NWOutdoorGrrl

Since 2004, Nick and I have been making the pilgrimage to Banff, AB the first weekend in November for the annual Banff Mountain Film Festival. It’s a nine-day event featuring the world’s best mountain films, books, and speakers. (We usually go for the last weekend of the festival due to time constraints.) This year we were joined by many friends – Sean, Susan, John, Mona, Dale, and a host of former Cascade Designs colleagues.

This is far from a “inactive” vacation, as my mother suggested. It’s a weekend filled with inspiration and adventure as we watch films, attend seminars, hike Tunnel Mountain, listen to author readings, practice acro-yoga, and share a pint or two with renowned authors, filmmakers, conservationists, adventurers, and explorers from around the world.

Happiness and mountains start on the flight to Calgary:

 
Once on the ground, we grabbed a car and headed west for the mountains. Our first stop was the Grizzly Paw Pub for a late lunch, where some chose to partake in a special Canadian delicacy. Then it was on to our B&B in the shadow of Mt. Rundle.

 
Friday night’s program kicked off with a presentation by Simon Moro and Cory Richards, two crazy people who climbed Gasherbrum II in winter. As if an 8000′ meter peak weren’t hard enough! We couldn’t quite believe our eyes though when a picture of a friend, Barbara Dekeyser, flashed across the screen.

Despite the full program of films, we always manage to find time for a hike up Tunnel Mountain. We made our annual trip on Saturday afternoon:

 
On Monday, we visited the Upper Hot Springs for a soak in the sulfuric pools, visited Bow Falls, had lunch in Canmore, and flew home.

On Tuesday, I joined Vineeth, Sue and Mark on an early morning jaunt up Putrid Pete’s Peak. It’s one of those infamously steep peaks in the I-90 corridor, gaining more than 3000′ in 2.4 miles. Confidence on loose class 2/3 terrain and good route finding are essential if you are interested in trying this peak.

Here are a few snaps of the day:

To see full-screen images, click the FS button above. To automatically advance the pictures, press the SL button.

August and September were a bust for hiking, thanks to a sprained ankle. Looking at my stats for October, though, I’m definitely making up for lost time: