Hiking – Page 9 – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

Backcountry Camping at Cracker Lake (Part 2)

The next day, we were off to Cracker Lake in the Many Glacier area. After checking out the hotel there and eating our lunch outside, it was time for the backpacking portion of the trip. We gathered all of our gear, adjusted our poles, changed our shoes, and we were on our way. Jennifer had warned us that the first bit of the trail would have a lot of horse poop, but we underestimated how much there would be. It was everywhere! And we had to stop at the side several times because of horse rides that were happening. Nothing we couldn’t handle though…

As this was my first backpacking trip, I had never experienced what it was like to carry that much weight on my back while hiking. There is definitely a difference! Certain muscles in my gluteus area have clearly never been used. Eventually, my body adjusted to the weight and it was smooth sailing, but I was quite tired by the time we arrived at the lake. Also, apparently we had just missed a moose spotting. Argh!

I'm happy to be here! — I’m happy to be here!

Cracker lake was absolutely gorgeous. The campsite was located on the hill beside the lake and near a cliff. The views from the food area and our tents were quite nice: we overlooked the lake with mountains surrounding us, and not too far off, we could stand on the cliff and gaze upon the area from where we had hiked in. After roping up our food and toiletries and setting up our tent, we headed to the food area to mingle and make our dinner for the evening. On the menu: a soy-based veggie pasta sauce and spaghetti. Unfortunately, it was a little dry, but it was edible nonetheless. The night ended with David and I stargazing. The sky was clear and with no light pollution, we could see endless amounts of stars. Off in the distance, a storm was passing through and every now and again, lightning would flash and light up the night sky. It was a beautiful evening with great conversation. I slept a bit better that night, and waking up in the backcountry the next morning felt quite serene.

After hiking out, we were thrilled to return to East Glacier for a hot shower and luxury motel living. We gorged at a Mexican restaurant (Serrano’s) and relaxed afterwards. (I watched a pretty bad movie: “Something Borrowed”. Not so good. At all.) The following day, we decided to spend a few hours driving along the Going-To-The-Sun Road, a must do when in Glacier National Park. Those are some windy roads, but the views are incredible. After that, it was a long drive back to Calgary, where I was exposed to the music of Ben Folds. Not too bad at all!

Roping up our food, and later, cooking soy-veggie pasta

When I think about the trip, it was super quick, but I love the fact that I met Anna, David and Malene at a pretty nerdy workshop/course and we have managed to stay in each others’ lives in some capacity over the years, whether that’s meeting up for vacations, liking Facebook posts, or the occasional random message from time to time. It was awesome we were able to coordinate a little reunion and enjoy each others’ company like it was three years ago :).

So what was the fail of the trip? We basically saw no wildlife. It’s not like I wanted to encounter a bear on the hike, but it would have been nice to see one from afar. Or a moose. Or even bighorn sheep. I think we saw a fox though… or maybe it was a coyote. Either way, I’m sure next time I’m there, I’ll see something. Another fail? Accidentally having blood from my nose bleed drip onto the toilet paper supply. Eww. Gross.

Ready to head back to civilization :) — Ready to head back to civilization 🙂

As with any road-trip, there are always memorable sayings. For posterity, here are some of the “inside joke” quotes from the weekend:

“Perfect, entering Glacier with Beyonce.”

“Is that a flying skunk? No, it’s a magpie.”

“83% of all bear deaths are caused by their only predator, the T-Rex.”

“I hope you don’t get Wood’s Diarrhea.”
“What’s that?”
“Diarrhea in the woods.”
“I think we need a field guide to diarrheas.”

“Do you think the logo is a dinosaur because that’s where oil comes from?”

“You’ve gone from the OC to the BC.”

“‘Cause you know, hiking’s a fashion show. You never know what bear will eat you for your looks.”

“It’s a squarmot.”

About the horses/riders: “They’re so ugly you can’t blame them.”

Sitting in a hot tub being spoon-fed chili. By David.

David- The epitome of rugged and macho, while listening to a college acapella group.

And just like that, the weekend has come and gone. So much fun! Thank you David and Anna for an awesome reunion. I definitely can’t wait to do it again. Next time, it seems we may convene in the east for shenanigans and adventuring. Boston anyone? 🙂

Stopping for a photo on the Going-To-The-Sun Road

Stats:
Hike in: 2:50 – 3:50
Hike out: 11:35 – 2:15
Distance: 6.1 miles (9.8 km) oneway
Elevation Gain: 426.7 m

Reunion at the Dawson Pitamakan Trail (Part 1)

So it seems like just yesterday I was attending Fundamentals of Epidemiology in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I remember running in the beautiful arboretum at the university; visiting its natural history museum and law library; exploring the town and trying restaurants; and taking day trips to Port Huron and Detroit. That was three years ago during the summer of 2010. But the best part of that entire three weeks? It allowed me to experience all of those things with some pretty amazing people: David, Anna and Malene. It’s pretty crazy where you can meet people. I never thought that spending three short weeks in close quarters of the residence hall would lead to me seeing David every summer since then, one of those times being two years ago when we traveled to Denmark to visit Malene. And then there’s this summer, where a surprise e-mail from Anna would initiate a nerd reunion in Glacier National Park.

Requisite Timmies road-trip stop... especially for my American friends — Requisite Timmies road-trip stop… especially for my American friends

It started when Anna, out of the blue, sent an e-mail saying that the PhD was “back on the table”. The PhD had been “off the table” for many years as we all worked, so to receive this was exciting! I thought: “Hmm. Something tells me David will like this information. Maybe it’s on the table for him too.” So I forwarded the e-mail to him, and lo-and-behold, he was in Madison, WI at a graduate studies fair! As it turned out, he was also on the verge of starting his PhD. In the end, Anna chose to leave the big city of New York and begin a PhD this fall in environmental health at Boston University. David decided to leave Seattle and head to the University of Wisconsin-Madison this fall to begin his PhD in biomedical engineering. I had just quit my job and was job hunting. Although it wasn’t school, exciting things were on the horizon. Naturally, it seemed like a perfect time for a reunion. And so with one google video chat, a few e-mails, and minimal planning, we decided that we’d all converge in Calgary and drive down to Glacier National Park in Montana for a lovely weekend of backpacking, hiking, and reconnecting. Unfortunately Malene couldn’t make it. She was in the midst of working as a doctor in Greenland during the planning phase and would be arriving back in Denmark at the time of the trip, but she was definitely there in spirit.

On Wednesday, David arrived after spending a few days in Field and Jasper. After our trademark awkward hug, we were off to gather food for the trip. Anna arrived later that night to an “Anna” sign, and with all smiles, we all hugged it out, ready for a weekend of fun. The next day, I sent them to the Calgary Farmer’s Market to get a little taste of something Calgary, and then after I was done work, we packed up the car and drove down to the East Glacier Motel and Cabins. Of course, there was a Timmies stop in there (I couldn’t let my American friends get away without one!) It was quite cloudy and foggy that evening, which made the scenery a bit eerie… perfect conditions for those pesky ghost bears…

David, Anna and I celebrating at the top of Dawson Pass

Friday morning we were up early and off to the ranger station to book our backcountry camp sites. Our goal: conquer the 17-mile (27.4 km) Dawson-Pitamakan Trail Loop Hike over the course of three days. But by happenstance, all of the sites were booked up! After much discussion with Jennifer (aka Jenny, aka Jenn shakes fist), we decided to set up camp at the Two Medicine campground and complete the entire hike in one day. All I can say is that it was exhausting, but an absolutely stunning hike. Our trek would take us around the Rising Wolf Mountain, first along Dawson Pass, and then returning along Pitamakan Pass.

There were many peaks and lakes to view. What was especially awesome was that Dawson Pass rests on the Continental Divide, which resulted in some incredible vistas. Pictures don’t do it justice! After 9 hours, we were back at the campsite, where we feasted on chilli with tortillas, dark chocolate and red wine. What a day! (As a side note: some yogurt and half a banana are not enough to sustain a long morning. I hit quite the wall while hiking, which made the ascent a bit tedious. After lunch, I ended up slipping on a rock and almost sliding down the side of the mountain! I have a nice knee scar to show for it :S.)

The next day, based on Jennifer’s recommendation, we would head to the Many Glaciers area for our backpacking experience at Cracker Lake. There was lots of poop. shakes fist!

Stats:
Start: 10:45 am
End: 7:50 pm (~9 hours!)
Elevation Gain: 895 m
Distance: 27.4 km. Makes for a long day…

Hiking to Rawson Lake

On Sunday, despite being ridiculously tired, Robbie and I headed out for a hike. We stopped at the Barrier Lake Visitor’s Centre in Kananaskis to ask about potential hikes. The parks guy was super helpful, and we decided on a short hike to Rawson Lake, which has been on my list of hikes to do in Alberta for quite some time! So off we went to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and parked at the Upper Lake Day Use area near the Kananaskis Lakes. I was all decked out in my 70L backpack and new North Face backpacking boots. I figured it would be a good training day, seeing as my big Glacier trip is a week away!

The hike was nice and short. Due to the flooding, a bridge was completely out, and so it required “fording” of the Sarrail Creek to access the trail. (A quick google search has revealed that “fording” is the act of crossing a river or stream at a shallow place). Then it was a steady incline to the lake. Apparently we were just short of crossing paths with a moose! Although that would have been quite the site to see, it’s probably best that we didn’t encounter it.

The lake itself was beautiful- a common reaction to most glacial lakes I’ve hiked to. We stopped for a lovely lunch and contemplated hiking up to Sarrail Ridge for an even better view… but alas, we opted for a nice, easy day, and headed back to the car. It was definitely a nice day for a hike and the weather cooperated by not raining until we were done!

One other point. I have now seen, with my own eyes, Mount Indefatigable. I’ve had that scramble on my list for goodness knows how long. I knew it was near the Kananaskis Lakes, and I think I’ve seen it before, but I’ve never stared at it from across the pond. I will conquer you, Indefatigable. Mark my words…

Mount Indefatigable... I will conquer you! — Mount Indefatigable… I will conquer you!

Stats:
Start: 12:45
End: 3:30
Lunch: 2:00 – 2:30
Distance: 7.8 km roundtrip
Elevation: 320 metres to the lake

Baldy Pass: Another Birthday Hike!

The 3rd anniversary of the birthday hike

This is my 50th post of 2013, which is halfway of my goal to write 100 posts this year! And what a fitting post this will be. It’s all about the birthday hike! The birthday hike tradition began when I was turning 30. While many people may want to party for their birthdays, all I wanted to do was get a bunch of people together and go hike a mountain with lots of great food and wine. We ended up making it a group birthday event to celebrate a few of the July/August birthdays. And thus began the tradition. Oh what fun!

Fast forward to this past Sunday for the 3rd anniversary of the glorious day. And it was quite a large group too! We all met at the McD’s before exiting the city and once the troops were gathered, we headed out to Kananaskis to hike Baldy Pass. In reading about the hike online, it seemed like a nice one to do that wasn’t overly strenuous and offered a great place for lunch. It is also a pretty popular trail to do, and although it was affected by the flooding, it was open and accessible. The morning was beautiful and sunny, and the wonderful weather would continue throughout the day.

At around 10:30, we left the trailhead for the pass. We were quite the merry group, chatting along the way and enjoying each other’s company. The beginning of the hike was quite rocky and there was definitely evidence that things had changed post-flood. Then it was into the forest for a short but steady ascent to the pass. The views from the pass were quite nice. On the one side, grey rocky mountains; on the other, quite the view of Kananaskis forests (I’m not sure what the area is called :S). Then it was time for lunch.

This was the best food spread yet! We had bread, cheese, pasta, prosciutto, turkey slices, strawberries, hummus, veggies, samosas, potato salad, gluten-free brownies, some other things, and of course, wine. Actually we had two great tasting wines this time, which were both polished off by the end of the lunch. Great job everyone- I definitely think we all ate well and enjoyed it! And of course, lunch culminated with someone (Laura, ahem, and Robin) seemingly drinking wine from the bottle. It’s not a birthday hike until that happens! Another year gone, another birthday hike completed. Until next year… 🙂

Stats:

Distance: 8 km roundtrip
Start: 10:30 am
End: 2:45, including our long celebratory lunch!
Elevation gain: 575 m or so

Cory and Edith Passes. Best. Worst. Ever.

This weekend was my first double-hiking weekend of the summer. I’m quite tired and exhausted as I write this, but it felt good to test out my ankles and head out to the mountains. I figured it would be good preparation for my backpacking trip to Glacier National Park in a few weeks!

On Saturday, I recruited Robin and Jess and we were off to Banff to hike the Cory and Edith Pass trails (aka the Cory Pass Loop). It’s a hike that starts just a few kilometres west of Banff at the Fireside Picnic Area and is one of the popular ‘classic’ hikes to do in Banff National Park. The flooding in Kananaskis this year has prompted me to look into hikes in the Banff and Lake Louise areas. The Cory Pass Loop is noted as one of the most beautiful and scenic of Banff’s trails, but also one of the more difficult ones.

At the junction, we decided to proceed along Edith Pass trail. Apparently Cory Pass trail is the recommended way, but since I failed to do my research, heading to Edith Pass first seemed like the best choice. At this point in the hike we were dying already. Not because of any incline or the heat… nope, it was due to mosquitoes! I’ve never been swarmed like this before during a hike in the rockies. And there seemed to be something about the scent that I gave off, because they were more attracted to me than both Robin or Jess (although they got attacked a ton too!). Thank goodness for bug spray or I would have been eaten alive, more than I already was! (As I write this, I can’t stop itching my arms and legs… ahhhh!). The hike itself was quite nice as we made our way through forests on the east side of Mount Edith while making a steady ascent.

Gorgeous scenery during the Edith Pass Loop

As we ascended the rocks to the highest point of Edith Pass, the gargoyles came into view. The formations don’t quite look like gargoyles, but they’re pretty awesome rock formations. It was also cool to be in the shadow of Mount Louis- that’s quite the rock face. Proceeding onward around the north side of Mount Edith, Mount Cory came into view and so did an amazing view of the southern mountains from Cory Pass. It was pretty breathtaking. Of course, we stopped for a few photos. Proud and jovial about our accomplishment, it was time to head back to the trailhead via the Cory Pass trail.

Proud and jovial... for now :/ — Proud and jovial… for now

All was well until we hit a seemingly dead end! Later I would google that although there’s some route finding to do, there’s nothing too crazy about the hike. But at that moment, we didn’t know where to go and decided we would head left onto an unmarked former trail and make a ridiculous descent down the side of Mount Edith. All seemed fine and good… sort of… until we started hitting fallen trees on the trail. Then overgrown foliage. Then the trail was covered in moss. Then there was no trail. I suddenly felt like something was wrong! For an official trail in Banff National Park, our path certainly did not look maintained. We made the decision to continue on, having descended so far after about 30 minutes. I began to panic and suddenly became worried. We were so far off course, and although we knew the general direction to the highway, we were facing old fallen trees and lots of obstacles. I played out scenarios in my mind- being blocked by a river; having a medical emergency due to a dangerous branch; or worse, running into a bear. Our bear calls were booming every few seconds. And since Jess and I were wearing shorts, our legs were destroyed by mosquitoes and numerous scratches. We climbed above and under so many branches. I do feel bad about losing my cool, but focus just set in, and all I wanted to do was get out of the forest. Suddenly I yelled, “What’s that!!?”. Robin and Jess were startled. Their heart rates accelerated. A bear? No… it was the trail! I have never been so happy to see a trail before (well, maybe I was just as happy when Robbie and I got lost on Tent Ridge last year). Suddenly our “Whooooops” to scare the bears away became “Whooohoooos” to describe our elation. And this trail was maintained. In fact, it was the same trail that we started on. We had managed to make a descent down a random side of Mount Edith back to the Edith Pass trail rather than continue on the Cory Pass trail back to the official junction. Argh! To top it all off, I managed to twist my right ankle. Not the bad left ankle… the good right ankle. Now both ankles hurt! Weeeee!

So in the end, this goes down as not the greatest second half of the hike, but without a doubt the views on Cory Pass are spectacular. Next time I’ll go the recommended way: Cory Pass first, followed by a gradual descent on Edith Pass trail. Although this way will have an 885 metre ascent in just 4.5 km, it sure would beat our random descent. Yep, that’s the way to do it. All hiccups aside, the Cory Pass Loop made for another great hike with great weather and great company :).

Almost back to the car, thank goodness... — Almost back to the car, thank goodness…

Stats:

Start: 11:20 am
End: 6:30 pm (long day!)
Elevation gain:
Distance: 13 km