Monday 6th - Thursday 23rd July 2015

So I started back at Sunshine in gondola maintenance department which feels GREAT! So I am doing four 10 hour days and three days off! Which means I can work at Brewster for two or all three days depending on what I feel like!

So what we are doing at the ski hill is to taking apart the blue cabins sending them off to be painted in Calgary and then when they come back we have to put them all back together! Its a lot of work being done, along with other tasks like cleaning the dungeon below the station and other random jobs around! We have a good crew working with us along with the maintenance guys! It doesn't feel like work as I am always laughing and already enjoying it more than I was at Brewster.

I have been enjoying summer and been going out a lot more with everyone and enjoying a $8 stein at brew pub every thursday! Went back to bingo too and won myself $50!!! WINNING!

So I decided to climb Cascade mountain, which is seen from Banff Ave. I went with Dave and Andrew so felt like I was in capable hands as they have both done it before! I was feel a little hungover as I had a few beers the night before.

The mountain can be climbed starting from Norquay Ski Hill base. The first portion is a fairly moderate hike, up to the Cascade Amphitheater. Continuing upwards, the route ascends along the ridge edge until it reaches the crest where it dips before it rises to the false summit. While the false summit can be descended at its end, it is much easier to follow a trail around the western side along the exposed foot. Snow typically blocks this route almost until mid July and attempting it while snowy can entail considerable avalanche risk due to the slabby terrain and exposure. A long window of clear weather - full day - should be anticipated before attempting this climb, as many climbers have gotten into trouble and needed rescue (or died) when a storm suddenly blows in. The ascent normally takes 3 to 4 hours while the descent along the same path takes 2 to 3 hours.

The mountain was named in 1858 by James Hector after the waterfall or cascade on the southern flanks of the peak. The mountain has also been called Stoney Chief, which is related to the name of the smaller neighboring mountain Stoney Squaw, which is still in use. Cascade is the highest mountain adjacent to the townsite.

So it was a pretty tough walk for me, it took me eight hours return, five hours up and three down. The boys would have done it quicker but they waited for me and they kept urging me on! They kept saying I was nearly there but I knew I wasn't!

I finally made the summit of 2,998m after a mini rock scramble to the top. The views from the top though, WOW! They were totally worth it! Could see Banff and Canmore as well, the other side we could see Lake Minnewanka which looks huge from up here!

The walk back down was pretty tough going, my knees and feet were destroyed! After I got back down into town I got myself washed and dressed and went to Mel's for food! The steak sandwich tasted amazing and I didn't have to cook or clean!

Went home pretty early as all three of us were falling asleep at the bar! But it was well worth it!

We've had some pretty bad wildfires up around Jasper, in B.C. and in Saskatchewan as well. We're just hoping that the fires are gone in Jasper when we go up there to go camping.