that evening resulting in no view, so I went to bed hoping that we would all awake to clear skies. [Read more…]