A Silver Ribbon

Mon. 4 July:  Ribbon Creek

A ribbon of silver water runs the full eleven kilometre length of the valley, starting with the spectacular waterfalls at the far western end.  It’s hard to beat Gillean Daffern’s description of Ribbon Creek as a “disgracefully behaved” stretch of water.  So it was today.  This is what makes Ribbon Creek such an enjoyable trip, and one which I had almost forgotten since my last visit here back in 1992.  On that occasion I was on my way up the chains to Ribbon Lake and back via Guinns Pass and Galatea Creek.  Today was less ambitious, but once again I had some fun climbing up the cliff face before calling it a day just short of Ribbon Lake.

It would be a perfect day today, and the clouds were breaking up over the mountains as I drove west along the Trans-Canada Highway.  Hiking up Ribbon Creek is one of the most popular pastimes in the Kananaskis Valley.  So I did not expect to have the valley to myself today.  However, thanks to my usual early start, I was at least halfway back down the trail before I met my first people.  As a result, I was able to enjoy the magic of this beautiful corner of the Canadian Rockies all to myself – and no bears either.

Thanks to the long winter, the creek was running full, with late snow melt from the high peaks surrounding the valley.  The first four kilometers are a wide trail, and bikes are allowed here.  After that, the trail reverts to a narrower hikers-only route.  It had been nineteen years since I last came this way, and in the meantime I had almost forgotten how pretty this valley was.  It was as if I was discovering it for the first time.  I stopped to explore every little side trail, leading to lively stretches of river – waterfalls, rapids, canyons. 

But the most spectacular viewpoint was saved to the very far end of the valley.  Here the Ribbon Falls were thundering over a high cliff and falling in a deafening roar just below the viewpoint beside the trail.  The photos don’t do justice to this scene.

From the Falls, I continued up the steeper trail which contoured up over the cliffs, and then back at a higher elevation below the bare mountainsides, to a dead end below a cliff.  From here it is an exciting climb up three sections of heavy chains to a safer place higher up the cliffs.  From there it is a short hike up to Ribbon Lake.  I had some fun climbing the chains but decided not to carry on further to the lake.  Coming back down these chains was a little trickier than going up.  I remember that I was full of anticipation on my first trip here in 1992, and this section of trail was the highlight of a long ambitious day’s hike.  It looked even more spectacular today.

Returning down the trail, I met two young women who had the job of clearing the trail –although I didn’t see much that needed to be done.  They were clearly enjoying the whole experience.  I was all the way back to the end of the narrower section of trail at the  bike rack, before I met my next people – two guys out on a day hike.  There were a handful of other hikers along the trail until I was almost back at the car, when a larger group of day-trippers wearing sandals drifted by.  At the second bridge across the creek I chatted to a girl who was anxious to know if there were any other people on the trail.  She was afraid of meeting a bear, and had planned to do a lot of pot-bashing as she made her way up the trail.  I was able to put her mind at rest.

The feature today was the ever-restless creek, and the sound of the racing water, which was always close by along the whole length of this magnificent valley.  A ribbon of silver, albeit disgracefully behaved!

Statistics
Ribbon Creek
Mon. 4 July
Total Dist.	20.8 km (hike)
Height Gain	1,795 ft.
Max. Elev.	6,725 ft.
Time	5 hrs. 52 mins.

Other Stats.
Start hike:       6.55 am Falls:              9.18 am Chains:         10.04 am Falls:             10.35 am Ret. to car:    12.52 pm	Temp:  +7 to +20 deg.C Almost cloudless, cool breeze.  Warms up a lot during the morning.