Wind Ridge Trail in Exshaw surprised us pretty much with everything: well maintained, not too long, challenging enough, with a little bit of scrambling fun, shady forest, almost no people, and most importantly, incredible views of our favorite Kananaskis peaks from totally unexpected angle, impressive and intimidating. We started early (we always do) and air was more or less clear in the morning, but then wind from the West started to bring lots of smoke from BC fires, and unfortunately pictures of Centennial Ridge side, Skogan, Allan and Collembola did not turn out very good, but I will still post them here for comprehensiveness till better times.
Wind Mountain, Lougheed 3, 2, 1 and Windtower from Wind RidgeWind Mountain from Wind Ridge (close up)Lougheed 3 from Wind Ridge (close up)Lougheed 2 from Wind Ridge (close up)Lougheed 1 from Wind Ridge (close up)Windtower from Wind RidgeCrux (kinda) – scrambling section on the way to the summit block of the Wind Ridge. Not a big deal, but there is an easier path on the right side.Summit block of the Wind RidgeWindtower and The Rimwall from Wind RidgeThe Rimwall from Wind Ridge (close up)West Wind Pass from Wind Ridge (close up)Panorama from Wind Ridge summit: The Rimwall, The Orphan, Three Sisters, Ship’s Prow and Laurence Grassi beyond, Rundle above Canmore at the distance.Centennial Ridge, Mount Collembola and Mount Allan (on the distance) from Wind RidgeMount Allan from Wind Ridge (close up, smoky day)Mount Collembola from Wind Ridge (close up, smoky day)Lac Des Arcs & Bow Valley in Exshaw from Wind Ridge (smoky day, sorry)The Orphan and Three Sisters from Wind Ridge summitMt Laurence Grassi and Ship’s Prow from Wind Ridge (close up)Bow Valley in Canmore from Wind Ridge (smoky day in Banff NP)Pigeon Mountain from Wind Ridge (smoky day)
The original intention was to do the loop, but my wife’s new hiking shoes started to make blisters and we decided not to risk to screw up all the fun with extra 2 kilometers and made only out and back, and it was a wise decision.
