Banff - again!

Wed./Thurs. 27/28 July:  Banff – again!

Two classic Banff National Park hikes in two days.  By going mid-week, I avoided the worst of the crowds, although I was far from alone on these popular trails.

Wed. 27 July:  A-Plus at C-Level

The C-Level Cirque trail is hike #1 in the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, and one of the busiest in the Parks.  There’s a good reason.  The wide gravel trail leads up to an interesting old mining area, before narrowing to a forest trail.  From there it climbs up the east side of spectacular Cascade Mountain.  The trail finally ends at the vertical mountain wall, over 2000 feet up from the trailhead, for those few people who persevere to the very highest point.

About a hundred years ago, this was a busy coal mine, providing coal for the Canadian Pacific Railway.  It shut down in the 1920’s.   Now, of course, it has reverted to nature, although there is a shell of a building along the trail, and fenced off open shafts, used as air vents for the mine.  By stepping off the trail at this point, you are treated to a superb view down to Lake Minnewanka and its surrounding mountains, from the top of a huge tailings pile from the mine. 

By continuing up the trail, through the trees, I reached the bottom of the cirque, with the mountainsides soaring up into the clouds.  This is called C-Level Cirque as it was the highest of the levels of the mining operation.  Not a very romantic name, but a reminder of the time when this mountain was busy with miners working a dangerous job to make a living.

Here at the cirque, many people end their climb.  But there is a path which continues up the side of the cirque to a better viewpoint higher up.  I had passed three young couples along the trail, and at the top end of the cirque I met a young lady with a French accent who told me you could continue even higher to a better viewpoint.  I took her advice and carried on up a very steep narrow trail, to a ridge high above the end of the official trail.  

Finally I reached the tree-line, and directly ahead of me was the bare mountain wall, rising to the hidden summit of Cascade Mountain (9,836 ft.), somewhere up in the clouds.  The view was great, down to Lake Minnewanka, east along the Bow Valley, and west up the lonely forested Cascade Valley.  I sat at the foot of the cliff, enjoying this view, before putting on my MICROspikes for the steep, slippery descent back to the cirque.  There had been a light shower earlier in the afternoon, so the rocks were slippery and wet. I passed through an area of large rocks, which had fallen down off the mountain, and they were covered with very clear fossilized remains of ferns.

Quite a few more assorted tourists were plodding up the trail as I returned to the car park.  Many of them would get as far as the mine area, with perhaps just a very small number persevering up to my high perch below the mountain wall.  So even on a busy summer day, I was able to have Cascade Mountain to myself. For the extra effort on C-Level, I gave myself an A-plus!

Later that afternoon I set up camp at Tunnel Mountain and enjoyed a stroll around a busy Banff townsite.  For the first time I drove around the golf course loop, on a lonely road below the cliffs of Mt. Rundle.  A big golf tournament had ended the previous day, and the stands were being dismantled.  Just below the Bow Falls, the Spray River was thundering into the Bow River at full spate.  Apparently there is a problem with a dam in the Spray Valley, causing the river to overflow and wash out a bridge in popular Goat Creek.

Statistics
C-Level Cirque
Wed. 27 July
Total Dist.	10.4 km (hike)
Height Gain	2,400 ft.
Max. Elev.	7,200 ft.
Time	3 hrs. 39 mins.

Other Stats.
Start hike:     10.51 am High point:    12.53 pm Ret. to car:      2.30 pm	Cloudy with a light shower early on.  Some sunny breaks.

Thurs. 28 July:  Quartz Hill

From one angle, Quartz Hill is well named, a gentle ridge separated by two graceful peaks.  From the top, however, this is no hill – it’s a jagged mountain, sitting on the Continental Divide at over 8,400 feet.

Overnight it had cleared, and today proved to be a perfect day for my next adventure, which started at the access road to Sunshine Village ski hill.

The day started with a ride up the steep road in a large yellow school bus.  The only other passenger was an Aussie from Vancouver, who was planning a similar route to my own.  His name was Mark, and we discovered we had been in Perth (Australia) at the same time back in the mid-90’s.  He told me he was in the mining business and did a lot of hiking on the West Coast of BC.  

Being the first bus of the day, we had the ski village to ourselves.  It is an untidy collection of buildings and ski lift equipment.  Ski resorts never look particularly attractive in summer, and this was  no exception.  There were still some snow patches here and there, after the record snowfalls of the previous winter.  There was a lot of activity around the village, with operators checking out the ski lifts and builders renovating the hotel.

My destination today was Quartz Hill, on the long trail to Mt. Assiniboine.  This trail climbs out of the ski village bowl, up onto wide open alpine meadows, ringed by mountain peaks.  This is the Continental Divide, and along the way you cross over into British Columbia and then back into Alberta. 

On a cold, wet day, this would be a miserable journey.  Today, under a warm sun, it was paradise.  The trail is very narrow, and you are urged to stay on it, to avoid trampling on the sea of wildflowers.  You are immediately drawn to the Quartz Hill twin peaks ahead of you on the horizon.  For some reason, several of the guide books dismiss these peaks as a destination, but they make the perfect half-day outing, with some spectacular scenery.

The trail does climb to the east ridge of Quartz Hill, where there are fine views towards Mt. Assiniboine, which today was hidden in the cloud.  The trail then drops down to Howard Douglas Lake and on to Citadel Pass, on the way to Assiniboine.

I turned right at this high point, and headed directly for Quartz Hill.  This reminded me of some of the hills of northern Scotland, bare and open, with two peaks joined by a flat ridge.  There were still large snow patches on its flanks, but there was no difficulty in reaching the ridge.  I first turned left to climb the higher of the peaks, at 8,419 feet.  It took a careful scramble to a grand double summit. 

I was stunned by the sudden exposure, with precipitous cliffs dropping away to a valley (Simpson River) far below, and the river snaking away towards the next range of mountains.  Quartz Hill sits on the Continental Divide, and so has extensive 360 degree views of Banff National Park and beyond. 

Very carefully dropping back to the ridge, I then strolled up to the other peak.  In the middle, on the ridge top, was a small body of water, reflecting the clouds.  I sheltered out of the wind to enjoy the views back across the open meadows to the Sunshine ski hills, a patchwork of green as the sun played tag with the clouds.  

Back on the ridge I noticed a bighorn sheep grazing, and then took a perfect photo as it ambled past along the skyline.

I returned to the trail below, and followed the same route back to the start.  Along the way, there were a number of hikers making their way southwards, some carrying heavy packs, bound for Assiniboine. 

The bus was not due for an hour or so, so I relaxed on the sun deck of the resort, watching the steady flow of people heading up the trail.  It was a full bus which made its way very slowly back down the steep, twisting road to the valley floor.  I was first off the bus, and only an hour and three quarters later, I was sitting in the arrivals lounge of Calgary International airport, waiting for L’s plane to arrive from Toronto – quite a culture shock after another incredible day in the Canadian Rockies.

Statistics
Quartz Hill
Thurs. 28 July
Total Dist.	12.2 km (hike)
Height Gain	1,340 ft.
Max. Elev.	8,419 ft.
Time	4 hrs. 30 mins.

Other Stats.
Start hike:       8.21 am S. Summit:    10.22 am N. Summit:   10.58 am Ret. to start:  12.51 pm	Long sunny spells, clouds building during day.  Light breeze.