*I hope people use their own wise judgement when hiking always plan ahead and be prepared. One should never go beyond their abilities.*

Over the years I've had a few goals my first was to Summit all the Peaks of Waterton. Here is My Waterton Summit List I completed that goal on September 26, 2016.

My next goal I'm still working on and that is to summit the 6 10,000 foot Summmits of Glacier National Park. I have one left Kintla.

My 2018 Goal that I accomplished was to summit 40 peaks in my 40th year and that I finished on September 26, 2018.

Not sure what will be my next goal, once Glacier's Summits are done?

I commonly use 3 Hashtags on my social media. The first one is #itookthepathlesstraveledby which is to reference this blog. The next two relate to my father and grandfather who were also hikers. #milesformarkellingson is to remember my
Dad, Mark Ellingson and #dustfromthetrailandhowitsettledonme is to remember my Grandfather Earl Ellingson

October 02, 2021

Larch Valley Sept. 27, 2021 Banff National Park Alberta

So the larches were so good on Saturday, I had to try going to the arguably best larch viewing location around, well it was amazing as well, except today it rained on us most of the day, so imagine a clear blue sky day in this area...it would be amazing, next year perhaps.  So I left home sunday night and drove to Calgary and stayed with a friend and slept 3 hours and got up and drove to Moraine lake.  We got to the Moraine lake turn off before the parks people were controlling the access and up to the parking lot around 6:18am and there was only like 3 parking spots left...crazy.  So we slept for about an hour in the vehicle and started hiking.  The day was overcast and you could barely see the mountains of the valley of the ten peaks.  Once we got a little higher closer to the Larch Valley the cloud cover raised a little and we could see the mountains.  But it didn't matter because the Larch Valley is amazing, I figure we were a few days late because some of the needles (30%) had fallen from the trees already.  So a couple days before when the sun was shining would have been a great few days to see this.  Anyway I took lots of pictures and will definitely return next year...weather permitting.

Start of our day, low cloud cover

First view of the larches with Temple behind

Cloud cover raising a little

This is on the trail towards Eiffel Peak great little stream and larch view

Clouds raising enough to see some glaciers

Eiffel peak with larches in foreground

Better view of Valley of the 10 peaks

Saw this little guy near the top of the valley and was hoping this is what I could grow in my yard with the seeds I got on Saturdays hike

Temple looked daunting today, lots of snow on top 

Back at the lake and we got a few incredible pictures in

Love the color of the water, blows me away every time

Track of Hike


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Southfork Lakes Sept. 25, 2021 Castle Wilderness Provincial Park Alberta

 It's Larch season and I wanted to head up and see some larches so a few of us went a hunting to Southfork Lakes.  Hiking in the fall is one of my favorite times to hike, because the weather in cooler and the colors are amazing and usually there is no smoke from forest fires.  Today was exactly all those things.  I'd done been here before but had summited the Southfork Mountain before, today was just a leisurely trip to the larches.  I've tried transplanting a few tiny larch trees a couple of times that never worked so today, I found a few pine cones from the trees and will maybe attempt to grow from seed next spring... stay tuned

Cool Inukshuk on the way up

First larches we saw on Southfork Mountain

Mt. Darrah looking awesome in the distance

The best patch of larches we saw west of Barnaby Lake

The blue sky and larches were spectacular

More awesomeness!

Looking down on Barnaby Lake

Crowsnest mountain

The clouds today were also pretty neat

Great view of all the Darrah peaks on the way down


Track of Hike



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September 11, 2021

Forum Peak (Custer Attempt) September 8, 2021 Waterton Lakes National Park

 So today the smoke came back after we thought it was going to be ok.  We have had on our radar Mt. Custer for years and we figured today would be the day, well we started and it looked a little smokey, but then we got on Forum Peak and the wind had blown in the smoke.  We couldn't even see Blakiston Peak which is not far away.   So we decided to bail and try another day.  So stay tuned for the next attempt, maybe the 15th?

Didn't look bad as we started the morning up Akamina Trail

First of many BC/Alberta border markers we saw

Another marker still not too smokey yet

Great view of Cameron Lake, getting a little smokier

Summit Block of Forum Peak we went on the right

Looking down on Forum Ridge with Forum lake on left and Cameron on right

First of three cairns on Forum, getting really smokey now, can barely see Alderson on middle right of picture in the distance

Cool reflection of sun on the lake

Looking towards Kintla Lake, very smokey there

As far as we would go, that was our goal in the middle, but next time eh

Another view down on Cameron

Looking back at the first downclimb from Forum Peak

Leaving Waterton we saw a momma bear and cubs up in a tree, pretty cool

Track of Hike

Photo Sphere on Forum



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Mount Boswell September 4, 2021 Waterton Lakes National Park

 So last minute hike when a friend called and wanted to do this one.  He messaged me Friday afternoon and we were hiking Saturday, all good, I love last minute adventures.  Last time I did this we basically did the same route, this time instead of canoeing from emerald bay we came from the Linnet Lake docks, which sheltered us from the wind, last time the wind was so bad during the day we almost lost our canoe in the wind on the shore of the Bosporous, this time we secured it just encase.  The  creek crossing we did last time was also different this time, today the water was so low we didn't even have to take off our boots. Also got to witness someone finish off all the peaks in Waterton, all in all a gorgeous day on a grunt of a mountain.

Beautiful Sunrise drive to Waterton

Starting at Linnet Lake Docks

Loon Lake

Creek Crossing with the low water

First view looking down once we accessed the summit ridge

Alan completing his last summit of the Waterton Peaks

Looking South to Cleveland

Looking down towards the cutline across the lake

Summit view to the town sight

Looking over to the connecting ridge from Boswell to Big Red

Lookig down at what we will descend

Coming Down

Track of Hike






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Lineham Falls and Cliffs September 1 and 6, 2021 Waterton Lakes National Park

I don't often do the same trail twice in a week, but this was an exception, my wife and I went on September 1st and then a bunch of my family wanted to do the same hike on Labour Day, so I came along.  Both were nice days and this was actually the first time I had actually been to the falls ever.  I'd seen them many times from above but never got to the actual falls ever.  The first hike I did a little solo detour to check out the cliff just to check it out since I hadn't been over the cliff since a young adult and thought I'd take a look.  Nothing to exciting to report, easy trail.  I'll only show one track and that is of the cliff day.

The Falls

Heading up to the Cliffs

On the ledge of the cliffs

This is as far as I went, notice the chain in the middle of picture, not sure how secure that is

Great view from the falls

Under the falls

I think the Park needs to remove this sign, little outdated, the trail is now well worn to the falls

2nd hike with family

Our group

Selfie with the falls and cliff

Video on Cliff


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