An exercise in "Mud"nuska (Mt. Yamnuska!)

More than a year after I first tried to go to the summit of Mt. Yamnuska in Nakoda Indian Reserve, I again tried it yesterday, this time by myself. I had to drop The Lady at work so by the time I reached the parking lot it was almost 10:05 AM. It was not very crowded but you could see cars and there were two vans. I geared up and headed up at about 10:13 AM and this time when I reached the tree-way I took the straight trail which shows the climbing sign. 

The weather was all cloudy and nasty. In fact it has been like this for the entire week and the damn trail was covered with thick, sticky mud. First I though I had forgotten my hiking shoes so I carried on with my runners on I reached a small waterfall and the trail took me to the west side of the mountain until I saw a scree with lots of loose big and small rocks. That was where I bumped to a guy who was coming up and asked him if I could go to the summit from there and he explained how I could reach there and even told me that I would be able to reach to the summer even with runners on. A few meters up after the encounter I saw an empty beer can and decided to pick it up. I opened my backpack and there it was my hiking shoes! I don't know why I had forgotten but I quickly changed my runners with them and continued up the trail. 

I purchased this damn pair of Keen hiking shoes last Sep. from MEC but they are useless now but I have nothing else and no budget to spend on a new pair. They have lost their cushion-like feeling and the left foot shoe is kind of angled! I guess it's the way that I walk too! I probably will have to see a foot specialist soon. 

Anyways I tried to go up the damn scree and it was hard. I got myself to the most left side and walked up beside the trees and where no loose rock existed but it was not much easier. Just a few minutes to the wall-like rock of the mountain I saw a group of 3, 2 men and a girl. They told me that I would have 3 hours to the summit but I guess they exaggerated a bit.

A scrambler is going down the scree. The sky is covered in thick clouds and nothing much can be seen

I didn't want to go so only made it up to the time that I had 2 hours of hiking and then headed back down. The weather, again, was so damn disgusting that I didn't get a single nice shot. I was back to the parking lot by 14:00. I know at least know how to get to the summit from the west side of the mountain. Maybe I finish it one day.

(Photo, top: The trail of Mt. Yamnuska starts in where there are these trees which unlike most of the trail, are not evergreen)