The Passionate Hiker: TOP TEN (3): Climbing Into Winter (July 1984)

TOP TEN (3)

More than three decades ago, between 1983 and 1987 the Passionate Hiker was busy setting the foundations for his career, and his family, in Alberta, but it didn't stop him from going on a number of exciting adventures in the Canadian Rockies.

Here is the third of his selected "Top Ten" trips during that time frame. The narrative comes from his diaries, written at the time. Several of the photos come from the original negatives and have never been printed before. He is also grateful to his long-time hiking colleague John M for many photos used in this blog. Thanks once again, John.

Castle Mountain (9,075 ft.): one of the iconic sights of Banff National Park.
Summit is the second bump from the left. Eisenhower Tower on right.
(photo from internet)

SAT. 21^st JULY 1984:

CLIMBING INTO WINTER

Background to this Story:

I don’t recall what caused us to pick this challenging route, which went well beyond the limits of the official “Canadian Rockies Trail Guide” (quoted in my account below), but we were clearly looking for an energetic adventure – and we had just that. We found winter in the middle of July up on the top of Castle Mountain, one of the most recognizable peaks in Banff National Park.

Route map to the summit of Castle Mountain

(and an inadvertent side-trip on the way back!)

My Diary:

Last Wednesday it reached 32°C. But never underestimate the power of the Rockies to develop their own weather.

A blinding flash of lightning in the jet black sky to the west as the usual team meets at Paskapoo [Canada Olympic Park on the western edge of Calgary] at 5.10 a.m. (sharp). Yet more flashes then we hit the thunderstorm and wonder if, in fact, a nice gentle fishing expedition in the foothills might not be a better idea.

Notice major roadworks on the Trans-Canada Highway around Banff; by Vermilion Lakes they have blasted whole areas of hillside away. I wonder what happened to those bighorn sheep that used to graze happily just above the road?

At precisely 6.45 a.m. we arrive at the Forest Ranger Station below Castle Mountain, the object of today’s hike. Our team is John M, Roger H, Gord B, Tim G, and myself.

A long gradual haul up through the forested lower slopes. This is an excellent trail, ascending over 2,000 ft. before giving much of a view.

“At the 5.3 kilometre mark the trail narrows to single file width” [according to the trail guide] and we swing into the valley at the back of the mountain. Above us on the left is the spectacular tower of Eisenhower Peak rising 2,000 feet almost vertically in great ledges, towers and ramparts, the mist swirling all around.

Tower Lake sits below the cliffs. A steep climb up the forested headwall brings us to Rockbound Lake, totally surrounded by cliffs. “The lake… lies in the centre of a great syncline, or downfold in the strata, which runs..to ..Jasper Park, some 260 kilometres to the northwest”.

Skirting the lake, we climb up to the cliffs and force a way through the cliff-band onto the steep slopes above, to find ourselves in a stark and primitive world.

Here we are in a wide barren snow-covered valley – the syncline – surrounded by cliffs. Cross the valley and head up the opposite slopes – which form the back of Castle Mountain as seen from the Trans-Canada Highway. Very slippery snow-covered rock surface and mist around us.

Finally hit the top of the cliffs. During this time the snow has started to fall, more in the form of hail. Follow the ridge, vertical cliffs falling away into the mist – exceedingly dangerous. The clouds suddenly clear to show a superb sweep of mountain abruptly cut off to fall over 4,000 ft. to the valley below. Stagger through deep drifts up to a rocky bastion which we force our way through to reach the summit cairn.

This wild scene suddenly disappears and we are alarmed to hear the roar of thunder in the clouds above us – like being at the top of the Eiffel Tower standing in for the lightning conductor!

Scurry back down into the syncline. The hollow containing Rockbound Lake is like a witches’ cauldron of steaming mist. Summer flowers bravely growing despite the new snow cover. Here our route-finding goes completely awry. In the mist we climb instead of fall, and end up way above where we should have been.

Luckily, just as we are wondering what to do, the mist clears and reveals our error. We stand on a high cliff directly above Rockbound Lake, which is a marvellous turquoise colour. Fish are jumping, and it is a superb scene. Try and throw stones into the lake from six or seven hundred feet above!

Down the green slopes back into summer, for what seems many thousands of vertical feet and long miles, but finally arrive back at our car.

A large steak at Melissa’s in Banff rounds off a day of supreme effort and unseasonal weather!

STATISTICS:

Summit Elev. = 9,000 ft. (approx.)

Height Gain = 4,250 ft.

Hike Distance = 19 km

Time on Trail = 11 hrs.