Bull Creek Hills Challenge

Sat. 23 April:  Bull Creek Hills Challenge

  I almost overdid it today.  But in the end, I made it down safely off the high, snowy ridges of the Bull Creek Hills. 

Just by looking at the time it took me to cover the route (nine kilometres in seven and a half hours) is enough to indicate that this was no ordinary hike.  To reach the summit of these hills, I had to negotiate wave after wave of steep hillsides and ridges, becoming ever more steep and snowy.  Somewhere just below the summit, my legs started to cramp up and for a minute I thought I was going to have to use my emergency beacon – but I reached the summit safely.  However, as the story will tell, that was not the end of the Bull Creek Hills Challenge.

Today, for a change, was cloudless, with no prospect of any change in the weather, except that it would warm up to double digits in the afternoon.  A perfect day to be in the outdoors.  I loaded my mountain bike into the back of the car, figuring I could bike at least a short way up the Kananaskis Highway beyond the winter gate at Highwood Junction.  I was wrong.  The snow still covered the road as it rose up the hill beyond the gate.  

Plan “B” was a hike up the Bull Creek Hills.  So I drove back along the Highwood Valley for a few kilometers to the Kananaskis Country border, where I parked in the snowed-in Highwood picnic area.  The Highwood Valley had looked stunning as I had driven in from Longview, with the large herds of cattle grazing in the open fields, with the mountain wall behind.

It is more or less a direct route up from the road to the eastern ridge of the Bull Creek Hills, except that, after a few hundred vertical feet of climbing, one enters the forest and heads back down again into a hidden valley, Marston Creek.  Then the climbing starts to get serious.  To start with, I had my MICROspikes on, but at the top of this first hill, I switched to snow shoes.  There was deep snow down through the forest, and I simply could not have travelled any further without the ‘shoes.

Once in Marston Creek, I turned west for a few hundred yards then started climbing up the wide ridge, once more swapping ‘shoes for MICROspikes.  I negotiated an easy cliff-band, then climbed up to a low pass, before heading directly up a steep slope overlooked by more cliffs.  It was already hard work, and luckily at that point, I had no idea what was ahead of me.  

Once up over the second cliff-band, where I stopped for a rest and a panoramic view of the valley far below, I struck deep snow, and sank to my thighs.  I quickly reverted to snow shoes, which I needed for the rest of the trip until returning to Marston Creek.

Now I was up on a wide, snow-covered ridge, part of the eastern arm of the Bull Creek Hills.  But I was nowhere near the top yet. Ahead of me soared the snowy hillsides to the summit, far above me.  To reach the summit I first had to gain the next, higher level of this eastern ridge.  From there, the ridge swung westwards and then steeply upwards to the summit.  This final climb took all the skill and energy I had, for the snow was deep, and some of the slopes were very steep, passing over some steep rocky sections.  It did strike me that some of this high country might be avalanche prone, but by now I was fully committed, and so I kept close to the very top of the ridge and close to the trees.

There is one particularly steep piece which passes an interesting rock formation, a single pillar of rock below a leaning cliff.  Here I started to get some cramp in my leg, and had to rest a short while before struggling up the snowy slopes.  But I made it, and soon the summit was ahead of me.  Needless to say, there was no sign of anyone else having been up here recently.  

The summit consists of a narrow ridge with a simple metal pole stuck in the ground.  The views all round were of course breathtaking.  To the west Holy Cross Mountain and all the Front Ranges, and to the east, the slightly hazy foothills and prairie with Calgary only just vaguely visible in the haze.

I did not stay long.  My return route will not be found in any guide book, and now I know why.  Continuing westwards I dropped down a wide ridge to a col.  From there I dropped directly down off the mountain into an open, narrow steep-sided valley.  To reach the valley floor I enjoyed a short controlled bum-slide down the slopes.  

By now, the sun was melting the snow, and my snow shoes sank more deeply into the snow.  The surface was looking glazed, and would ice up overnight to form an impossibly dangerous slope.  Once down into this valley, or “chute”, it was an easy snow-shoe stride down into upper Marston Creek.  For a minute I relaxed, thinking I was now safely off the mountain.  But I had overlooked the fact that I had about a kilometer of very difficult bush-whacking in front of me.  

There was no obvious trail, and once again I had to stop to allow my legs to recover.  I plodded down through the snowy valley bottom, which in summer would be a wet, boggy creek.  Bushes and trees made the going tricky.  Soon the creek became impenetrable, so I climbed up onto the steep valley side, steadily finding a way through forested and open sections, in snow which no longer held my weight.  I knew where I was going, and roughly how far it was, so I just kept to my task and slowly and steadily forged a way through the nightmare.  Eventually I came back down into the meadow where I had turned up onto the ridge, and now knew I would be safe.

But I still had to struggle back up the final hillside through the trees, before the final descent to the car.  High above the road, I stopped and relaxed in the now warm sunshine.  All the way up the ridges I had been treated to spectacular mountain views.  By now, the sun had swung over to the west, and a warm wind was blowing.  The final descent passed by several very scenic limber pines, clinging to the  hillsides, and several large stumps, the remnants of those not-so-lucky pines hit by summer lightning.  

Back at the car, I checked the time to find out that I had been up on that hill for over seven and a half hours.  I felt lucky to have returned in one piece.  Today had truly been a challenge.

Statistics
Bull Creek Hills
Sat. 23 April
Total Dist.	2 km (hike)   + 7 km (‘shoe)  = 9 km
Height Gain	2,550 ft.
Max. Elev.	7,150 ft.
Time	7 hrs. 26 mins.

Other Stats.
Start hike:       8.43 am Summit:         1.29 pm Ret. to car:      4.09 pm Up:       4 hrs. 46 mins. Down:  2 hrs. 40 mins.	Temp. -3 to +10 deg. C Cloudless, with warm westerly wind higher up.  Deep snow.

Picture of the Week

Fri. 22 April:  "A Gu-noo....and A-GNOTHER Gu-noo"? 

These fine specimens hanging on the wall at the Chateau Lake Louise reminded me of that lovely Flanders and Swann tune - which if you haven't heard it, you must search in YouTube for "The Gnu Song".

Dining at the Chateau

Fri. 22 April (Good Friday):  Dining at the Chateau

Today L. and I made one of our infrequent trips to the mountains together to enjoy a leisurely lunch at the Chateau Lake Louise.  It was a stunning, cloudless day and we were amazed by the amount of snow still piled up all around the Chateau.

 

Our table was right in front of one of those beautiful arched windows looking directly out onto the lake.  Can there be a more spectacular setting for a meal?  I doubt it.

People were enjoying the thrill of strolling out into the middle of the frozen lake, or taking sleigh rides along the paths below the hotel.  It will be a few weeks until all this snow melts and the canoes appear once again on the lake.  It has been a long winter - and it's not over yet.

Picture of the Week

Sun. 17 April:  Oh Deer!  This little critter is, I suppose, looking for something to eat, but the winter isn't in any hurry to leave.  Taken from the Elbow River bridge at Bragg Creek.

Crystal Line

Sun. 17 April:  Crystal Line

Fresh powder on the West Bragg Creek ski trails in the second half of April?  You must be kidding! 

Not this year.  In fact, this short trip was one of the most enjoyable of a long winter season.  My newly acquired waxless skis worked perfectly, and the four to six inches of new snow, still falling, made the few downhill sections smooth and controlled.

Imagine breaking trail along the Mountain Road trail from the West Bragg Creek parking area on a Sunday morning.  Usually there would already be people and their dogs pouring out of their cars and onto the trail.  But today the roads were treacherous, and the snow had been falling steadily all weekend.  So there was only one other car in the car park as I set off.  The occupant of that vehicle and his two golden retrievers ended up doing the exact reverse route as I did.  We met again half way round, and arrived back at about the same time.  

The snow was falling lightly as I ski’d along the road.  A hazy sun was doing its best to break through the cloud cover, but it had no warmth, and the temperature was around six degrees below freezing.

Mountain Road runs alongside Bragg creek, which was still buried under the snow.  It didn’t take me long to reach the junction with Moose Connector trail.  I herring-boned up a short hill before turning left into the forest.  This was a pretty trail between the snow-covered trees, gently undulating around the hillsides.  I passed a single skier, and a little later, met the skier with the two dogs, which were having a grand time lolloping along through the snow.

Crystal Line is a dead straight two kilometer-long cut-line through the trees, rising to a high point before dropping gently down to the valley floor.  Snow conditions were excellent, and I was under complete control dropping down the hillside, the waxless skis running smoothly through the six inches of fresh snow.  It was not at all icy.

In no time I was back at the car, feeling that I could have done more, but just not inclined to do so.  “Quit while you’re ahead” won the day.

The road from Bragg Creek to the start of the ski trails had been tricky in the morning, but as I left the car park, the snow plough was just clearing the road ahead, so it was much easier on the return.

At the Elbow River bridge in Bragg Creek I noticed some young deer down by the edge of the river, in the snow.  I took some good pictures from the bridge.

By this time, the snow was easing off, and the roads were in much better shape as I returned to the city.  One of these days, it will warm up – I suppose.  In the meantime, I’m still making use of my winter gear – and my long underwear!

Statistics
Crystal Line, W. Bragg Ck.
Sun. 17 April
Total Dist.	4.6 km (XC ski)
Height Gain	100 ft.
Max. Elev.	4,800 ft.
Time	1 hr. 24 mins.

Other Stats.
Start ski:         9.19 am Moose Conn.:  9.53 am Ret. to car:    10.43 am	Temp. -6 deg. C Hazy sun, snowing lightly

Picture of the Week

Sat. 9 April:  Big Dump:  This outdoor loo up on the Smith-Dorrien Highway at Burstall Pass car park presents a challenge for anyone wanting to use it.  You run the danger of a big dump even before getting safely inside!

The Winter that wouldn't end

Sat. 9 April:  The Winter that wouldn’t end

 

Well into April and still no sign of the hiking season.  So today I went on two separate winter trips, one on skis and the other on snow-shoes.

The sun now rises before 7 a.m., and it needs an early start to get the best out of the cross-country ski trails at this time of year.  As soon as the sun comes up, the snow gets all sticky.  Waxless skis apparently work quite well in these conditions, so I went out and rented a pair to try them out.

Not surprisingly, the roads were quiet so early in the morning before dawn.  The weather had been cloudless the day before, but this morning there was a fair amount of thin cloud over the mountains.  The road surface was dry all the way down the Kananaskis Valley.  

I was on the trail before seven o’clock, setting out from Pocaterra hut.  I quickly found that waxless skis don’t have much of a grip, and I was herring-boning up any tiny slope that was not completely flat.  The grooming machine had been up here only two days ago, but it had snowed almost every night for the past few weeks, so I relied on skier tracks, where I made good progress.  The double set of tracks soon reduced to one.

I turned around at Lynx junction.  There was still deep snow all around, and the snow-covered mountains were a little hazy today.  It was a silent and grand setting so early in the morning.  Earlier this week someone had seen bear paw prints on the Tyrwhitt trail, at the south end of the Peter Lougheed Park.  I had bear spray ready but saw no wildlife at all.

The return journey down the icy and crusted tracks was an interesting experience.  The skis made a sort of humming sound like a little motor, as I glided effortlessly back down the trail.  This is where the waxless skis have the advantage.  I had very little control, except in patches where the snow was still soft.  Most of the trail was glazed ice.  I made it back to the Pocaterra hut safely, enjoying a sandwich in the warmth and comfort of the cabin.  A couple of middle-aged snow-shoers were walking towards the hut as I returned to the car.  We exchanged greetings.  Theirs was the only other car in the car park.  The temperature had risen from minus 5 to minus 2 while I was on the trail, and it would continue to rise steadily during the day.

Statistics
Pocaterra Trail to Lynx Jn.
Sat. 9 April
Total Dist.	7.2 km (XC ski)
Height Gain	200 ft.
Max. Elev.	5,545 ft.
Time	1 hr. 45 mins.

]

Since it was still not yet nine o’clock on a pleasant Saturday morning, I decided to try another challenge.  I would drive up the Smith-Dorrien Highway to Burstall Lakes parking lot, and would snow shoe up towards the lakes.

Smith-Dorrien runs the Icefields parkway a close second for scenic beauty: a high valley lined by spectacular peaks (and some glaciers), side valleys leading up to hidden lakes, and the best snow conditions in Alberta.  At Chester Lake car park, snow depth was reported today at 160 cm (over five feet).  Right across the highway from there is Burstall Lakes car park.  It did not surprise me to find a half dozen vehicles there, and the Park Ranger in her truck.  This is a very popular backcountry skiing trail, with superb powder up at the Pass.  It is also a very dangerous place up there.  Two men died on the Pass earlier this season, caught by an avalanche.

I wasn’t planning to go all the way (over 8 km) to the Pass, but was content to snow shoe out into this wintry scene as far as I had the energy to do so.  The Spray Valley floor is wide and flat here, with the trail heading quite steeply up Burstall Creek, towards the distant Pass.  

I veered away from the main trail, following a set of very large snow shoes which headed out across the open landscape of scattered trees and rolling meadows buried under deep snow.  Whoever this person was, he must have been a giant.  I am tall, but my long stride could not keep up with the large prints made by those snow shoes.  

After wandering across the valley floor, the ‘shoe prints headed up onto the forested mountainside, making a haphazard route up through the trees.  I had no idea where I was going!  But it was an interesting challenge following those tracks.  The general direction was up, and the person seemed to know where they were going, as the tracks intersected some forestry trails.  I heard some voices in the trees far above me.  Eventually after a long steep ascent, I came out – miraculously – on the main trail up Burstall Creek.  The giant snow shoe tracks continued to head straight up the forested slopes, but I turned onto the narrow trail, and set off up towards the Pass. 

The skiers and snowshoers ahead of me had beaten down a nice path, about a foot deep in the surrounding snow, and now the angle eased off, so it was easier going.  Down below me to the right was a deep creek, which further up the trail led to the Burstall Lakes, mostly hidden in the trees below me.  The trail crossed a dangerous looking avalanche path running down the huge mountainside above me.  A little further along the trail I squeezed past a very large boulder, result of an earlier avalanche.  

In summer this is a wide forestry trail, and you can push or ride your bike up here for the first three and a half kilometers.  At that point, the trail dives into the trees, and then reaches the wide flats below Burstall Pass.

By this time, at the point where I had my first good view ahead of the flats and the Pass, I decided that this would be a good place to turn around.   Almost immediately I met a handful of snow shoers coming up the trail, asking whether I had been up to the Pass.  I smiled and said that I had not.  A little later I passed a single snow shoer who wondered whether there was a loop back down across the lakes and I told him I thought that there was no such route.  That was all the people I saw on the trail today.

On the return journey I stuck to the main trail, which angled nicely down to the valley floor.  The spectacular peaks were half hidden in the haze, with a weak sun shining through the cloud.  It had been breezy higher up, but by now it was above freezing.  I made good time back to the car, where a backcountry skier was preparing to set out up the trail. 

I drove home via the Spray Lakes and Canmore.  The surface of the Smith-Dorrien along the Spray Lakes was varied.  In places it was smooth and snow packed, but especially closer to Goat Creek, it was wretchedly muddy with small and large potholes.  There were lots of people out in the middle of the wide lake, ice fishing and playing.  There were also single vehicles parked alongside the road in random places, where, I suppose, skiers or snow-shoers had headed out onto their favorite trails.  The steep road down to Canmore still had deep drifts along its precipitous sides.

This had been an active day, which I hope will mark the official end to my winter season adventures.  But with all that snow still out there, I’m not guaranteeing it.     

Statistics
Burstall Creek
Sat. 9 April
Total Dist.	7 km (‘shoe)
Height Gain	330 ft.
Max. Elev.	6,560 ft.
Time	3 hrs. 03 mins.

Statistics
Total 2 trips
Sat. 9 April
Total Dist.	14.2 km
Height Gain	530 ft.
Max. Elev.	6,560 ft.
Time	4 hrs. 48 mins.

Other Stats.
Start ski:         6.56 am Lynx Jn.:        7.57 am Ret. to hut:     8.41 am Temp. -5 to -2 deg. C Sun behind mtns, mostly cloudy	Start ‘shoe:     9.24 am Open flats:    11.12 am Ret. to car:    12.27 pm Temp. 0 to +3 deg. C Hazy sun, breeze higher up