by site editor Rick McCharles
Because of the record breaking temperatures where I live, I dashed off to Banff Wednesday.
You always get good advice from the National Park Rangers at the hiking desk on Banff Avenue. They recommended Mt Cory, a mountain I did not know.
Elevation gain about 1370m.
Here I am about half way (2hrs) up looking on to the sawtooth ridge.
Guidebook – Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies
Get the guidebook. I did not have it with me, ending up taking the wrong ridge up. And the wrong ridge down. And missed a highlight, the “Hole in the Wall”.
Taking the wrong ridge is quite common:
… It is imperative that you are at the right spot, as I went up the wrong rib on this mountain years ago and was forced to redo this route in 2005 to complete it. There are several large ribs coming down from Mount Cory. You want the eastern most rib which is identified as light-colored shaley cliffs with a deep ravine to its right.
You might want a GPS.
I was elated to get to the top after 4hrs. To celebrate, I rocked out to Coldplay for a half hour, enjoying the perfect weather close to 3000m. This is rare in the Canadian Rockies, any day of the year.
Here’s the gorgeous view looking North.
See the rest of my photos from Mt Cory
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It dawned on me that I have never before hiked on this North side of the Trans Canada Highway.
Why?
Because the best hikes in the Canadian Rockies are on the other side.
For example, Sunshine to Assiniboine, our #5 best hike in the world.
Chris Townsend in 1988 was the first to walk the continental divide of the Canadian Rockies, a 1600mi challenge. He declared the days from Assiniboine to Sunshine to Lake Ohara the finest section.
besthike.com 