Heart Mountain is located east of Canmore. You can see the heart-shaped mountain from the highway (hence the name). The trail guides say it is an easy to moderate scramble to the summit. The sign warns hikers of what was ahead.
I wish I did some research on the mountain before I went up. Late into the hike, I learned there’s a loop that brings you down the mountain to the parking lot. That would have been nice. I generally hate out and backs. But this time, I erred on the side of caution and went down the way I came up.
The first part of the hike really sucked. It was all this gravel-like crap for at least 2K. Tina was with me for maybe a quarter of the way before she decided she had enough. It’s too bad because the views at the top were amazing. It was a little tricky in spots and I managed to keep my footings. Scree can always be challenging for the faint at heart. But I have great balance so I wasn’t worried (that much) about plummeting to my death or tripping and being impaled by a sharp rock.
Thankfully I met up with Kate and Daniel from Cochrane who pointed me in the right direction. I followed them up the mountain and they went down the other way. It was Kate’s first time on Heart. Daniel was a rock climber who was helping build a new climbing area at some point on the mountain.
I took my time on the mountain to snap photos and to think without any distractions. Silence is welcoming.
I never grow tired of reaching a mountain’s summit. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been on the top, the views simply fills my heart. What is it they say? Beauty feeds the mind, body and soul.
The hike itself was not too difficult. If you’re in reasonable enough shape, you can hike this mountain. Just take your time and watch your footing (especially on the early bit). I came across many hikers who were of all ages and sizes, two-legged and four-legged.
I won’t even begin to guess which mountains these are in the distance. (Do you know their names?)
All in all it was a great day to be on top of a mountain. Thankfully the rain held off until I was on the highway back to Red Deer. Small things.
Looks a great place for contemplation.
Yes. Next time I will bring my journal 🙂