I'm a Mountaineer!

These are pics from a Thursday mountaineering trip I did with my friend Uel. I am now officially a mountaineer!

We took the gondola up Sulphur Mountain in Banff and then we went along the ridges of the mountain. I've never been mountaineering before so it was a completely new experience for me. And what an experience it was! Simply amazing! I have never been so high up in the mountains, never climbed with my hands and counted so much on my upper body strength to pull myself up over those rocks, never used all that special gear for treking in the snow and ice, never felt the power of the wind and the warmth of the sun from the reflections against the snow. And don't get me started about the snow...The snow was so beautiful. We called it "goofy snow" as that's how it felt to play in it. Often, I would take a step in it and half of my body would be immersed in it!

The really cool part about this trek is that hardly anyone ever takes it in the winter so we were the only two people on the mountain the entire time. I can't wait to do it again as it was one of the most exciting things I have ever experienced!

Uel treking away in the snow...

Taking a rest by an inukshuk by the summit.

My first snow angel in the mountains!

Uel - loving every minute of the mountains!

Me heading back down. You can really see how steep it is in this pic. That was a pretty scary part of the trek

Me - loving the mountains!

Looking back...I just didn't want to leave. Man, I climbed all that?!!!

This is a pic of me after doing my famous snow jump! It's like doing a canon ball in a swimming pool. So much fun!