Explored No.1 October 17, 2023
www.flickr.com/explore/2023/10/17

Smutwood Peak is a 17.9km hike with an elevation gain of 961 meters. The hike is rated as moderate, to difficult. At the end, you’ll be using your hands a bit. Scrambling Smutwood Peak offers spectacular views of the two jagged mountains: Mount Smuts and Birdwood.

The trail begins along an old logging road (Road 742) before branching off to the right-hand side, where you’ll intercept Commonwealth Creek. By following the creek upstream you’ll soon emerge into a vast alpine meadow. The hike towards Smuts Pass along Commonwealth Creek was initially quite muddy and there was a bit of flood damage. We need to plow through willows and fir trees along an incredibly overgrown trail. The willows, shrubs, and trees were so thick, we found ourselves complete soaking from the dew on the leaves.

After a few kilometers of hiking in the Commonwealth Creek valley, we started the very steep hike up to Smuts Pass. Once crossing the enormous avalanche debris path, the alpine stroll through the meadows quickly turned into steep switchbacks up to the Smuts Pass. A gusty wind that seemed to blow me up and down, plus involved significant scrambling, before reaching to summit, the hail and snow hit my eyes badly with strong wind, but the views from the summit were out of the world.

A frigid wind and a peculiar cloud that blocked the sun from the summit. We could not hang around too long.

* Instead of taking sunrise/sunset photos, went to the peaks every day, actually climbing/scrambling to the peaks ;)) average 20km per day, over 800 meters elevation. No tree line above 800 meters, and the weather was changing quickly...

* In this trip, we climbed over 10 mountains peaks, the views from the top were breathtaking... kind of addicted to it. Only down side is that the bears were everywhere, not safe at all, also scrambling most peaks of the last couple of hundred meters...

* Hiking in the wildness area is kind of cleansing the soul, I just hope I can do more in the next several years...

* Due to the high grizzly activity, Smutwood Peak is an unofficial trail with Alberta Parks. Make sure you carry bear spray with you and know how to use it. Parks Canada always recommends hiking in a tight group with a minimum of four people in areas with high grizzly bear activity.

Canon EOS R5, RF24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM
ISO100, 24mm, f/8, 1/8s

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Tags:   Smutwood Peak mountains Smutwood CanadianRocky RockyMountains Summit lakes hiking Kananaskis Kananaskis Country travel CanonR5 landscape Renee Jiang

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Explored No.1, December 22, 2023
www.flickr.com/explore/2023/12/22

The Wilcox Trail is a hiking trail located in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is a popular trail that offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains, glaciers, and alpine meadows. The trail is approximately 9.4 kilometers long and is rated as moderate in difficulty. It starts at the Wilcox Pass parking lot; hikers can continue on to the Wilcox Ridge for even more panoramic views.

The beauty of the Wilcox trail lies in its stunning natural surroundings and breathtaking views. As hiking along the trail, you are immersed in a lush forest filled with towering trees, vibrant wildflowers, and a variety of wildlife. The Wilcox trail is suitable for all levels of hikers, whether a beginner or an experienced hiker, the trail offers a range of difficulty levels, allowing everyone to enjoy its beauty. The well-maintained path is easy to follow. While hiking through the peaceful forest, the sounds of birds chirping, leaves rustling, and water trickling create a soothing ambiance. The autumn colors provide a stunning backdrop for the hike. The trail meanders through peaceful meadows, crosses babbling streams, and leads you to picturesque viewpoints that offer panoramic vistas of the surrounding mountains and valleys.

Canon EOS R5, RF24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM
ISO100, 24mm, f/11, 1/20s

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Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! 💕

Tags:   Jasper CanadianRocky RockyMountains Wilcox Pass Wilcox Trail Glacier Glaciers Icefields Renee Jiang hiking mountains ClimbMountains

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Explored November 20, 2023
www.flickr.com/explore/2023/11/20

Little Arethusa/ Arethusa Cirque Peak is situated in the Spray Valley Provincial Park in Kananaskis Country, Alberta. The peak stands at an elevation of approximately 2,600 meters (8,530 feet) and offers panoramic vistas of the surrounding mountains and valleys. The hike to Little Arethusa Peak is approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) round trip. It is considered a difficult hike due to its steep sections and rocky terrain. The elevation gain is around 800 meters (2,625 feet). The hike to Little Arethusa Peak is challenging, with steep sections and rocky terrain, but the reward of reaching the summit is well worth the effort.

We started in the mid-afternoon, there was no problems finding parking as people were leaving. Following the well-marked trail, after about 2 kilometers, we reached a junction where you needed to turn left towards Little Arethusa Peak, or you could turn right to Arethusa Cirque (easy).

The trail to Little Arethusa became steeper and more challenging. While hiking up to Little Arethusa, we saw the valley opens up to reveal a picturesque alpine meadow dotted with wildflowers, surrounded by towering cliffs. The cirque is formed by towering cliffs and rugged peaks that enclose a bowl-shaped valley. Most hikers go to Arethusa Cirque. Only four of us continued hiking to Little Arethusa. The final stretch of the hike was the most challenging, as it involved a steep scramble over the rocks and boulders to reach the summit.

Just few minutes after we reached to the summit. It was snowing with strong wind and hail. We put all our clothes and gloves on, climbed down. It was just 10 minutes later, the trail was covered with snow, we could not see where the trail was, had to climbed zig zag patterns on meadows… In about half hour, snow stopped, we were treated with breathtaking view with fog and sunshine…!

This view was at the time when we hiked up to the Little Arethusa, there was a short time window with sunshine scattered on the bowl-shaped valley. Beautiful moment enjoying larch season!

Canon EOS R5, RF24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM
ISO100, 24mm, f/11, 1/125s

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Tags:   Little Arethusa Arethusa Arethusa Cirque CanadianRocky RockyMountains summit Peaks Peak hiking FallColors Larch nature Renee Jiang YBS23Landscape WPD24Nature

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Explored No.1, Jan. 23, 2024
www.flickr.com/explore/2024/01/23


The beauty of the sunrise at Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, Montana is truly breathtaking. As the sun begins to rise over the majestic mountains, the sky is painted with vibrant hues of pink, orange, and gold. The soft morning light illuminates the rugged peaks, the air is crisp and fresh, and the silence is broken only by the gentle sounds of nature awakening. The sunrise at Going-to-the-Sun Road is a magical experience that fills the heart with awe and appreciation for the natural wonders of Glacier National Park.

Canon EOS R5, RF24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM
ISO200, 24mm, f/10, 1/4s

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Tags:   Glacier Glacier National Park Going-to-the-Sun hiking sunrise light mountains RockyMountains Montana Renee Jiang

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Most part of the hike was easy! Once you got closer to the last 2-3 km, it became very windy with hail and snow. I put all my layers, was still totally wet when I reached the viewpoint although I wore GORE-TEX shell. Took photos quickly and climbed down. Crampons and poles were very helpful in this situation. The Crampons and poles really helped me through the mud while lots of people were slippering down.

Canon EOS R5, RF24-70mm F2.8 L IS USM
ISO100, 24mm, f/11, 1/13s

Tags:   Smutwood Kananaskis Kananaskis Country CanadianRockies CanadianRocky ClimbMountains Mounatins Peaks Peak nature travel landscape Reee Jiang CanonR5 clouds lake light mountains sky

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