Home»All Photographs»2019 Hikes»Thunder Mountain 06-22-19

Clayton and I headed south today into the Livingstone Range for an ascent of Thunder Mountain. A fresh blanket of snow to the west of Calgary had us uncertain about the depth we might incur higher up, but we lucked out as Thunder Mountain happened to be virtually snow-free.
The ascent starts out as a real grunt up steep muddy slopes in the forest, to get by the initial headwall. Ascending and later descending this section was the crux of the trip.
Higher up on a shoulder of the ridge, we hiked through morning fog that was just beginning to burn off. We noticed a cool halo from the sun surrounding my shadow in the mist - I deduced from this that I am indeed an angel! I always suspected this, but it's nice to have photographic proof for the science types.
The long ridge provided much scenic variation as we ascended, with solid footing and little loose scree to deal with.
The summit was calm and warm, and was a great spot to take an hour for lunch.
The return was uneventful and rain thankfully held off until the drive home.