I tossed an invite out for Mount Kidd on Wed morning, and within a few hours I had a group of 7 eager assenters ready to take on the mountain. As the Sat ascent approached though, some snow hit the higher elevations, and this was cause for concern given the amount, moisture content, and concerns that the new snow would not bond to the existing snow. These were all valid concerns, and despite the group landing on bringing avalanche gear and having the option of turning back if we didn't like conditions, by Fri afternoon, the group had dwindled to Ben Bishop and myself. As Ben sad to me "if we have to turn around because we think it's unsafe, it's still a day in the mountains, which is a win to me". I like his attitude. Ben and I had been on a few trips together, and he has demonstrated great skill on the terrain that we have been on, and is certified for glacier travel as a guide. a really good partner to team up with.

As we ascended higher and higher, we frequently were looking at ascent lines, discussing options, and considering the snow quality. Because we chose to start out at 4:15 AM from the trailhead, taking advantage of the overnight freeze and low temp (1C at the TH at 4AM), we feel that this was a significant factor in being successful. Had we started later, we both feel that we likely would have needed to turn around due to snow conditions.

There was a kerfuffle at the trailhead when we arrived back at the vehicle. Another 7 vehicles had parked on the approach to the Galatea/Lillian Lake Day Use parking lot, blocking access to the gates from being opened. The Alberta Parks folks were quite concerned that the area was not accessible to emergency vehicles for potentially staging in case there was some sort of rescue needed in the area. There is a bit of a challenge in logical thinking I think in how that parking lot is being managed... the Galatea/Lillian Lake Trail is closed - yes, but does the parking lot really need to be closed? The Terrace Trail is open (and the placard sign at the locked gate said the same thing). What the Alberta Parks guy said to me is that they close the parking lot as an easy way to control access to the closed trail... yet creates another issue by doing so for the months of May and June when people may be wanting to access Limestone Mountain and/or Mount Kidd. Effectively, the current strategy would limit capability to get access to those mountains until July 1. Ughh.