On the agenda for day 5: a "little" classic Canmore hike, some wildlife and a trip to the hotel hot tub. We also took the opportunity to run some errands and get some rest.
A beautiful mountain road
We set off from the hotel in the direction of Ha Ling peak. The road to the mountain parking area is under construction, and we find ourselves on an unpaved road. We have to drive slowly, which is just as well, because after a bend we come face to face with a group of mouflons.
They sit quietly on the side of the road, feeding on the few plants protruding from the rocks. We stop for a few seconds to observe them. Unfortunately, a truck comes in front of us and a car behind us, so we have to set off again. The noise of the truck frightens the mouflons, who start to cross the road to take refuge on the other side of the safety barriers. So we stop again just long enough for all the mouflons to cross, giving us a little more time for our observation.
We set off down a clear path. We've seen our first mouflons! We arrive at the Ha Ling peak parking lot. We're not alone, but there are still plenty of places to park.
Ha ling peak
Ha Ling is a mountain overlooking the town of Canmore. It's quite recognizable, and the hike to its summit is a classic around town.
Even though the trailhead is very close to town and the trail is very popular, the parking lot doesn't fill up that quickly. Good news for us, no need to get up at the crack of dawn. We start walking around 9:00 am.
The official trail runs for about 3.5 kilometers to a pass, after which it is possible to take two unofficial trails of about 500 meters. One leads to the top of Ha Ling, the other to the summit of nearby Miners Peak.
We opted for the option going to the top of Ha ling for a total of 8.0 kilometers (round trip) to the summit, with 810 meters of ascent. It's a nice hike, not too long. It took us 3 hours 50 minutes, including a fairly long break at the summit. The only difficulty is the part up to the summit, which is quite steep, with lots of small rocks and gravel making the path a little slippery. But it's still accessible to everyone.
More mouflons
As is often the case on steep hikes, the descent is not the most pleasant. Having walking sticks can help on this part. When we reach the parking area, we're pleasantly surprised to see another group of mouflons with young.
We spend some time watching them. They don't seem in the least disturbed and move along the mountain in search of food. Eventually, they end up at the start of the hiking trail. We migrated to the parking area so as not to disturb them.
Those of us who wanted to see mouflons were in for a treat!
A quiet end to the day
Back at our motel, we decide to take it easy for the rest of the day. It starts with a visit to the motel's Jacuzzi and Sauna. Nothing crazy in terms of facilities, but very pleasant for relaxing after a good hike.
Then we wandered around town in search of pâté for our sandwiches. It's a classic recipe on our hikes, tried and tested, and even adopted by friends of ours. But, for the moment, it's impossible to find veggie pâté in Canmore... we've tried replacing it with hard-boiled eggs, which works, but it's not as good. The quest continues.
We're going to bed early tonight. Tomorrow, we've got a big one ahead of us, the Iceline Trail, a 21km hike!
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