Rawson Ridge

Sat. 29 September:  Rawson Ridge

The long summer continues - even close to 8,000 feet above sea level, where the scattered larches were already past their best color.

It had been over a month since J, R and I did our last hike together.  Today we chose a popular corner of Kananaskis Country, but with a new view for us of the Kananaskis Lakes.

This was a journey in two parts.  The first section of 1,000 vertical feet took us up a forested switchback trail to Rawson Lake.  The second continued for another 1,200 vertical feet up a steep open hillside to a spectacular ridge overlooking the Upper Kananaskis Lake.

We knew it would be busy up here today, so were on the trail close to 8.30 a.m. just ahead of two young anglers who soon overtook us.  When we arrived at Rawson Lake, there were two other guys fishing for trout, along the rocky edge of the lake.  Rawson Lake’s setting is spectacular.  The towering wall of Mt. Sarrail (10,413 ft.), with its snow patches, and remnants of a small glacier, dominates the backdrop to the lake.

A sign reminded us that this is home to grizzlies, but a careful scan with my binoculars confirmed that the coast was clear.  So we continued to the end of the lake, where our angler friends had already caught a good size trout and were releasing it back into the lake.  The reflections of the mountains were magical.

From here the path headed steeply up the hillside to the ridge high above us.  This was a well used trail, as we would discover later in the day.  A couple of short sections were very steep, and required us to make use of handy bushes to pull us up over the rocks.  Higher up, the trail followed a steep grassy draw. 

The path ends abruptly at a col, with precipitous drops down the other side.  Here was the grand view we had been promised.  The beautiful Kananaskis Lakes were spread out below us, with a backdrop of magnificent mountains and one enormous glacier far off to the northwest.  On each side of the col, tempting buttresses of rock drew us upwards to even better viewpoints.  An occasional larch, still shining golden in the sun, made for good photos.  We were soon joined by a party of five kids, dad and two dogs.  They had done well to reach this point.

We spotted several mountain goats on the cliff walls of the Great Divide high above us.  They had thick white coats and were quietly hopping around on the cliffs (as you would expect them to do).  Up on the mountain wall was a large cave, which perhaps they use as a shelter.  For humans, it would require climbing skills to reach the cave.

We were reluctant to leave such a spectacular viewpoint.  I deliberately sat right on the very edge of a huge cliff, with my feet sticking over into the void.

On our steep descent to Rawson Lake, we met twenty or more assorted people struggling up the path, including a young mother and her two tiny kids.  Down at the end of the lake, it was a busy scene.  On the green grass, beside a large snowdrift by the lake, small groups of people were relaxing in the shaft of sunshine which lit up the scene like a movie set. 

From here on, we were never alone for long, with a steady procession of people heading up to the lake.  Many had foreign accents, and some were dressed ready for the beach, but making good progress up the switchback trail through the forest.  By the time we reached the crowded car park we had just about given up greeting all our fellow hikers.  A huge Indian picnic party was enjoying the ridiculously warm sunny afternoon, beside the spectacular Upper Kananaskis Lake.

For J, R and myself, we had done enough for one day, and were happy to enjoy another spectacular drive up through the colorful Kananaskis valley and back to the city.  The clouds had been clearing away all day, and in Calgary it was a beautiful sunny afternoon.  How much longer can this amazing hiking season last?

Statistics
Rawson Ridge
Sat. 29 September
Total Dist.	10.6 km (hike)
Height Gain	2,200 ft.
Max. Elev.	7,850 ft.
Time	6 hrs. 33 mins.

Other Stats.
Dep. car:        8.37 am Lake:              9.58 am Far end:       10.32 am Arr. Ridge:   11.37 am Dep. Ridge:  12.50 pm Lake:             1.41 pm Ret. to car:     3.10 pm	Temp: + 10C to + 15C Cloud, sun, warm, no wind.  Gradually clearing. To lake:       1,000 ft. Lake-Ridge: 1,200 ft.

Sheep Valley Mines

Fri. 21 September:  Sheep Valley Mines

The last day of summer – and possibly the best.

A huge high pressure system seemed to have anchored itself over Western Canada, giving clear skies over the Rockies and insanely warm temperatures for late September.

Three years ago, I had biked up the Sheep Valley, beyond the end of the road.  But I had started late, and so didn’t make it to the Burns Mine.  Now was my chance to try again and continue as far as the Denning cabin.

Thursday night I camped at Bluerock campsite at the far western end of the road.  It was almost deserted, but would fill up Friday night, given the amazing weather.  It stayed several degrees above freezing overnight.

My journey started from the campsite, turning west out of the campsite on my mountain bike, for the final kilometre to the end of the road.  Here a covered wagon was parked, and there were signs of horses having been here recently – it’s a popular horseback riding trail.  Beyond the closed gate, the track starts with an uphill section, then from there is easily bikeable, if a bit rough in places.

This trail runs the whole way up the Sheep River Valley, a steep-sided valley, running in a northwesterly direction, and overlooked by the soaring cliffs of Gibraltar Mountain.  This peak dominates the whole journey, changing shape as one travels up the valley.

It was a sensational day to be out in the mountains.  The deciduous trees were at their peak of colour, a bright yellow shining in the sun.  I felt in no hurry today, and ended up spending almost eight hours slowly biking fifteen kilometres to the far end of the Private Land, and back again, with an exciting exploration of the old coal mining sites along the way.

There is one bridge across the river.  After that, the road fords the river almost a dozen times.  However, at this time of year, many of the crossings were bone dry as the river had disappeared underground.  Higher up the valley, the fords were less than a foot deep, and were perfect candidates for my quick “dry sack” technique, perfected last year on the 64 creek crossings on our famous Chungo trip.

At the mine site, the valley opens up into attractive meadows, with two piles of coal, one each side of the trail.  The mine ceased operations way back in 1923, almost ninety years ago, and apparently the huge piles have gradually depleted to a couple of low mounds.  Back then, there was a bustling townsite here, with a number of buildings.  They were cleared away in 1960, and now it has disappeared altogether in the trees. 

I left my bike here, and followed various trails for several hundred vertical feet up the forested hillside to a couple of mine sites.  The first, up Sharp’s Creek, had a huge coal pile, and an impressive array of junk.  There were collapsed buildings, concrete foundations, large pipes, and other assorted junk.   The other mine, beside Rickert’s Creek, required a slightly more strenuous hike up the valley.  It was worth it, as there were still lengths of tramway rail buried in the coal pile.  There was no sign in either case of mineshafts, which was probably a good thing.  A century ago, this wilderness would have been swarming with tough, hard-working miners, risking their lives to extract coal from these remote hillsides.  The townsite would have been a lively place each evening no doubt.  Now it has reverted to nature.

I continued on up the Sheep Valley, through another attractive meadow, crossing the river easily a number of times.  Finally I reached the Denning cabin.  This rustic cabin was erected in 1947 for range riders, using bits and pieces from the old coal mine.  This whole section of the Sheep Valley is privately owned by the Burns Foundation (Pat Burns was a legendary figure in the history of ranching and of Calgary).  Sadly they recently closed the cabin to casual visitors and it is now locked up tight.  I peered into the windows and could make out a basic interior of table, stove, bunks.

It was a few more kilometres to the end of the private land, my goal for today. Beyond this point, the road climbs gently to a high point before arriving at the Elbow River near Tombstone campsite.  I would like to stay a few days here and explore the challenging side trails up Burns Creek, the Rae Hills, and other really remote mountain areas.

It was much easier returning down the valley , on this rocky road.  There were several large permanent puddles, each of which had bypasses around them.  Some stretches were quite rocky, but overall it made for the perfect mountain bike trip.

I saw no people all day, and only one white-tailed deer and a few ptarmigan.  The sun had moved behind Gibraltar Mountain giving grand views of the overhanging cliffs on the return journey.  I must have taken hundreds of “perfect pictures” of yellow leaves and mountainsides behind them.  The first wind will strip these trees bare in no time at all.

Back at the campsite, I sat on the bluffs overlooking the river, as the sun set behind the mountains, and a crescent moon came out.  The campsite filled up, as folks were making the best of the final weekend before Bluerock closes down for the season.  The following morning I was up early to catch a colorful sunrise as I headed east out of the mountains. 

Statistics
Sheep Valley Mines
Fri. 21 September
Total Dist.	3.0 km (hike) + 30.0 km (bike) = 33.0 km
Height Gain	1,525 ft.
Max. Elev.	6,400 ft.
Time	7 hrs. 44 mins.

Other Stats.
Dep. camp:    8.34 am Bridge:           9.26 am Arr. mine:    11.01 am Dep.mine:    12.13 pm Cabin:          12.48 pm W. end:          1.29 pm Mine:             2.11 pm Bridge:           3.32 pm Ret. to camp: 4.18 pm	Temp: + 6 C to around + 22 C Cloudless, warm, no wind, light breeze later.  Perfect weather. Height Gain: Bike:  985 ft. + Hike:  540 ft.

Kananaskis Country

Tues. 11 to Fri. 14 September:                       KANANASKIS COUNTRY

Rounding off my two week vacation, I spent a few days in Kananaskis Country, visiting familiar places as well as exploring the less accessible, but spectacular, area around Fortress Ridge.

 

Wed. 12 September:  Kananaskis Lookout

At last – a fire lookout still in operation, and someone to chat to at the top.

It was a cold morning, two or three degrees below freezing, and ice in all the puddles.  I could have started my hike from my campsite.  But to save a long, steep hill, I drove around to the Kananaskis Highway and parked at the fire road gate.  I was last here in November last year, for a ski in temperatures of below minus 20.  Today at minus two it seemed almost as cold.  This time I biked down the fire road as far as the steep hill leading up to the lookout.  From there I hiked to the top.  I parked my bike at exactly the same place I had swapped my skis for snowshoes last November.

It took me less than an hour from the car to the lookout.  This route in winter is a popular cross-country skiing trail.  In summer, although a bit rutted and stony, it makes a good biking route.  In fact, the people manning the observatory had driven their car all the way up to the lookout.  I signed the visitors book, and was feeling a little disappointed as you can’t get a good view of the Kananaskis Lakes from here.  The elevated lookout building has the command of the view. 

Just as I was about to leave, the observer appeared, and she kindly invited me to come through the gate and see the lakes below.  Dale B and her husband Joe have been observers at this lookout for several years.  They have created a tiny paradise up here.  Flowers blooming around a tiny garden, with two comfortable chairs to relax under the Continental Divide mountain wall across the Upper Kananaskis Lake.  I was invited to climb the outer stairs for the full view, which is spectacular, taking in both Kananaskis Lakes and the peaks which surround them.  The day was perfect for views.

I learned that there is just one resident black bear on this lookout hill.  The other day Dale followed it down the hill in her car.  It found a berry patch and apparently rolled in the bushes in delight.  Dale pointed out to me the Fortress Ridge, my destination for tomorrow, which stood at the northern end of the Kananaskis Valley as seen from this ridge.  She said there was a good snowfall earlier this week as temperatures had dropped suddenly.  It had been a good summer and it seemed as if it might go on forever.  But now Dale says that the Indian Summer should start.  I noticed that the visitors book only covered the summer period.  They keep a separate visitors book for winter when the lookout is closed.  The full books are kept in the observatory.

It was a bit chilly standing out there in the little garden.  After a nice chat I headed back down the hill and was soon back at the car, having seen no other travelers on the trails.

Statistics
Kananaskis Lookout
Wed. 12 September
Total Dist.	3.0 km (hike) + 5.2 km (bike) = 8.2 km
Height Gain	900 ft.
Max. Elev.	6,950 ft.
Time	1 hr. 45 mins.

Other Stats.
Start:             9.09 am L/O site:        9.59 am Ret. to car:   10.54 am	Temp: Minus 2 C to + 3 C.  Ice in puddles. Cloudless, cool, no wind

Wed. 12 September:  Kananaskis Bike Trails

What luxury!  Large wilderness campsites with electricity.  And linking these various campsites is a network of paved bike paths leading through the lonely forests.  They have been graded to make them fairly easy to travel on, with a few gentle hills. 

Today being mid-week, I had the trail system to myself, apart from one middle-aged couple on their bikes.  Starting at Boulton Creek I headed north to Elkwood.  The trail starts by running through dense forest.  Soon, however, the trail comes out onto a high bench with views west to the Continental Divide and a large glacier.  Space has been made for an occasional picnic table.  These trails are very popular with families in the summer.  

At Elkwood campsite, I turned around and retraced my steps, taking time on the return journey to admire Marl Lake and its reflections of the mountains.

Back at Boulton Creek, I continued south to the Lower Lake campground and finally Sarrail tent site (now closed for the season).  This final stretch was more challenging with some steep hills to negotiate, and signs warning of bears.

I left my bike at the Canadian Mt. Everest trailhead, and clambered up onto the earth dam of the Upper Lake.  This is a beautiful setting.  But a short stroll through the woods brings one to a truly awesome view.  As I came out of the trees, I was hit by a strong wind, and immediately came to the shore of the main part of the Upper Lake.  Whitecaps swept across the lake, and the waves crashed onto the shoreline below me.  This was a great place to enjoy one of my most favorite views.

Returning back down the same path, I stopped at the Boulton Trading Post for a snack, under a warm sunshine.  Back at the campsite I was ready to relax, catch up on this diary, and prepare for my adventure tomorrow.

Statistics
Kananaskis Bike Trails
Wed. 12 September
Total Dist.	1.0 km (hike) + 16.2 km (bike) = 17.2 km
Height Gain	200 ft.
Max. Elev.	5,630 ft.
Time	2 hrs. 26 mins.

Other Stats.
Start:             1.54 pm Elkwood:        2.17 pm Marl Lake:     2.29 pm Boulton:         2.53 pm Upper Lake:   3.22 pm Ret. to camp: 4.20 pm	Temp: Rising to around + 14 C Cloudless, cool, strong W. wind on lake

Thurs. 13 September:  Fortress

This adventure relied on two people who had never met, meeting in the right place at the right time.  Otherwise the plan would fail.  It worked!

My destination, Fortress Ridge, sits above the old Fortress ski hill.  The resort closed many years ago, and so did the access road.  This twisting gravel road climbs over 1600 feet in eight kilometers, bringing this awesome ridge country into the realm of a day trip.  But how get a ride up there?

For several months I had been in touch with Joey O'B, the current President of Fortress Mountain Resort, who last winter started to run snowcat skiing trips up there.  This proved to be very popular.  He very kindly offered to run me up the hill in his truck, with my bike in the back.  Sure enough, a few minutes past 9 a.m., Joey and a work colleague arrived in their truck, opened the padlock on the access gate by the river bridge, and we were soon speeding up the hill.  This road has several hairpin bends, but was in very good shape with a smooth gravel surface. 

On the way up we chatted about the possibility of allowing summer access.  It is not likely to happen.  It would require a full environmental impact study due to the grizzly bear population in the area.  Also Joey rightly queried whether it is the sort of area which could handle the sort of crowds that find their way up the nearby Galatea Creek trail every summer weekend.  In fact, he was expecting to receive a letter from the responsible government department instructing him not to give people rides up the hill! 

I mentioned that I had seen some cranes up on the hill the other week.  He showed me a video clip of this.  The cranes were being used to carry a wire supporting a hang glider, as part of a romantic comedy movie being shot on the hill.  The major movie which was shot at Fortress the other year was Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  Apparently this made over a Billion dollars for Warner Brothers.  There is absolutely no trace of the building which was erected, then blown up, on the top of the front ski run.

By this time we were at the ski hill.  I have to say that it is today a sad place to see.  Some of the original ski resort buildings, including the ski lodge, and a small row of chalets, are all boarded up and not looking in good shape.  In fact the chalets have a sign on each door from the Alberta Government designating them as “unfit for human habitation”.  Some of the large sheds and garages are still there, and are surrounded by a collection of machinery including the snow cats.  There is a full-time caretaker who lives up here, called Mountain Mel, but I didn’t see him.

My trail started at this collection of sheds and headed up onto the first ridge above the resort.  It then contoured down into Aussie Creek before heading steeply up onto Fortress Ridge.  This was a truly spectacular place to hike into.  The crazy peak of Fortress Mountain soared above this valley, together with a ring of gigantic mountain cliffs.  Talk about photogenic.  I must have snapped a hundred pictures even before I arrived at Fortress Ridge – and it kept getting more spectacular.

The ridge is bare and grassy.  Here on the summit of the ridge a ski lift stands, still with the chairs attached.  It made for some good pictures.  However, I cannot see any way by which these ski tows could be made operational again.  Technology and time have moved on, and in my view they are simply junk metal waiting to be removed by whoever can afford to do so.

The bare, grassy summit of Fortress Ridge rises invitingly up from the ski tow, and it didn’t take me long to reach the top.  Behind me the Fortress Mountain skyline became even more breath-taking.  The shadow of the peak lay across the valley like a long hand, reaching out as if to embrace the whole scene.

To the north, the view was dominated by the wall of Mt. Kidd, with the two northern peaks of Fortress Ridge below.  To the north-east lay the Kananaskis Valley, with the golf course prominent way below.  Further west Galatea Creek and Guinns Pass were clearly visible.  Looking southwards, I could see Pocaterra Ridge far in the distance, where we had stood just a few weeks ago.  To the right of that was the gentle rise on which sat the Kananaskis Lookout, my destination the previous day.

I continued northwards to the second peak.  This was a spectacular cliff-top setting.  To reach the final two peaks of this ridge would require a steep drop.  I felt strangely devoid of energy so I satisfied myself with this grand viewpoint and lingered there for a while.

Returning to the south end of the ridge, I decided that I should drop down into the valley below Fortress Ridge to explore Fortress Lake.  This required a steep drop of 400 feet down into the valley below.  It was an exciting descent, passing two stone cairns, one erected in the memory of Blair Griffiths, cameraman on the Canadian Mt. Everest expedition of 1982, who was killed in an icefall.  The other is, I think, in memory of the three sherpas killed in an avalanche on that same expedition.

I made lots of noise in case “Griz 1”, as Joey knows her, was lurking in the trees.  Fortress Lake sits right under the wall of the mountain in a grand setting.  The sun was still shining on the waters, although the long shadow of the mountain was swinging across to envelop the lake.  The water level was low, as is normal at this time of year.  There was a comfy little back-country campsite above the lake, compete with axe and shovel.  What was a little un-nerving were the obviously recent bear diggings right next to the campsite!!  I was glad to be simply passing through.

It was a very steep ascent back up onto the bare ridge.  The final few hundred feet were a striking grassy valley curving up to the flat top, not unlike the summit of Kinder Scout in Derbyshire!  The little pathway wound through this valley up onto the ridge top.  I enjoyed the return journey down into Aussie Creek and up the other side.  Fortress Peak was changing shape constantly as I moved down the path.

I stopped on the ridge above the ski resort to recall the time, thirty years ago, when I came up here to go skiing.  I looked down the main ski slope which was wide and gentle, and recalled that this was an ideal early try-out for my new skis all those years ago.

Back at the resort, I left a message for Mountain Mel to let him know I was safe, and took my time biking down the first hillside, to look at the remains of a once proud ski resort.  Then it was one exciting speedy bike ride down the hill.  In no time at all I had eaten up eight kilometres and was flying across the bridge towards the locked gate.

This had been an energetic day, and a magical one.  I had met no other people on the trails, and no grizzly bears either!

The next morning I packed up, and headed back to town.  I stopped at a sunny, warm Kananaskis Village where L and I met up for a late breakfast and a short stroll to the magnificent viewpoint behind the hotel.  I was able to point out to her my trip of the previous day.  It looked high and remote.  Yet right below us, people were playing golf!

As a sad post-script, the flags were flying at half mast in Kananaskis Village today, to mark the death last night of Peter Lougheed, Alberta's respected Premier back in the 1970's and early 1980's.  At Boulton Creek I had been camping in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. one of many fitting tributes to this great politician and founder of Kananaskis Country.

Statistics
Fortress Ridge and Lake
Thurs. 13 September
Total Dist.	11.8 km (hike) +   8.0 km (bike) = 19.8 km
Height Gain	1,820 ft.
Max. Elev.	7,760 ft.
Time	6 hrs. 4 mins.

Other Stats.
Start hike:      9.45 am Summit:       11.22 am N Peak:        11.52 am Summit:       12.40 pm Lake:             1.15 pm Ridge:            1.57 pm Ski Ctr:          3.13 pm Ret. to car:     3.49 pm	Temp: + 2 C to around + 20 C Cloudless, some cool winds on ridge