Passport to the Peaks offers unique ticket to the Rockies this summer

Renee Fehr shows off the latest version of the Passport to the Peaks guidebook brimming with maps, distances, elevations and stories of how the mountains in the Grande Cache area were named. 

"It's enough to get you started on your journey as you go to hike," said Fehr, the president of the program now with 1,800 members. 

But what makes the $65 passport unique is the 21 special gold foils that adventurers can mark at cairn boxes on the top of the mountains.

 "What you do is lift open the box, you put the foil in and you can stamp it, and it leaves an embossed pattern," said Fehr. 

The Passport to the Peaks program, started 25 years ago by local physician and hiker Dr. Keith Darcel, is a way to celebrate the mountains in the Grande Cache area, 430 kilometres west of Edmonton.

Fehr said over the years the program has evolved with more people wanting to take pictures with the cairn boxes, some people call the stamp or mailboxes, as proof of their accomplishments, posting them to social media. 

"It's really an amazing feat, so people take pictures of themselves doing it," says Fehr who has hiked them all and filled her passport. 

The 51-year-old outdoor enthusiast noted that you can also get your name on a plaque at the visitor centre when you complete the bronze, silver and gold mountain treks. The colours indicate the increase in difficulty based on distance, time, obstacles and the navigation skill required. 

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She said many consider the pastime addictive.

"Part of it's the planning, part of it is the camaraderie and the stories about which trail you took," she said.

Solo hiker Terra Rasmussen has banged off all but three mountains in the program since she moved to Grande Cache two and a half years ago.

"When you get spun around and stuff goes wrong, you sit down, you build a fire and you think about it," she said. 

The 40-year-old mother-of-two said she feels lucky to have the mountains in her backyard. 

"We're really at the headwaters of untouched wilderness here, it's incredible." 

Rasmussen said Willmore Wilderness Park offers the beauty of spots like Banff and Jasper minus the crowds of people.

"All of our mountains have great biking, great hiking, runners coming here to train for ultra-marathons and other races," said Rasmussen of what she calls a hidden gem of the Rocky Mountains. 

Madison McLaughlin is just four peaks away from filling her 21 summit passport.

"When I first started I wasn't crazy interested in it," admits the 16-year-old who started by tagging along with her mom, Coralee, and her friends on day trips at the age of 11. 

It wasn't until McLaughlin realized she was on track to be the youngest person to complete the passport program she really got into it.

"That kind of sparked the idea and my goal, I think."

She says squeezing her remaining mountain adventures in between her two part-time summer jobs is going to be a challenge but she says it's a lot of fun. 

"You're just focused on you and your body and just getting yourself up there and pushing yourself to do what it takes and I think that's probably my favourite part."