How to tell the Summer Hiking Season is over

Helen and I have a tradition of doing a hike on the Oct Thanksgiving Long Weekend. Way to often this becomes the last hike of the season due to snow fall. This year it was painfully obvious due to well over 6 inches of snow and having to break the trail on Pocaterra Cirque just off the Highwood Pass in Kananaskis Country.

 
We were also reminded on how important it is to pay particular attention to the wildlife. The bears and trying to fatten up for the winter and our pretty focused on feeding. Kananaskis had a park wide warning about increased bear activity. Additionally, it is also to watch out for aggressive Elk and other Ungulates that are in mating season. We are actually charged by two Big Horn Mountain Sheep as we were coming down the trail.