Bonus Hike

Sat. 9 June:  Bonus hike: Tunnel Mountain

I had almost written off the day today.  Banff was being deluged by heavy rain, which this morning turned to snow.  Soon there were a few inches of very wet snow on the trees and the RVs in Tunnel Mountain campsite.  The mountains had disappeared last night under the curtain of rain.

So this morning I settled down in my cosy trailer to catch up on some work and to enjoy the snowy scene outside.  Suddenly in mid-afternoon the sky grew brighter and it stopped snowing.  There was a break in the weather.  I was quick to take advantage of this.  Soon I was driving the short distance around Tunnel  Mountain to the start of the Tunnel Mountain hiking trail – one of the original trails in Banff Park. 

The path was covered in puddles, slush, and, higher up, wet snow.  At first, there were no views as the mist was low.  But as I stood on the summit, it began to clear up quickly.  Small patched of blue sky appeared, and there were enticing glimpses of snowy peaks as well as of Banff town-site below me. 

It would be a rare day to have the summit to oneself.  But for a good fifteen or twenty minutes I was alone up there on the most popular of Banff trails.   Then three German guys arrived on the summit, followed by a young couple.  Not exactly a crowd.  The snow was falling off the trees in wet clumps and the pathway was very soggy.

It doesn’t take very long to do this trip, but it has a magic all of its own which much longer hikes often don’t have.  And it was certainly an unexpected bonus on a day of wintry June weather.

Statistics
Tunnel Mountain
Sat. 9 June
Total Dist.	3.8 km (hike)
Height Gain	700 ft.
Max. Elev.	5,544 ft.
Time	1 hr. 20 mins.

Other Stats.
Start hike:      4.04 pm Summit:         4.31 pm Ret. to car:     5.24 pm	Temp:   + 4C Clouds clearing away as I stand on summit.  Wet snow underfoot.