BOU AVENUE
Stimson Creek Hills
After the end of a recent cold snap, Dinah Kruze, Bob Spirko and I were eager to get out for a hike on 8 March 2014.  Because of high avalanche danger in the mountains, Bob chose a conservative objective for us--a group of unnamed hills near Stimson Creek at the southern end of Alberta's Kananaskis Country.  Starting from a roadside information kiosk along Highway 532, we donned snowshoes and hopped over a short barbed wire fence before heading up a treed slope.  We climbed a succession of unremarkable high points trending in a northwestern direction before dropping down into Stimson Creek for our return trip.  Snow conditions were a bit of a mixed bag on this day with everything from bare ground to deep, sugary powder, but I nevertheless found the snowshoeing to be generally easy.  Although there is little to recommend about this trip in terms of scenery, I still enjoyed the moderate exercise and the great company.

Be sure to check out Bob's trip report here.
Sorry, no biffy here! Dinah and Bob gear up in front of an information kiosk.  They would subsequently head for the hills in the background.
Snow conditions were not bad at the beginning... Bob and Dinah head up through the trees.
Hey, maybe we'll even get some views! Dinah and Bob follow a fence line to the first high point of the day.
Yay! Dinah watches as Bob triumphantly raises his trekking poles on the first high point of the day.
One of the tougher slogs on this day. Bob breaks trail through deeper snow as he climbs the next hill.

It has been almost 10 years since I ascended this peak. How time flies!

A clearing affords this view of Sentinel Peak to the west.

At least it's a little more forgiving on snowshoes than on skis! Snow is lacking on many slopes in the area.
Despite the thin snow cover, it's better than breaking trail through the deep stuff. Dinah and Bob climb up yet another steep slope.
These hills just keep going on and on... At a clearing, Bob contemplates where to go next.  Mount Burke is visible in the distance.
Dinah is getting hungry for an A&W Mozza burger! Dinah and Bob decide that this is the last high point of the day.
Watch out for the odd patch of ice! Dinah descends a broad ridge.
Proof that I was there! Sonny takes a "selfie" during a short pause on the return trip.
I kinda like this shot. Dinah descends through the trees.
She looks like she's still having fun! Dinah hikes the rest of the way out Stimson Creek without wearing her snowshoes.
It's a good thing we weren't hiking on this side of the highway! Some yahoos practice skeet shooting beside the highway.