Exshaw Ridge and the Red Deer River

Here are some pictures of two different trips: a scramble up Exshaw Ridge, and a paddle down the Red Deer River

Exshaw Ridge

Exshaw Ridge rises to the north of the town of Exshaw, between Exshaw Creek and Jura Creek. I began by scrambling up Exshaw Mountain, which is tree-covered and doesn’t have views. From the top of Exshaw Mountain I had to drop down 100 vertical meters to a saddle before being able to continue climbing along the ridge. The solution to this annoyance is to bypass Exshaw Mountain in the forest to the west, which I did on return. Once on top of the second high point the views start to open up, and continuing along the ridge is a joy. I kept going for several hours, and turned around at the last patch of thick trees in the following picture.

Here is a view back towards Exshaw and the Bow Valley:

Here is a view down Jura Creek.

Here is a view back down Exshaw Ridge, showing the way I came. Height gain to this point is about 800 m, but the dips along the ridge add to this total.

Calypso Bulbosa, a type of orchid, was flowering in the forest.

I found some of the last crocuses of the season. It looked like they had come up in an area that was covered by a snowbank until late in the season.

There were a lot of shooting stars around. I always enjoy photographing these different-looking flowers.

Red Deer River

Diana and I paddled the Red Deer River from Mackenzie Crossing to Drumheller, June 1-4, spending three nights along the river. Flow was at medium, about 60 m3/s. It was a really hot week, and temperatures reached 36C. We spent quite a bit of time sitting in the shade of cottonwood trees and cooling off in the river. Only sunset brought relief from the heat.

Our first camp was a popular spot with beavers. We watched them swim by along the river’s edge, right in front of our feet, and we watched them go ashore to gnaw on twigs.