I booked an extra day off work to hike Northover Ridge in Kananaskis with Clayton. After sleeping in my truck at the trailhead Friday night, we got an early start to Aster Lake and set up camp. The route follows the south shore of the upper lake, then past Hidden Lake and up a scree slope to the upper valley. There are a couple easy scramble moves to gain the upper valley.

At this point, you reach a small gully and must make a quick right turn downstream a short distance before making a left towards the lake. Going left (upstream) at the gully is a small route-finding error that some have made in the past.

Aster Lake is a beautiful spot, but the weather started closing in and we kept a close eye on the route to the ridge between snow flurries. The next morning, we could see Northover Ridge was still mired in low clouds so we decided to wait it out. The weather never cleared, so the decision was made to stay an extra night instead of camping at Three Isle Lake which was the original plan. This is a hike you want to do with visibility.

Unfortunately, the last morning was even worse than the first. We returned the way we came, just in time for the clouds to start lifting. The ridge will have to wait for another time, and I plan to do it as a dayhike next time around.

This image made the whole trip worthwhile, however: