Weaselhead Flats

Trip Date: January 2017

The Weaselhead Flats Natural Area is a vast tract of wilderness that borders the western end of the Glenmore Reservoir and connects North Glenmore Park with South Glenmore Park. The Weaselhead comprises 237 hectares of wilderness sandwiched between the city and the Tsuu T'ina Nation. The park's name is still a mystery, but is likely named after Chief Weaselhead, the leader of the Tsuu T'ina Nation at the time of European contact. The Weaselhead officially became a park in the early 1980's, but not before surviving a colourful history.

Weaselhead Trail Map including Oxbow Trail (3.1km), Weaselhead Trail (2.0km), Jackrabbit Trail (4.1km), Meadow Trail (1.1km), Delta Trail (0.8km), Viewpoint Trail (0.2km), and the Regional Pathway.

First Nation groups were the original settlers of the modern-day Weaselhead. In the Blackfoot language the area is called 'moll-inistsi-in-aka-apewis' or 'Elbow Many Houses' in reference to the multiple and changing river courses through the flat river plain. This flat valley provided excellent shelter for many First Nation groups during the harsh winter months.

A panoramic shot of the Glenmore Reservoir

The Elbow River (originally known as the Swift River) originates at the Rae Glacier in Kananaskis Country west of Calgary. It meanders east over the landscape before eventually joining the Bow River near downtown Calgary. Sam Livingstone, an early Calgary pioneer, first settled in the area that is now the Glenmore Reservoir and gave the name 'Glenmore', which is Gaelic for 'big valley', to the whole area. In 1933 the Glenmore Dam was completed to ensure a consistent supply of fresh water for Calgary's citizens. This major interruption in the Elbow's flow created the Glenmore Reservoir and the Weaselhead Flats as we know them today began to take shape.

The Elbow River meandering through the Weaselhead before reaching the Glenmore Reservoir

Between 1908 and 1998 the Weaselhead, in conjunction with Harvey Barracks and Sarcee Training Area (the latter two are again part of the Tsuu T'ina Nation), were leased from Tsuu T'ina by the Canadian Armed Forces and used for military training exercises. As a result the Department of Defence continues to work closely with the City of Calgary and the Calgary Police Service to locate and recover any unexploded explosive ordinance (UXO) that may still be present in the area. During the devastating floods of 2013 a lot of soil and vegetation was washed away uncovering previously buried unexplored ordinance, prompting officials to close the park until a thorough search could be completed. Although the chance of discovering UXO is considered remote please follow these guidelines in the off-chance you stumble across something.

Exploring one of the many trails in the area

Today where the Elbow River enters the reservoir there is a wide river delta that is home to a large variety of flora and fauna. A paved pathway that circles the entire reservoir is a popular destination for many Calgarians. There are also numerous trails dissecting the Weaselhead for you to explore. The park is home to more than 200 species of birds, both migratory and permanent residents, as well as a plethora of mammals, including beaver, muskrat, deer, moose, coyote, bobcat, squirrel, mink, rabbit, and even black bear.

A Blue Jay snacking on nuts and seeds provided by a generous park visitor

This coyote is sporting a healthy winter coat

A brightly-coloured male Pine Grosbeak enjoying a few sunflower seeds

Outdoor enthusiasts love the recreation opportunities provided by the Weaselhead and allow many folks to stay closer to home instead of venturing outside the city for running, biking, hiking, paddling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and wildlife viewing. One of my favourite things about the park is once you disappear into the Weaselhead for an afternoon of exploration you won't even feel like you're in the city anymore. As Calgarians we're pretty lucky to have numerous green spaces within the city limits and the Weaselhead is one of those special wilderness settings just begging to be explored!

Christine and I on one of our many bike rides through the park

For more information about the Weaselhead Natural Area please visit the Weaselhead/Glenmore Park Preservation Society website. You can also connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. In addition you can view some great photography (including a few additions by yours truly) on the Weaselhead Photography webpage.

A flock of Bohemian Waxwings perched at the top of a tree

A female White-Tailed Deer watching me closely

Kananaskis Lakes Trails

Trip Date: March 2014

Christine and I decided to get outside and do some cross-country skiing.  This day-trip marked a few firsts for both us.  It was Christine's first time up on skis this season and it was also her first time cross-country skiing at Pocaterra in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.  This was my tenth day out on skis this season, but it was my first without having Rome by my side.  Dogs aren't allowed on the groomed trails at Pocaterra, so sadly we had to leave her at home.  I had been to Pocaterra previously, but hadn't skied there in almost seven years.  The spring floods in 2013 had destroyed different sections of the trail system, so it looked a little different than how I remembered it.  

The system of trails in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park

The Pocaterra parking area is about 140km southwest of Calgary along the Kananaskis Lakes Trail (Highway 40).  Pocaterra is a great skiing area with different trails to suit all abilities.  It is part of the Kananaskis Lakes Trail System.  We ended up skiing a 10.5km loop that connected Pocaterra, Come Along, Lynx, Amos, and Lodgepole Trails.

The entire drive from Calgary featured wet, falling snow, but almost as soon as our boots were snapped into our bindings the sun started to breakthrough the clouds and gave us some spectacular spring weather.  The sunshine and warm temperatures remained for the majority of our trip and it wasn't until the last section of our loop that the weather turned on us.  The wind picked up and the snow started to fall again, luckily we weren't too far from a warm vehicle and some delicious snacks!

The clouds started to break-up, which gave us some great mountain views

Just getting our day started

Views along the Pocaterra Trail

A hilly section of the Lynx Trail

Christine at the top of a hill

Skiing down

Untouched snow in a small meadow somewhere along Amos Trail

The shower house in the Elkwood Campground was covered in a lot of snow!

On our way back.  This must have been just before the weather turned on us.

Overall it was a pretty great day of spring skiing, although the loop we chose may have been a bit over ambitious for Christine's first day of the season.  We are hoping to get out at least once more before all the snow melts.  Finger crossed!

Mt. Shark

Trip Date: February 2013

This past Family Day long weekend a group of us decided it was finally time to try out cross-country skiing.  We rented ski gear in Canmore and headed for Mt. Shark in Spray Valley Provincial Park, which is part of the Kananaskis Country parks system.  The parking area is about 145km southwest of Calgary along the Smith Dorrien Spray Trail south of Canmore.  Since most of the group hadn't been on cross-country skies before, or it had been many years since their last outing, and the weather was basically a light blizzard, we decided to ski the out-and-back trail to Watridge Lake.  The trail is great for beginners and is about 7.5km round trip with only 30m gained in elevation.  It would be a great introduction for the rookies and the perfect way to get back in the groove for those of us a little out of practice!  Even though the weather was far from ideal we didn't seem to be bothered.  We weren't cold, which was awesome and I think everyone had a smile on their face the entire afternoon.  The worst part was on the drive back when they closed the Smith Dorrien Spray Trail due to avalanche danger and we had to take the long way back via Highway 40.  I guess it's always better to be safe than sorry though!

The trail crossed over Watridge Creek

Jess, Nath, and Chris

Ben and Dan

Christine enjoying being out on skies

Nath on the descent to Watridge Lake

Jess making her way down the hill

A barely visible Watridge Lake and the setting sun

It was snowing pretty hard throughout most of the afternoon.  Time to turn around and head back to the vehicles.

Panorama Mountain Village Resort

Trip Dates: February 2011 & March 2011

The second resort for our annual snowboarding trip was Panorama Mountain Village.  Panorama has 2,847 acres of accessible terrain for skiing and riding.  It also boasts the 5th longest continual skiable vertical drop in North America.  It is located just outside of Invermere, British Columbia and is approximately 300km southwest of Calgary.  We ended up at Pano twice in the same year because I was fortunate enough to win a snowboarding getaway through Country 105.1-FM, the radio station in Calgary.  During out first trip we stayed in an enormous cabin along Toby Creek Road, but the accommodations for our second trip were right in the mountain village, as per the prize.  Unfortunately on our first trip we were stranded in Invermere on the Sunday because Highway 93 South was closed for avalanche control.  Since we all needed to be back at work on Monday morning we had no choice but to take the long way home via Highway 3.  This turned a straight-forward, 3-hour drive into 6-hour long, mind-numbing experience that I hope never to duplicate!  Oh well such is life in the mountains!

Panorama Mountain Village Resort Trail Map

Toby Benches Lodge.  The accommodations on our first trip.

Complete with hot tub

Christine and Nath

The Summit Hut on top of Panorama Mountain

Great views from the summit

Christine and I in Pano's Big Chair

Rome on the deck of our cabin

Horsethief Lodge courtesy of Country 105.1-FM

The view from our balcony

The Greywolf Golf Course becomes the Greywolf Nordic Centre in the winter

Since I was the first to arrive I decided to go for a cross-country ski before everybody else showed up

The Hale Hut was my turnaround point

Great afternoon to be outside

Beautiful sunny day to do some snowboarding

Dan and Nath

Dan carving up the mountain

Bear Pole Ridge

Trip Date: February 2011

Sticking with the winter activity theme from my last post, I wanted to share a short post about Bear Pole Ridge.  This is another ridge near camp, and I believe it actually connects to the ridge-line I talked about in my previous post.  Up until the winter of 2011 this new ridge was relatively unknown to Base Camp.  We knew it existed, but nobody had found a decent way to get up there.  A past staff member eventually blazed a trail on cross-country skies all the way to the top where he discovered a dirt bike trail that we didn't know existed.  It's a bit of a slog to get up to the ridge, especially on skies, but the views are worth the effort.  He eventually named it Bear Pole Ridge because of the bear claw markings on several trees that he found along the way.  I've been up to the ridge a few times in the winter and a couple of times in the summer on my bike.  It is absolutely no fun climbing up on your bike, but coming back down the opposite side is more than a lot of fun!!  

Almost every tree in this Poplar bluff had a deer rubbing on it

These markings are either caused by male deer rubbing the velvet off of their antlers or they were eating the bark

This is how the ridge got its name

Bear claw markings in the bark of a tree

The view of Devil's Gap from Bear Pole Ridge.  You can actually see Lake Minnewanka at the back of the valley.

Orient Point

Sleeping Mole and Black Rock Mountain

Rome posing on Bear Pole Ridge

I noticed more bear markings on my way back down