rickohikes

Fairview Mountain and Saddleback Mountain

At the top of Mount Fairview. It will do. Most definitely.

Yesterday when I went to bed, I set my alarm for 4:45 am. I was excited knowing that Mount Temple would be crossed off the list by the end of the day! Why did we need to wake up so early? Well, Mount Temple is the highest peak in the Lake Louise area. It’s also the most accessible peak greater than 11,000 ft. At a height of 3543 metres, this ultimate scramble to the summit is a task with an elevation gain of 1690 metres from the trailhead. In general, it takes close to 12 hours to complete. Wow.

Bear restriction sign. Can’t we just sing show tunes?

Dan and I got ready quickly and headed down for breakfast. Upon meeting our guide Jason (the same Yamnuska guide from Cascade), we learned that we would not be attempting Mount Temple. Nooooooo!, I thought. The weather was forecasted to be great, and we were so prepared. But alas, in order to hike in the valley where the trailhead for Temple is located, it is required by law to hike in a group of four. Or as the signs read, “Group Access is Mandatory!” Due to some scheduling conflicts, we were only going to be a group of three: Jason, Dan, and myself. Alas, this meant we could not do Temple. *Sigh*. But by now, I’m an expert at combating bears, right? I’ve been preparing for the Big Mountain Challenge for months now. Can’t we should just sing show tunes! I’ll show them…

Early morning sun on the forest and mountains

Being thinky

Jason’s backup plan? Instead of Mount Temple, we would ascend Mount Fairview, which towers above Lake Louise, followed by a traverse to Saddleback Mountain. Okay, so it may not have been as epic as Mount Temple, but this new plan would prove to be incredible. You win this round, Mount Temple. I’ll be back to conquer you!

You win THIS round, Temple! *Shakes fist*

We left the trailhead at 6:45 am as the sun was rising. It was quite serene to be the only hikers on Saddleback Pass. Very quickly we gained elevation and there it was. Mount Temple in the backdrop. Taunting us. Its glacier and snow gleaming at the summit. I began to shake my fist at it. “I’m coming for you!”.

View from the summit of Mount Fairview

For Mount Fairview, we veered to the right of the Saddleback. The ascent was not as challenging as Cascade, but it made for a great hike. The views around were gorgeous, which is expected when hiking in the Lake Louise and Paradise Valley areas. We reached the summit of Mount Fairview (2744 metres) after about 2.5 hours. Mount Victoria and the Victoria Glacier were in the distance, Mount Temple stood tall with the valley below, and Lake Louise appeared as just a tiny pond. If ever in the Lake Louise area, I highly recommend this relatively short hike!

From the summit of Fairview with the Victory Glacier behind us

Dan from Saddleback Mountain

It was then time to head back to the Saddleback and up to Saddleback Mountain. The elevation isn’t nearly as high as Fairview, but the rock scramble and ridge walk are quite fun! After many stops for photos, we headed back to the main trail and back to the Lake Louise parking lot for 2:45 pm, a full 8 hours after beginning the hike. It was quite an early return time, but that just meant we had a nice evening to relax :).

Me and Jason, our Yamnuska guide, and Mount Fairview behind us

www.kidneymarch.ca

Mount Fairview: We conquered you!

So, throughout the day, Dan and I assumed the role of Banff Lake Louise Tourism correspondents, and filmed a few videos explaining what we were doing throughout the day. We’ve had requests to sing show tunes while hiking, which makes sense since that IS how I prepared for the Big Mountain Challenge, right? By singing show tunes to keep the bears away? Since we were in bear country, we did just that. The first one may not be a show tune from a musical, but it seemed to fit, especially after reading the sign that enforced the Group Access requirement. The second… well that’s just fun! Either way, these are a bit painful to watch, ha!

The Calm Before the Storm

Lake Louise

Today’s post will be short and sweet. After spending a glorious 3 days at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, we boarded a Brewster Travel Canada bus and headed to Lake Louise. The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is quite something, with Lake Louise, Mount Victoria and the Victoria Glacier as its backdrop. The glacial blue-ness of Lake Louise always amazes me when I see it :).

Our welcome platter 🙂

The blue of Lake Louise. So pretty.

Listening to Bruce, our canoe guide

Everyone needs one of these Lake Louise photos!

The main included activity for the day was the Voyageur Canoe Experience, where we spent a lovely hour or so canoeing along the shores of Lake Louise. It was a fairly relaxing and calm day. But it was all in preparation for tomorrow when we take on the ultimate scramble: Mount Temple. As we drove from Banff to Lake Louise, we could see Mount Temple in the distance, completely covered in snow, and towering above many of the other peaks in the area. Daunting? A bit. Conquerable? Absolutely. You taunt me, Mount Temple. Challenge Accepted.

Mount Temple: We will conquer you! (If the weather co-operates :S)

Challenge Accepted! (www.knowyourmeme.com)

Oh, and here are some random photos of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. It’s quite the hotel!

It’s Luxury Spa Day!

Entrance to the Fairmont’s Willow Stream Spa

According to my Big Mountain Challenge itinerary, today was Willow Stream Spa Day. Yay! I had been looking forward to this day since I read over the plan for the week, and I knew that it would be a much needed relaxation day after hiking Cascade Mountain. Boy was it ever a relaxing day!

Breakfast food. Yum….

Last night I crashed before midnight. I was absolutely exhausted; my body felt broken in many places, and my foot was feeling the effects of a 10+ hour hike. After sleeping in a bit, I dragged myself out of bed and got ready to head for breakfast. All of our breakfasts are included, so we decided to make our way to the Bow Valley Grill in the hotel for their breakfast buffet. The selection of food was amazing. There was an omelette station with peppers, mushrooms, bacon, and many other possible ingredients; a fruit station; a section with different kinds of frittatas, hash browns, and sausages; oatmeal, cereals, yogurts, etc etc etc. The list really does go on. Dan and I feasted quite quickly while enjoying orange juice and coffee, and once finished, the waiter brought our bill. It was $68.21! We gasped. This was very different than the usual Starbucks breakfast sandwich and coffee that we would usually get. Thank goodness breakfast was included! The service was incredible and the food tasted great :).

This is how you lounge in a luxury spa, right??

Then it was time for our included massages. We signed in to the Willow Stream Spa, and then we were given a tour of the facilities. The co-ed resting room included delicious cucumber mint water, as well as free cookies and a place to lounge and socialize. From the window, we were told about the three pulsating waterfalls of varying temperatures: Bow Falls, Cascade Falls, and Assiniboine Falls. After enjoying those, it was recommended that we stay in the rejuvenating mineral pool for at least 15 minutes to obtain the benefits of the minerals. Hey, I believe it. Then, we could enjoy the outdoor whirlpool, steam room, sauna, and eucalyptus inhalation room. Super stoked! We changed into our robes and sat in the waiting area.

Inside the Willow Stream Spa at the Banff Springs Hotel. Photo from Fairmont.

Paul greeted me for my sports massage. All I can say is that he was amazing and that I really needed a massage. Being a sports massage, it was quite deep tissue, and at times the massage was painful. He worked on certain muscles in my shoulders that I didn’t even know existed. He moved on to my legs for quite some time and rolled out my IT band in a way that a foam roller couldn’t even compare. All of the pain was worth it, because by the end of the 60 minutes, I was incredibly relaxed. I sat back in the waiting room, drinking some water, and quite out of it. Dan showed up right after, having completed his massage with Courtney. He was extremely happy to have his hip flexors destroyed by her. Apparently it was what he needed after the long hike. We took a quick break for lunch and then returned to the spa to spend some time enjoying the mineral pool and waterfalls… and steam room… and sauna…. and eucalyptus inhalation room… and outdoor whirlpool. I really can’t complain. It’s luxury life that I don’t experience often, but when I do, it sure is heavenly! We were even impressed that there were disposable razors in the change room so we could shave. So we shaved, ’cause we could.

I’ve never been this excited over disposable razors before!

After enjoying the spa, we wandered into town. We stopped at Evelyn’s for coffee, wandered the Banff Farmer’s Market, took photos along the river, and then headed to the Bear Street Tavern for Banff’s best pizza (apparently) and drinks.

Produce from the Banff Farmer’s Market

More items from the Banff Farmer’s Market

Not uncommon for this whole trip, we ate and drank a ridiculous amount, and felt super full and bloated afterwards. So what’s the best thing to do after eating that much? Walk back to the Banff Springs Hotel, check ourselves into the spa, and be lazy in the mineral pool and waterfalls :). It’s been quite the extraordinary and relaxing life today…

Sampling beer and a sangria at the Bear Street Tavern

Heading back to the spa in the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

Hiking Cascade Mountain. One Step Closer.

From the summit of Cascade Mountain

Yesterday was the first hike of the Big Mountain Challenge: Cascade Mountain in the Bow River Valley of Banff National Park. Dan and I were up at 4:45 am to get our gear together and headed down to the Castle Pantry for breakfast. We grabbed our bagged lunches for the hike and met the team who would accompany us on the hike: Jason Billing from Yamnuska; Nathalie, with Parks Canada; and Jeff from Banff Lake Louise Tourism and Real Banff. We signed the requisite waivers, and then we were off. Weeee!

A beautiful morning for a hike

Dan, Jeff and I stopping for a photo op

I’ve mentioned before that Cascade Mountain is the monolith that one sees at the end of Banff Avenue. It’s huge! The sun was rising as we drove toward the mountain, and I couldn’t help but think: Wow, the first hike of the challenge is here! Both Dan and I were pretty stoked about this.

The hike starts in the trees before the scramble

The hike itself was amazing. Once we left the trailhead at the Norquay Ski Resort, we walked through forests until the Cascade Amphitheatre was in view. Then it was all up from there. We scrambled over large rocks, traversed around a false summit, and then made a final push toward the top of Cascade. Along the way, there was much laughter and conversation.

Mushrooms on the trail

Buffalo berries- extremely bitter, but bears love them!

Dan and I learned lots about pikas, marmots, bighorn sheep and mountain goats. We sampled buffalo berries, which are a staple food for bears. Bears must not taste bitterness, because once the initial sweetness wore off, those berries were terribly bitter! Nathalie was great at explaining some of the history of Banff and Cascade Mountain. We powered onward. Our legs were tired, but we persevered, full of optimism.

Nathalie teaching us about marmots and pikas

Scrambling to the summit

Almost there…

Jeff, ascending Cascade Mountain

It was amazing to arrive at the top of Cascade Mountain and enjoy the incredible views of the surrounding mountains. Mount Assiniboine was visible in the distance, while the town of Banff, the Bow River Valley, and Lake Minnewanka appeared tiny below. Jason pointed out Mount Temple, which will taunt us until we conquer it on Friday :). It’s still a bit crazy to think that once these hikes are completed, $26,762 will go to The Kidney Foundation of Canada.

Panoramic view from the top of Cascade

I’m happy to be here!

We did it!

Kidney failure is not an option. www.kidneymarch.ca

Cascade Mountain stands at 2998 metres. The hike had an elevation gain of 1325 metres, and is roughly a 16.5 km hike. Wow! It certainly was a long day. We began the hike at 6:45 am and reached the summit 6 hours later at 12:45 pm. After having lunch and several photo opportunities, we began descending at 1:25 pm, making it back to the car for 5:30 pm. The descent was brutal, and there were many aches and pains, but that’s pretty common after hiking up and down such an epic mountain.

It was terrible descending these rocks. Especially with an injured foot :S.

There were many filming stops

Yes, there were segments being filmed for Jeff’s show on Real Banff website (which required a few stops), as well as documenting segments for the Big Mountain Challenge, but regardless, this was the longest hike I’ve done in Alberta at 10 hours and 45 minutes. Crazy! Cascade Mountain, we’ve conquered you. Only two to go: Temple Mountain and Sulphur Mountain. We got this!

Cascade Mountain- we conquered you!

Welcome to Banff National Park!

Banff: So much to see and do!

Today was the day that the Big Mountain Challenge began. It’s crazy that it’s finally starting! I met Dan at the airport and waited for our ride to the Banff Springs Hotel. According to our itinerary, “few hotels in the world can rival the majesty, hospitality and scenery of The Fairmont Banff Springs“. And it’s so true! Thanks to Brewster Travel Canada, Dan and I were able to board the shuttle to Banff.

Thanks Brewster Travel Canada

We checked in only to find out that we had been upgraded to a fancier room in the Stanley Thompson Wing. Wow! When we entered the room, the phone rang almost immediately. It was Don, the VIP Concierge, asking us if our stay had been okay so far. It certainly had been. It was a bit surreal when he said he dealt with celebrities and high profiled guests. Dan and I looked at each other thinking, “Are we high profile??”. We chuckled. The room itself is pretty incredible- two queen sized beds in one room; a very large bathroom; a living room with flat screen TV, fireplace, and a Keurig coffee maker; and a quite impressive view of the mountains. How wonderful!

The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. Majestic!

We can’t believe we’re here…

Thanks Fairmont!

Opulence? Beauty? Awesome? All of the above?

The rest of the day was spent wandering around Banff, taking in the sights, sounds and beauty; stopping at Saltlik for dinner; and shopping for some extra gear for our big hikes. There was much laughter, catching up with Dan, and re-living the experience so far that resulted in this amazing opportunity. In a few hours, we begin the first mountain: Cascade. I’m pretty excited! Considering it’s almost 1 am and that the hike starts at 6 am, I should get to bed now. Thanks Banff Lake Louise Tourism for organizing a great first day! Goodnight :).

Yum!

Eating bison at Saltlik

Taking a stroll around Banff

Cascade Mountain from Banff Avenue. We will conquer you!

Challenge Accepted! (www.knowyourmeme.com)