Saddle Mountain Route Map (see link in desciption - or click here - for interactive version).

SKP reunited (get it? Stephanie, Kaitlyn, Paul...but if you say “S” and “K”, but then the P sound, it sounds like escape! We all want to escape from Edmonton and live in the mountains, so it works! Lol. Steph came up with that one a while back 😂.), hiking up Paradise Creek! Sheol rises above! Turned back with the squad on that one a few years back...still haunts me. I'll be back soon Sheol! Photo credit: Dad

Eventually, we reached the place where my dad's map showed we needed to turn right, up a trail to Saddle. One problem...there was no trail! After walking back and forth to see if we missed something, and me climbing up in the bush, looking for a trail, we unfortunately had no option but to bushwhack, or just do a hike (Kaitlyn kept going on about the Giant Steps...). No one else wanted to bushwhack, so we continued down Paradise Valley :(. About a kilometer later however, we found a trail branching off to the right! YAY! We followed it, and soon reached this clearing.

Haddo Peak rises above! We followed a series of switchbacks up on the right side of this clearing.

Cool tree :)

Lookin' good Steph! hehe! The switchbacks lead us to the pass between Fairview and Saddle. From there, we followed a trail leading towards Saddle, to the right, and easily boulder hopped up large blocks of rubble, to the summit.

Haha you look like an egg 😂

The summit cairn on Saddle Mountain! Sheol and Haddo rise behind!

Temple rises above Lake Annette with a cool ray of sun breaking through the clouds!

Fairview (my first ever scramble!) rises across the pass.

It's cleared up a bit from yesterday, but still pretty smokey! Fairmont Château Lake Louise is barely visible behind Fairview's east ridge.

Nothing to see here! Total whiteout across the highway!

Summit pano! Two peaked Little Temple, sits modestly to the left of Mount Temple, with Pinnacle Mountain, Eiffel Peak, and Wastach Mountain down the valley in the distance! Sheol Mountain rises center, with Haddo peak above, to the right!

I went to check out the cliffs on Saddle's south-east end! Photo credit: Kaitlyn

Looking back at the summit, as I went for another little adventure down Saddle's north-east ridge, until it cliffed out!

View down to a lower sub-peak to the east from where the ridge cliffs out.

Everyone wants Steph's crackers...😂. Photo credit: Dad

Summit selfie with a bigger group than usual! :) Photo credit: Dad

I was trying to take a picture of Stephanie and this is what we got...

Wow! She finally came out of hiding! Photo credit: Dad

Hiking back down to the pass. Photo credit: Dad

Comprehensive view of the impressive peaks towering over us. Mount Temple, Sheol, Haddo, and Fairview (left to right). Photo credit: Dad

Looking across the meadow to the north-east.

Cool view of Sheol! Note, we didn't follow that trail.

On our way back down it started to rain pretty hard! Hopefully it helps clear the smoke!

Hiking back down Paradise Valley. Photo credit: Dad