Munro Bagging in the Rockies!

Fri. 26 July:  Mount St. Piran

Above the clouds and above Lake Louise

Back in the UK, Munro bagging is a popular pastime.  The Munros are Scottish hills over 3,000 feet high, and there are about 280 of them, so it’s enough to keep most people busy for many years.  During my short time in Scotland I bagged about twenty of them.  I came to realize that it takes a good effort to climb even the easiest Munro.  Some of them equal the peaks of the Canadian Rockies for difficulty.  And it rains a lot more in Scotland than it does in Alberta!

Mount St. Piran would rate as fairly easy, thanks to the excellent trail, which climbs to the summit ridge in a series of gentle switchbacks across the steep mountainside.  Of course, although the height gain is just over 3,000 feet, you are starting at well over 5,000 feet and ending up at 8,692 feet above sea level on an exposed rocky summit.  So it’s not as easy as it may sound, especially in anything but perfect weather.

Luckily the weather today was as close to perfect as it ever gets.  To reach the sunshine I had to climb above the clouds.  Down in the Bow Valley, the early morning skies were overcast.  Even up at Lake Louise, where my hike started, there was cloud hanging around overhead.  But as I gained height on the Lake Agnes trail, I found myself climbing through the cloud up into bright sunshine and clear blue skies.  The view down across the wide Bow Valley, onto a sea of cloud, was breathtaking.  The cloud filled the side valleys including the valley which holds Lake Louise.  Gradually the cloud would dissipate, but it hung around long enough for me to get some really good photos from higher up the mountainside.

Mount St. Piran sits high above Lake Louise.  To get there you climb up the most popular trail in the Canadian Rockies from the Chateau Lake Louise towards Lake Agnes.  At the early hour of 6.30 a.m. there were just a handful of Japanese tourists out on the edge of the lake in front of the hotel.  By the time I returned down the crowded trail, the place was overflowing with tourists.  This is not surprising since Lake Louise delivers.  It lives up to every expectation.

This morning I met nobody on the uphill route until I was quite high up the mountain where I was surprised to see a middle-aged couple about a half hour ahead of me, far above me up the switchbacks.  I met them near the top as they were returning down.  I met nobody else until I had dropped down the other side of the mountain.

It’s a classic hike.  The mountain views are spectacular and the scenery along the trail very picturesque , with grassy slopes and larch trees.  The final section requires a steep hike up the bare rocks to a generously sized summit with several rock cairns and a stone wind shelter wall.  There was no need for any shelter today, in the warm breeze and under sunny skies.  Here at the top I had all-round views of peaks and glaciers.  Lake Louise and the Chateau lay over three thousand vertical feet below me.

There was a sea of peaks displayed before me, many over ten thousand feet high, and several over eleven thousand feet, including Mts. Temple (11,626 ft.), Victoria (11,365 ft.), and Lefroy (11,230 ft.).  One grand spiky peak, called The Mitre (9,478 ft.) had snow plastered on its upper flanks looking like snow graffiti with a large CT clearly visible.  I later told C that she should not go round graffiti-ing mountain peaks!

Instead of returning the same way, I continued down the ridge in a westerly direction, towards the huge wall of Mt. Niblock (9,764 ft.).  The moon was just dropping below its summit.  It was a fairly steep rocky route, but enough people had been this way to carve a route down the slopes.  A lazy hoary marmot sat on a rock watching as I carefully dropped down the mountainside.  At the last moment he disappeared behind a rock.  The trail dropped down to the col below Mt. Niblock.  This dangerous place is called Goat Pass, as only mountain goats would be comfortable up here.

To reach the valley below required a steep slide down the slippery mountainside, through several small cliff bands.  The feet of many hikers had worn several “chutes” down the mountainside.  I could have done with my MICROspikes for traction.  On a couple of sections I bum-slid down, hanging onto the branches of some low, tough looking shrubs.  I was glad to reach the valley floor. 

Above me a waterfall streamed off a high cliff, forming a small brook which fed Lake Agnes.  Here I met a young guy who had wandered up the trail from the lake.  He was keen to try Mt. St. Piran.  I suggested to him that he should use the much easier eastern ascent trail than the accident-prone route I had just come down.  Now I started to run into the expected stream of tourists.  Lake Agnes shone a bright green in the sunshine, its waters rippling in the breeze, and the scene set off perfectly by some larches above the lake.  The teahouse was already busy with thirsty day trippers.  From Mirror Lake I counted the number of people I passed on the trail.  By the time I had raced downhill at a strong pace, I had counted up to 224.

Although the trails beside Lake Louise were busy with international tourists, I found a perfect bench and relaxed in the warm sunshine, looking up to the peak I had just “bagged” and wondering how I had managed it.  It was a busy scene, but we were all united by the very “presence” of the mountain setting.

Not wishing to race home, I stopped beside the Vermilion Lakes in Banff and enjoyed a leisurely bike ride along the road past the three lakes.  It was not too busy.  A few people were sunbathing beside the waters, surrounded by the shapely peaks of Banff National Park, on a perfect summer’s day in the Rockies.  And I had the added pleasure of having “bagged” a Canadian Munro!  

Statistics:

Total Distance: 13.0 (hike)

Height Gain:      3,018 ft.

Max. Elev.:       8,692 ft.

Time on Trail:    5 hrs. 51 mins.

Dep. car park:        6.27 am

Mirror L:                7.14 am

Mt. St P Jn:            7.49 am

Summit:                 9.17 am
Niblock Col        :  10.10 am

Lake Agnes:          11.06 am

Lake Louise:         11.55 am

Ret. to car:            12.18 pm

Temp:               +11 to +25 deg.C

Weather:           Warm and sunny

Early morning cloud above Lake Louise (Mt. Victoria hiding in the mist)

Climbing above the clouds

Little Beehive from lower slopes of Mt. St. Piran

A magical path

Mist clearing away from Lake Louise

Lake Louise and Mt. Fairview (9,001 ft.)

Canoes from 2,000 ft. above Lake Louise

The saddle

Mt. St. Piran summit (8,692 ft.)

Spectacular views

The moon over Mt. Niblock 

This hoary marmot was not in a hurry to hide

The Mt. Niblock col at Goat Pass

Whispy clouds above my descent route

This hoary marmot was a lot more shy

Familiar shot of Lake Agnes

This Swiss guide is looking up at the mountains with awe....

...as was I, looking back up to Mt. St. Piran (2nd from R.)
with Little Beehive at far R.

Oh yes, here's the mountain graffiti on The Mitre!!

The Sheep River Bridge: in memoriam

In the recent floods, we lost one of my favorite bridges, which gave access to the "other side" of the Sheep River, and trails less frequently traveled.

Here are some pictures pre-flood and post-flood.  This is testament to the force of water - combined with large trees.

The Sheep River bridge at Tiger Jaw Falls, 2012

Pre-Flood and .......

....Post-Flood (note, path of river has shifted)

Trees came down the river and destroyed the bridge

Heavy metal bar bent by the force of water

What's left of the bridge, 200 metres downstream

Finally here is a shot of the Tiger Jaw Falls and bridge in early June
just before the floods, with someone (who shall remain nameless!)
artfully negotiating the river

Ware Creek to South Volcano Ridge

Fri. 19 July:  Ware Creek to South Volcano Ridge

South Volcano Ridge and the Front Ranges behind

Today I was on the lookout for flood damage on the trails below Volcano Ridge.  At one time, easy access to this area could be gained by driving down the Ware Creek road from Millarville.  Many years ago this road was closed at the Ware Creek bridge on the west side of the steep hill from Threepoint Creek.  Since the floods closed the Gorge Creek road from the Sheep River, the only way in at the moment is by bike.

There were some rough spots on the hill section, and erosion along the edges of the road.  Luckily there was no traffic so I avoided putting my wheels in a ditch.  A huge owl launched itself from its perch beside the road as I drove by.  There is a double fenced barricade marking the end of the driveable road.  The surface beyond this barrier was ideal for mountain biking. 

It’s ten kilometres to the trailhead at the old decommissioned Volcano Creek picnic area.  There is a gentle uphill grade, with one short steep downhill section in the middle.  The sun was rising above the low hills in a cloudless sky.  This is a pretty route through gentle valleys. 

About a hundred metres from the turnoff to the trailhead, I came to the only major sign of flood damage.  The road had been washed away at a small creek.  Corrugated metal culverts lay in a heap below the gaping gap in the road surface.  It was a fairly easy detour around the destruction.  I wonder if they will ever bother to repair the damage?

At the trailhead there was a hunters camp with several log stools around a fire circle.  I tied a rope between two adjacent trees and hoisted the bike up off the ground, just in case any hungry tire-eating porcupines were around.  I had never bothered to do this before, and I am sure it was totally unnecessary, but it was fun to do, and might be a handy skill some time.

The route up to South Volcano Ridge was familiar to me.  My first journey up this trail had been over twenty years ago.  This direct route, once called Link Trail, has apparently been decommissioned, although it’s obviously in common use.  After a long flat section it suddenly takes off up the hillsides at a steep angle.  There was some sign of erosion from the floods, but not significant.  Passing the huge rock slide on the slopes of Volcano mountain, I soon arrived at the col between Volcano Ridge on my right and the much more volcanic-looking South Volcano Ridge to my left.  

I was soon at the top of the South ridge, where I enjoyed a snack with panoramic views all round.  The visibility was good.  The gentle slopes of Volcano Ridge to the north, Surveyors Ridge to northwest, and the bare peak of Mt. Ware to the west all stood out clearly in the bright sunshine.

A few small clouds were starting to form over the mountains.  It was a warm day even up here on the high ridges.  My return journey took me down Cockerton’s Corkscrew, a journey I had made in snowshoes last winter (November 2012).  This well-named trail plunged to the valley below and showed no damage from the heavy rains and floods.  

As I strolled back through the woods and meadows I passed a herd of cows and calves.  They moved nervously off the path.  I might have been the first person they had seen for a while.  

One of the best things about the Ware Creek road is that it is mostly downhill on the return journey.  I made good time whizzing down the gentle hills, stopping to admire the open meadows and gentle landscape.  Just after I arrived back at the closed gate, three hikers were setting out along the road with their dog.  I had biked a little way up the road to the bridge so did not have a chance for a chat.

I had been very curious to see the Sheep River flood damage and especially the fate of the Indian Oils bridge at Tiger Jaw Falls.  So I drove down to Turner Valley and west up the Sheep River.  A major culvert was being installed not far west of the town, but then the road was not impacted until Gorge Creek.  Here the river had undermined the steep banks beside the road and the river itself had swept away many trees.  

Arriving at Indian Oils picnic area I walked down the track to the bridge – which had disappeared!  This sturdy metal road bridge had been the link to the Junction Hill fire lookout and was the only bridge access for hikers to the south side of the river.  There were large piles of trees beside the Falls, and bare rock where once the bridge had been fastened to the ground.  Two thick iron bars, which once held down the bridge, were bent horizontal.  But where was the bridge?  I walked along the banks above the river below the falls.  Far downstream, at least two or three hundred metres away, wedged into the cliffs, was a twisted pile of metal and tree trunks.  Here was the last resting place of the Sheep River bridge.  The forces of destruction must have been overwhelming.  See my separate blog entry.

I continued to the end of the road, past the Bluerock campsite which was already full, with more campers arriving.  A large chunk of road by Sheep Falls had been eaten away.  At the far end, a large group of cowboys and cowgirls was preparing for a trip into the backcountry.  Several huge horse trailers were starting to be unloaded.  This was no tourist trip.  These were working farmers heading out on a task perhaps to check on cattle or mend fences.

The warm afternoon air was full of swooping dragonflies, feasting on the mosquitoes I suppose.  Recovery from the floods was well under way, and the valley would be full up for the weekend.  But there would be few if any visitors to the - now even remoter - areas across the Sheep River, until a new bridge is built!

Statistics:

Total Distance: 20.0 (bike)+8.0 (hike) = 28.0 km

Height Gain:      1,755 ft.

Max. Elev.:       6,350 ft.

Time on Trail:    5 hrs. 24 mins.

Dep. Ware Ck:        6.40 am

Volcano trailhead:  7.59 am

S Volcano Peak:     9.42 am

Ret. to bike:          10.58 am

Ret. to car:            12.04 pm

Temp:               +9 to +24 deg.C

Weather:           Sunny, a few clouds building up

An alert resident 

Ware Creek road - start of my trip

Early morning sunlight

No flood damage on these trails

Rock slide below Volcano Ridge

South Volcano Ridge from the trail below

Reaching the high point of the trail

Climbing to the top of South Volcano Ridge

Views north to Volcano Ridge

Summit cairn with Mt. Ware and Bluerock Mountain behind

A straight section of Cockerton's Corkscrew

Ware Creek road damage near the old Volcano Ridge parking area

A beautiful biking trail

Threepoint Creek bridge

Twin Lakes/Arnica Lake...and more!

Fri. 12 July:  Twin Lakes/Arnica Lake ... and more!

Hoary marmot on a windy summit

There’s only one way to do this trip, and it’s not the way the guidebooks tell you.  In particular, ignore the comments on page 170 of the “Don’t Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies” guide about Altrude Creek. 

If you want to tie together these four spectacular lakes in one journey, then take a clockwise route starting at Castle Mountain Junction.  Head up Altrude Creek to Lower Twin Lake, then along to Upper Twin Lake, up over the pass and down to Arnica Lake, down the murderously long and steep mountainside to Vista Lake, up to Highway 93, then finally enjoy a free bike ride back to Castle Junction.  

Any other way you are giving yourself a much greater challenge than you need.  Also, in my view, Arnica Lake alone does not do justice to the effort it takes to reach it without adding the Twin Lakes to your day.  The brightest gem is Lower Twin Lake, so why not reach both Twins the easiest way you can, adding Arnica Lake on your way down the trail to Vista Lake?

I was up early and heading out of the city shortly after 5 a.m.  I was curious to see if there were any signs of the floods which tore up the Trans-Canada Highway in Canmore.  In the space of a couple of weeks they have worked miracles to repair the road and reshape the creek-beds.  Around Cougar Creek the rubble left by the raging creek still covered the ground on each side of the highway.  Further west a temporary road diversion bypassed a washed out bridge.  But overall, there has been a remarkable recovery.

I drove eight kilometres up the Radium Highway 93 to leave my bike at the Vista Lake parking area, before returning to the Altrude Creek trailhead at Castle Junction. A couple of cars were parked here.  Presumably these people were camping up at Twin Lakes.  It is the Altrude Creek trail which gets a lot of bad press in the guidebooks for being a boring forest route with “slurpee” meadows at the far end.  I found it to be a well graded, attractive trail, with good bridges over the creek, and occasional glimpses of Castle Mountain through the trees.  After about four kilometres the grade eases off and the rest of the trail to Lower Twin Lake is almost flat.  

As I emerged into the meadows, the Continental Divide peaks around Storm Mountain (10,370 ft.) came into view.  It was easy to chart a course through the grass and bog keeping my feet fairly dry.  The creek ran through the meadows, making for a photographers paradise.  A simple wooden bridge spanned the outlet to the lake.  I walked a couple of hundred yards along the shoreline of the lake to an ideal viewpoint.  The mountain wall across the lake was certainly spectacular, but it was the waterfall rushing down the steep slopes into the lake which caught my breath.  This was not even given a mention in the guidebooks, yet was worth the long journey all on its own.

A trail leads up the forested slopes to the Upper Twin Lake.  A small back-country campsite sits close to the lake.  It appeared to be empty, although a couple of backpacks hung from the bear-proof wires between two tall trees, so there was someone in the area.  The Upper Lake is also spectacular, but smaller than the Lower Lake.  They are similar in setting, which would have been easy to guess from their names!

To reach Arnica Lake I had to climb 640 vertical feet over an arm of Storm Mountain.  The forested trail was well graded.  At the top there were stands of larches which would make this a spectacularly colorful place in the Fall.  On my way down the other side of the ridge I met a young woman hiker then further down her male colleague.  I guessed they were the campers at Twin Lakes.  We just exchanged “hellos” – they looked a little worn out by the climb.

Arnica Lake suddenly appeared round a corner of trees, a striking mountain-rimmed lake.  Four guys were arriving from Vista Lake as I sat in the picture-perfect setting for some lunch.  These lakes cannot be encircled on foot as the far side in each case is a steep mountain wall.  At Arnica, the rubble field at the end of the lake threatens to fill it up with rocks one day.  All three lakes are ringed by evergreens, but with grassy edges.  The sunshine was perfectly angled, lighting up the mountainsides and lakes.  Later in the day the sun would swing behind the Continental Divide.

From Arnica Lake down to Vista Lake is one consistently steep drop of almost two thousand vertical feet, through the forest then down steep slopes.  The younger growth of trees allowed good views of the Bow Valley and Castle Mountain to the north, and the mountains to the west.  The stony trail sometimes switchbacks across the slopes, then drops steeply in other places.  Finally it reaches the valley far below, where the green waters of Vista Lake beckon the weary hiker.  To make this journey in reverse would be very hard work.

From Vista Lake the trail contours very nicely up the mountainside for about three hundred vertical feet, to the Highway above, making this final section of trail an easy affair.

Now the fun began.  Climbing onto my road bike, I set off down the fairly busy highway for Castle Junction, just over eight kilometres distance and almost entirely downhill apart from the first few hundred metres.  All I had to do was hold on to the handlebars and let the bike do all the work.  In no time at all I was back at the trailhead at Altrude Creek.

As an added bonus I strolled through the trees to a small lake which I had noticed on the map, called Copper Lake.  It was a small body of water in the trees, just a few hundred yards from the Trans-Canada Highway.  The wildflowers beside the lake were colorful.  The wild roses were prolific.

Having come all this way from the city, I was in no hurry to rush back, so I decided to stop in Banff, take the gondola up Sulphur Mountain, and hike to the south peak.  The usual crowds of visitors from all round the world, many on bus tours, thronged the base of the gondola but I only had a short wait for my turn to climb aboard for the effortless journey to the summit.  By simply turning left at the top, I left all the tourists behind and had the south peak trail entirely to myself.  In a short time I reached bare limestone slabs.  I scrambled up the rocks to the summit.  This might be tricky in wet weather, but was a fun scramble today.  From the top I could see further along the ridge to a much trickier section.  The views down to Banff were made even more spectacular by the foreground of white rocks.  I was able to look down on the upper station of the gondola and to the stone observatory on Sanson Peak.

This lone summit, populated only by myself (and a wind-blown hoary marmot!) seemed to be a fitting conclusion to a very active day.  I was reluctant to return down the gondola and join the busy traffic back to the city.  

Statistics:

Total Distance: 17.7 (hike)+8.4 (bike) = 26.1 km

Height Gain:      3,134 ft.

Max. Elev.:       7,497 ft.

Time on Trail:    7 hrs. 24 mins.

Dep. Castle Jn:     7.15 am

Lower Twin L:     9.52 am

Upper Twin L:   10.31 am

Summit:             11.13 am

Arnica L:           11.27 am

Vista L:            12.56 pm

Hwy 93:              1.33 pm

Start bike:           1.47 pm

Castle Jn:            2.09 pm

Copper L:           2.26 pm

Ret. to car:          2.39 pm

Temp:               +4 to +19 deg.C

Weather:           Sunny, a few clouds building up

4-Lake Circuit (excl. Copper L.):

Castle J. - Lower Twin L. = 8.1 km ; 1,985 ft. Gain
Lower - Upper Twin L.    = 1.0 km ;    115 ft. Gain
Upper Twin L. - Summit   = 1.4 km ;    640 ft. Gain
Summit - Arnica L.           = 0.8 km ;    443 ft. Loss
Arnica L. - Vista L.          = 3.6 km ; 1,903 ft. Loss
Vista L. - Hwy 93            = 1.4 km ;    394 ft. Gain
Hwy. 93 - Castle Jn.         = 8.4 km ;   788 ft. Loss
Total:                             = 24.7 km ; +/- 3,134 ft.

Early morning mist along Trans-Canada Highway

Bridges intact up Altrude Creek - fast-flowing stream

Meadows below Continental Divide 

Lower Twin Lake

Awesome waterfall at far end of Lower Twin Lake

Upper Twin Lake

Arnica Summit (7,497 ft.)

Arnica Lake

Unusual view of Castle Mountain from trail below Arnica Lake

Views from steep trail down to Vista Lake & Hwy 93

Vista Lake

Vista Lake from above

Indian paintbrush along trail

8.4 km in 22 minutes down Hwy 93 to Castle Jn. trailhead!!

Colorful meadows

Copper Lake

View from S. peak of Sulphur Mountain to Sanson Peak

Views north from Sulphur Mountain