CR2016: Prairie View, Barrier Lake Lookout, and Jewell Pass

Our 2016 trip to the Canadian Rockies got off with a wild start. Packing on the final day before departure had gone well, but at 7 pm I got an email and a call from Capital One. There was an unusual charge that had been made -- was it mine? No it wasn't. The card had been hacked. And it was my one card that doesn't charge a fee for each international transaction.

We were leaving early in the morning for the airport, and we'd be in multiple locations where a replacement card couldn't be delivered. I didn't want the card chasing me across Canada, so I said to just mail the replacement to my home. Fortunately Joan's Capital One card had not been compromised, so we wouldn't get socked with fees. This time my wife would pay for everything!

There was enough time at the Minneapolis airport for us to enjoy a sit-down meal and do some wandering. We met a therapy dog, who had been working there since August 2015. It was shy of being leaned over, from too many laptops and other bags crashing into it, but eager to meet you when you come down to its level.

Our plane to Calgary pulled away from the gate on time but then stopped. An air-conditioning valve was stuck, and to access it the maintenance crew had to unload much of the luggage, and then the proper paperwork had to be filled out. Our plane resumed its flight after a 75 minute delay.

In Calgary our rental car was ready to pick up, for once, but we hit a traffic jam on the Bow Trail (the outerbelt or periphery freeway). There had been an accident on the Trans-Canada highway and we were caught in the end stage of its cleanup. Further down the Trans-Canada we saw a house burning.

Joan and I arrived at Canmore and the wonderful Canadian Artisans Bed and Breakfast at 5:30 local time, 7:30 Eastern time, after having risen at 3:30am. Our travel pigs, Rita and Margie, center and right, bonded instantly with Mr. Bear and Dr Little.

We took a brief stroll along the Bow River, five minutes behind Canadian Artisans. Joan spotted two osprey.

We also inspected the repair work on the abutments for the old railroad bridge, damaged by the floods of 2013.

Then we staggered back to Canadian Artisans for some sleep!

It took a while to hit the trail the next morning. First was the big breakfast that should not be missed, and catching up with Bob and Val, our hosts. Next was sandwich shopping for a trail lunch, and then purchasing bear spray at the Barrier Lake Visitors Center. After parking at Barrier Dam we started up the Prairie View trail at 10:45 when it was already sunny and hot.

Barrier Lake was low. In this panoramic shot, the two dots near the shore at center are people (click on the image to enlarge.)

Joan and I had taken this trail once before, five years ago. After having tackled the East End of Rundle two years running, we had opted for this, a less strenuous first-day hike.

Most of the trail as far as Prairie View is an old fire road. It passes the lakeshore trails and begins to switchback up the ridge.

It gets steeper.

Hikers share this route with mountain bikers; we met one woman pedaling up who, due to lack of time, soon had to turn around and head down.

There is an open bench before reaching Prairie View. The road across the lake is Highway 40, running down the Kananaskis valley.

Shortly after the bench there's a steep lurch up to the Prairie View, the rocky outcrop in the center of the photo.

A panorama from Prairie View.

A short distance from the edge -- we passed it coming up -- is an old radio reflector.

From the viewpoint we took a spur trail up the edge of the ridge to the Barrier Lake Lookout. The trail is braided in spots, but it's hard to get lost ... just head uphill.

This station is still in service, and we weren't supposed to pester the person who lives up here. 

He or she could decide to chat with you, however, which happened on our earlier visit.

We enjoyed our sandwiches from a perch overlooking the Trans-Canada Highway and Exshaw, between us and Canmore. Exshaw hosts several resource processors, including a cement plant and a magnesium oxide plant.

Joan and I  plunged downhill to the viewpoint, but rather than retracing our steps, we chose to continue further south, extending our hike into a loop, along the trail to Jewell Pass.

The rocky trail from the viewpoint dipped into the woods.

This section is a popular route with mountain bikers. The maps designate it as such, but it was still unnerving to discover that we often couldn't hear them coming unless they called out. No wonder mountain bikers can easily blunder into a surprised grizzly!

The path seemed to go on for a long time, perhaps because we were traversing a long green tunnel through the forest. Fortunately there were many more wildflowers to divert us than on the uphill slog.

Lower down, picking up Jewell Creek, we began to see the effects of the 2013 flood, such as this new bridge.

A few short switchbacks later we were looking up at the bridge.

The flood damage along the lower levels of Jewell Creek was so extensive that rather than move boulders to restore the original route, the trail had been relocated higher on the shoulder of the valley.

Joan and I began to hear the occasional rumble of thunder as we drew nearer to the lakeshore, quickening our steps. The trail back to the dam was not along the shore itself, but between it and the woods, dipping in and out of every fold and tributary ravine. The tramp grew tiresome, but the thunder moved on to the east, leaving us dry when we reached our car. It was a good first-day workout but it will be a while before we visit Jewell Pass again.

Tomorrow will be a transit day wherein we'll pick up a hike to Sherbrooke Lake.