Cox Hill
Angie Gignac, Dan Millar, Kelly Wood and I slogged
up Cox Hill in Kananaskis Country on 12 May 2001. Initially, the
trail from the Dawson parking lot was quite easy to follow, and we climbed
quickly through the lower forest. As we got higher though, there
was more and more snow on the trail making for some tricky route-finding.
Luckily, the snow was firm enough for us to walk on top, and we soon cleared
the trees and reached the first summit. Upon reaching the main summit,
we stopped for a well-deserved lunch before heading back the same way.
The return trip proved to be much more tiresome as much of the snow we
had tramped over earlier had softened in the afternoon heat. As a
result, we spent much of the descent stumbling and post-holing through
waist-deep snow--not exactly an enjoyable way to end a hike.More than 22
years later, I would return and hike
Cox Hill under much
more pleasant conditions.
