Of the 4 hikes I previously mentioned, two are considered difficult hikes. In that, they are pretty much non-stop stair climbs for an hour or two. So, pretty darn tiring. I opted to do the hike to the Red Tarns after the Hooker Valley hike, partially because I was curious to see a so-called ‘Tarn’, and also because I’d have a hiking partner for this trek, Hanna, from Germany. More on her another time, she’ll pop up again in several days.
Late in the morning we set off to tackle 1200+ stairs (or so a sign said). Memories of Grouse Mountain and injuring my hip did flash in my mind, but I was pretty sure I could handle a good stair climb now without another recurrence.
The day was still sunny and clear when we started the climb around 11am.
About half way up clouds started to cover the peak of Mt. Cook. It gave it a funny looking little cap.