I like my solo kilometres.
So all the pack running lately has left me feeling a little squirrelly.
Don’t get me wrong, I love sharing kilometres with liked-minded friends. But sometimes I just need to run far, far from the maddening crowd.
Sunday morning I woke up way too early after a long day volunteering and socializing at Iron Legs. For a brief moment, I considered staying in bed and catching up on my sleep. But I knew I would regret wasting a beautiful summer day in Calgary.
Rockbound Lake, an easy 18K run, is in the Eastern Rockies Trail Passport so it was a natural choice for me on my first solo day in weeks. Also I had just hurt my right foot/toe in a weird mishap so I wanted to take it easy while I gained function back in my foot.
I hurriedly packed my kit and headed to the mountains with an extra large coffee for the drive.
Leaving later than I would have liked, I crossed my fingers that parking lot was not full. Thankfully there were a few spots left when I arrived. Looking back I wonder where all the people were because I only saw a handful when I made my way up to the lake.
Nice easy running/gradual climbing up to – Tower Lake. Nothing technical. Double track fun.
At first I thought this was Rockbound Lake but the trail continued so I kept following. Then I spotted a pair of hikers ahead. I asked them if this was Rockbound Lake. One hiker shouted it was Tower Lake. I thought he said “Power” Lake. It wasn’t until I finished my run that I realized my confusion.
I quickly caught up to the two hikers but gave them space. Nobody likes someone on their heels in running or hiking. Besides I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going.
Since it took just over an hour to get up to Rockbound Lake, I made the game day decision to head up Helena Peak, east of Castle Mountain. (I mean it was always in the back of my mind but I wanted to see how my foot felt first.)
The two hikers were headed up Castle. Since Helena Peak shared part of the same trail, I followed closely behind them. I wasn’t really sure of the trail so I was happy that they pointed out the route and its location. Had I been more organized or less tired, I would have gone up both Castle and Helena.
My new friends were super helpful and friendly. I am not just saying that because they kept telling me how I was such a “fast” climber. They didn’t even seem to notice or care that I sounded like a flaky, unprepared runner/hiker. At the junction, the guys continued west to summit Castle.
As I watched them leave, I stood looking at the slope – thinking this was not going to be fun. I crisscrossed a boulder field to the gully to begin my climb up the scree slope.
(I didn’t take a very good picture of the trail leading to Helena Peak but you can see the rugged and exposed peak at the top left in the picture above.) Thankfully the slope wasn’t as bad as it looked. There was a clearly marked trail. I kept a steady pace until I spotted a person in white cautiously moving down the slope.
Once he got closer, we both stopped to chat a bit about the route and the weather. He had seen the three of us below and noted we were the only people he had seen all morning. I would have the summit all to myself.
I took a few minutes to have a bite and look out across the mountain ranges after reaching the ridge. The hiker told me there would be cairns to follow up to the summit. Of course, I didn’t see any until my way down but I managed to create my own route for the final 150 metres to Helena Peak.
Luck was on my side. Barely a breeze. Calm. Truly I have to pinch myself sometimes – to live so close to stunning and majestic places, and to have the ability to run, climb and hike in these stunning areas. I feel sad for those people who will never experience the joy of summiting a mountain and taking in the breathtaking views.
I sat on the summit for at least 20 minutes staring across the mountains. I could have stayed up there longer but I was getting hungry and I only had about 200 calories left. Time to get moving.
There’s that expression: I have 99 problems but I am going running and ignore them all. It makes me chuckle whenever I hear it because I have been known to ignore all the chaos in my life to go for a run.
Finding what makes us feel truly alive is the greatest gift.