I needed an easy day – mentally and physically – within a short drive from Calgary. Nothing too complicated or anything that involved route finding.
South Baldy was an easy to go. Mind you, I had never done it before but I knew roughly the route, and I needed to add another peak to my new-to-me list.
I met Kate at the Baldy Pass parking area where we risked life and limb crossing Hwy 40 to the trailhead. Baldy Pass trail will take you to Midnight, Midday Peaks in addition to South Baldy.
The South Baldy summit is a short 12 kilometre return with less than 1,000 metre gain. Following the diverse trail (dirt, roots, rocks), we reached a big cairn on the left that clearly marked the turn to South Baldy for another two kilometres. Funny how I didn’t notice the trail when we were up here earlier this summer.
This trail is very well marked all the way to the summit. We climbed up, over and around a few mini peaks before reaching the summit. We chatted with two guys who had gone up for sunrise.
At the summit, we could see hear and see people on the west summit. Voices sure do echo.
I’d like to go back later this year and bag all three summits in one go. Now that I have the south and north summits under my belt, I should complete the Mount Baldy traverse.