The Passionate Hiker: August 2013

Friday, August 30, 2013

Heading Out

The Passionate Hiker is heading out for two or three weeks on various small adventures, so will be off-line until later in September, when he hopes to have some interesting tales to share!

Friday, August 23, 2013

The Forks

Fri. 23 August: The Forks

There was widespread damage higher up the trail

A new sign at the trailhead warned of flood damage ahead. The damage was spectacular in places, but the repairs already made were even more impressive.

I strongly recommend today’s route to any hiker. By making use of the decommissioned Lyautey Trail, my trusty hiking colleague J and I created a really interesting circuit which climbed effortlessly all the way to The Forks, west of Upper Kananaskis Lake, and back along the higher northern route to Interlakes trailhead.

I think I understand why Lyautey was decommissioned. The valley floor looks like prime habitat for wildlife, and in winter it crosses an avalanche path. Nevertheless, I vote to have it reinstated.

Our journey started at Interlakes parking area between the Lower and Upper Kananaskis Lakes. Although we might have been first on the trail today, there were plenty of folks camping at the various backcountry sites, judging by the number of cars parked. It was a dull cloudy day, but perfectly still, giving good reflections on the Upper Lake as we strode west along the dam. The silence was broken only by the roaring sound of distant Fossil Falls, clearly visible far across the lake and up the valley beyond Hidden Lake.

We stayed on the lower trail, then across the massive rock slide below Mt. Indefatigable, to the Point campsite junction. Reflections at this western end of the lake were even more perfect. We could now hear the sound of the Lower Kananaskis Falls as we strode along the path. Here were the first signs of flood damage, with Bernie Kathol’s bench lying upended in the swirling waters, and the riverbank eroded below the bridge. The bridge itself had been lucky to survive, with the northern support largely undermined. The bridge sagged at one end, and will need its foundation to be repaired.

Directly after crossing the bridge, we turned right onto the decommissioned Lyautey Trail. I had been looking forward to exploring this route for some time, and was not disappointed. There is only one short section requiring three directly connected crossings of a lazy creek, which proved to be no obstacle to the various creek crossing methods on display today! After that, the improving trail made a pleasant route beside the river, through high bushes, then climbing the lower slopes of Lyautey Mountain to the unsigned junction with the main trail to Three Isle Lake. Along the valley there were signs of flooding, and dried mud on the trail, but no route finding problems.

It was after joining the main trail that the signs of major flood damage started to appear. The trail continued west to The Forks, beside the Kananaskis River. Here we could see rows of fallen trees in the river, and eroded banks. We crossed a couple of bridges which had just survived the flood, before coming to a wide area of destruction, and a flattened bridge buried by fallen trees. The Alberta Parks people had already created a bypass through the destruction, allowing travel to The Forks. Here the campsite looked undamaged, but the river itself seemed to have realigned itself, leaving piles of fallen trees in the middle of its course, and eroded meadows.

The Forks is a grand place to linger, with views to the slender waterfall which drops from the glacier high on the sides of Lyautey Mountain. Any fit hiker would easily have continued up to Three Isle Lake and back. We had come a little short of ten kilometres to this point, and decided that this was a fine place to stop and enjoy a leisurely lunch beside the river, before returning down the trail. There were a few folks making themselves lunch in the cooking area, but the campsite was largely empty. On our return we passed several groups heading up the trail, and no doubt the place filled up later that day.

Soon after leaving The Forks, we followed a side creek to discover a tiny lake surrounded by the brightest of green grass. This would make a perfect swimming hole. The steep slopes of Lyautey rose from the lake. We were looking for a route to the waterfall, but there was none. Our return journey followed the main Three Isle Lake trail, crossing the Kananaskis River at the Upper Falls. The bridge had been carried away in the floods, but a fine new bridge was already in place. It was so new that we met a couple of young guys who were busy tidying up the area and removing construction debris.

Further down the trail we passed through another area of wholesale destruction, at Indefatigable Creek. Again, repair work was well in hand, with a new route, and new bridge under construction. The creek must have been quite a sight at full flood, judging by the fallen trees and piles of gravel carried by the wall of water. From here the trail kept a high contour back across the rock slide and above the Upper Lake. Here we had a fine view down to the lake and west to the valley where we had travelled.

Back at Interlakes a large family group of all ages was setting out for a backcountry adventure. What better place to spend a night in the mountains? I should know, as I had camped out in the snow at Point last winter, and experienced the magic of K Country. And we can continue to travel into The Forks thanks to those skillful folks who rebuilt this trail so quickly.

Statistics:

Total Distance: 19.1 km (hike)

Height Gain: 1,320 ft.

Max. Elev.: 5,856 ft.

Time on Trail: 6 hrs. 06 mins.

Dep. car: 7.58 am

The Point: 9.02 am

Arr. Forks: 10.59 am

Dep. Forks: 11.36 am

Uper K Falls: 12.21 pm

Ret. to car: 2.04 pm

Temp: +6 to +16 deg.C

Weather: Cloud, some sun, a light shower

Family gathering on Upper Kananaskis Lake

Long distance shot of Fossil Falls, which could be heard across the lake

Passing through the rockslide

Western end of lake, near Point campsite

This guy was trying to hide!

Flood damage below Lower Kananaskis Falls

Bernie Kathol's bench needs rescuing

The bridge over the Kananaskis River just survived the floods

On the highly recommended
but decommissioned Lyautey Trail

At the junction of Lyautey and Forks trails

Old path below rockfall was washed away here

This bridge just escaped but gabions damaged

Major flood damage just below The Forks - new route in place

Banks eroded, trees toppled

The Forks, looking to Mt. Lyautey (10,112 ft.) - major river shift here

Brand new bridge at Upper Kananaskis Falls,
replaces the one lost in the June floods

Major damage and repairs at Indefatigable Creek

Above Upper Kananaskis Lake

Pesky local at Interlakes

Adventurers heading out on the trail

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Two Banff Classics

Sat./Sun. 17/18 August: Two Banff Classics

Saturday: Molar Pass

Early morning colors above Banff

There’s no point in my repeating the guidebooks on these two trails in Banff National Park. Both routes are highly popular, and for a good reason. Nevertheless, I was surprised by the superb scenery on offer for a relatively small amount of energy expended. The trail up to Molar Pass is long (twenty kilometres round trip), but almost flat for the first five kilometres, before rising to the Pass. The route to Bow Glacier Falls is also mainly flat, with one steep staircase to climb in the middle section.

I had stationed myself at Tunnel Mountain campsite in Banff. By booking a few days ahead, I was able to select my favorite campsite in Loop J, a quieter area at the northern edge of the huge campsite, which was quickly filling up for the weekend. From this base I made my journey west along the Trans-Canada Highway, then north along the Icefields Parkway, each morning. Red sunrises and almost empty roads were the reward for an early start.

Molar Pass trail starts at the highway bridge beside Mosquito Creek campsite. After a short, steep section it soon settles down into a pleasant stroll beside Mosquito Creek. After five kilometres I reached the back-country campsite, where a family group was enjoying breakfast. I would meet them up on the trail to the Pass later in the day. The campsite looked almost empty as I passed through it, and across the creek on a simple half-log bridge. Now the grade steepened a little as the trail swung from east to southeast and up to Molar Pass. The huge cliffs of Mt. Hector came into view to my right, with a slender waterfall dropping down from a glacier high above. At the junction with North Molar Pass, marked by a quaint signpost, I met a girl who was backpacking down from Fish Lakes.

Molar Pass trail now swung south, and finally climbed above the trees to an open scree slope, leading to a notch in the cliff and the high meadows of the Pass above. I wandered across the Pass to get a good view southwards to the twin buttresses of Molar Mountain. There was still some color in the meadows. A large clump of purple foxgloves ( I am NOT very good with my botany) made a great foreground for some photos.

There had been some intermittent showers during the journey, but never anything serious. The sun also made guest appearances, and usually just at the best time to capture better pictures of the steep-sided valleys and high meadows.

As I dropped back down the Pass, I noticed a small bird at a creek crossing, which was hopping up and down, its feet in the cool water of the stream. It seemed to be doing a sort of dance. I took a movie of this, which C has set to music, and it features on YouTube, with one “hit” so far (me!).

As expected, I met three or four small parties of hikers coming up the trail as I dropped down to the campsite and back along the valley to the road. In fact, I had expected more crowds. A large group was heading up to North Molar Pass just as I was coming down to the junction.

The round trip was twenty kilometres, so I was ready to put my feet up by the time I returned to the car, and had driven east along much busier roads to Banff. But there was to be no idling. I was soon on the road east to Canmore where M and her band were setting up in the Canadian Legion for a flood relief concert that evening. I enjoyed their practice sessions. M and I bought ice creams and wandered around the busy streets to the Bow River before I headed back to my campsite.

Statistics (Molar Pass):

Total Distance: 21.0 km (hike)

Height Gain: 1,775 ft.

Max. Elev.: 7,775 ft.

Time on Trail: 6 hrs. 34 mins.

Dep. car: 7.28 am

Mosquito Ck Camp: 8.58 am

Jn N Molar Pass: 9.41 am

Molar Pass: 10.50 am

Jn NMP: 12.03 pm

M Ck Camp: 12.36 pm

Ret. to car: 2.02 pm

Temp: +10 to +19 deg.C

Weather: Scattered showers, cloud, sunText to follow

Good bridges across Mosquito Creek

Mosquito Creek campsite, under a green canopy

Northern flanks of Mt. Hector massif

Beautiful waterfall below the glacier

Close-up of watefall

Meadows below Mt. Hector

Junction for North Molar Pass and Molar Pass

Approaching Molar Pass in a brief rain shower

Standing on the Pass looking back to the trail above the scree

View back down to Mosquito Creek

Molar Mountain (9,912 ft.)

The Molar Pass meadows

In the high meadows

The Molar glacier

Good views from the Pass back down the trail

This little bird was hopping up and down on the rock:
see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vPbO3sKKPE

Sunday: Bow Glacier Falls

Mist rising off Lake Herbert

Another early start this morning. By seven a.m. I was heading west up the Trans-Canada Highway. A short distance north along the Icefields Parkway, Lake Herbert caught my breath. A mist was rising off the waters and the reflections of the mountains were startling. Today’s hike started at Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, beside Bow Lake. I was early enough to have the place almost to myself, in a parking lot which would soon fill to capacity with coach parties. In fact, I had the entire trail to myself until I was part way back down the steep middle section. Not many people can say that they have hiked to Bow Glacier Falls and not met a single person on the way there.

It was mostly overcast as I followed the northern edge of this milky green lake, surrounded by mountain peaks. The sun would provide more color on the return journey. After a nice easy section beside the river, the valley closed in and a set of steps led up the headwall. As Gillean Daffern mentioned about the trail to Three Isle Lake, these stairs must have been built by seven feet tall giants! Halfway up the steps I came to the junction with the trail up to the icefields and the alpine Bow Hut. This path crosses the canyon on a chock-stone which had fallen from the mountainsides above and neatly stuck in the canyon sides, creating a bridge. I clambered up onto the rock, just to say that I had done it! Continuing up the Bow Glacier Falls trail, I came to a grand viewpoint of the Falls. The wide sweep of cliffs rose to the glacier above. Here is the start of the Bow River, which flows east to Calgary and on to Hudson Bay.

I walked up to the very edge of the Falls, onto some slippery rocks, which had scrape marks on them, caused by the glacier which, not too many hundred years ago, would have covered the valley I was standing in. The Falls thundered down from the high cliffs. There were also several mini-falls flowing down the cliff faces, making this a noisy and watery place to stand. I was reluctant to leave such a magnificent setting. It would have been exciting to visit the glacial lake which lay hidden above the cliffs, but it would have taken a serious climb to get there. To the south and west I could see several glaciers, forming part of the gigantic Wapta Icefield. M has traveled across it, but I know this is one trip I will never make (at least, this time around).

Dropping back down to the lower valley, I started to meet other hikers, yet it never became too busy, still being mid-morning. The sun reflected in the blue-green waters of Bow Lake. I idled beside the sparking lake, enjoying the warm sunshine. The red-roofed Num-Ti-Jar looked an ideal place to spend a cosy weekend. Of course, the parking area was a frantic scene with four coaches parked and their occupants milling around beside the lake. It was time to escape this hornet’s nest and join the busy traffic back to the city. I had tackled two of the classic Banff Park trails, and had not been disappointed.

Statistics (Bow Glacier Falls):

Total Distance: 9.6 km (hike)

Height Gain: 445 ft.

Max. Elev.: 6,825 ft.

Time on Trail: 3 hrs. 15 mins.

Dep. car: 7.56 am

Arr. Falls: 9.21 am

Dep. Falls: 9.39 am

Ret. to car: 11.11 am

Temp: +10 to +14 deg.C

Weather: Cloud, sun, cool breeze off glacier