Smoke and Snow: Rummel Lake and High Rockies Trail

Our view from Mount Engadine Lodge on the morning of September 21st was snowy. There was an inch or two of the white stuff on the ground, and the mountains were invisible.

After breakfast Joan and I stumbled through where to go, what to take, and what's already in the car? For a few minutes it looked like the pigs might be able to accompany us, as during the second day at Upper Kananaskis Lake, but our hopes were trashed as the widespread snow re-intensified, a waxing and waning pattern that would repeat through the day.

The best idea was Joan's, to take the Rummel Lake trail, just across the road, to its junction with the new High Rockies trail.

The Rummel Lake trail is tedious in its lower stretches, where it follows an old logging road, and today climbing higher did not reveal any views. Clouds and snow filled the sky. Our eyes remained largely focused on the trail, which was becoming whiter and whiter. Then we spotted tracks in that fluff, bird tracks. Joan and I slowed down and scanned our surroundings. We saw, now off the trail, a male spruce grouse.

We stayed on the path, but I zoomed the camera in on our fellow. Love those eyebrows! Click on the image to enlarge.

Joan and I gave him some encouraging words and moved on.

It seemed further than 2km, but we arrived at the junction with the High Rockies Trail. Not something we could have overlooked.

It was time to reshuffle our gear. To take this photo I left my heavy gloves stuffed into the loops of my hiking poles, and they resembled black wind socks.

Or perhaps the invisible man was standing there?

Joan and I set off south on the High Rockies. Most trails head up, towards a goal -- Chester Lake, West Wind Pass, and such -- but the High Rockies rolls and weaves along the mountain flanks, an expressway with no particular destination.

At this altitude the temperature hovered just below freezing, so flakes and ice pellets built up on our sleeves, pack covers, and hats. After forty minutes we decided to turn around, having seen nothing except the bubble of trees and snow surrounding us. The next available "destination" would be the Chester Lake parking area, and today we weren't interested in going that far (and back again).

As we descended towards the lodge we saw that, although snow was still coming down, it wasn't cold enough to prevent the slush on the trail from thinning and retreating. Joan and I reached the lodge, shed our layers, and hung them to dry. We started our "trail" lunch at 2:00pm warm and snug indoors. This was the view from our room.

On the next day, the 22nd, our last day, the weather was changing for the better. There was snow on Tent Ridge and the other elevated places to admire during breakfast.

Joan and I drove north towards Canmore after checking out.

A view along the Spray Lakes.

A zoom shot of one of the mountains above the road. It was still crowned with clouds.

In Canmore we had time to explore. We located a pop-up art shop with wonderful browsing, and tracked down the Jacek Chocolate outlet inside the Stonewaters Home Elements store, purchasing several truffles and small bars. At the Canadian Rockies Earth Science Resource Center a young fellow gave us a tour of exhibits with explanations of the geology of the region, and of the efforts to map it. We also inspected specimens and instruments. Le Chocolatier was our final stop in town, where we bought large chocolate bars, truffles, and other delights to take home for ourselves and for friends.

The last item on our list before driving to Calgary was the Barrier Lakes Information Centre. It is forbidden to take bear spray on an airplane, either checked or as carry-on, so we purchase our bear spray at this centre before hiking, and return it (as a free donation to be used in demonstrations) as we depart.

Joan and I checked into the new airport Marriott hotel, and I decided to check my email after a long time of either being out of range or snubbing the internet. I received a jolt: there was a warning about dubious credit-card charges sent by the card issuer. The card had indeed been compromised. I had trouble dialing the 800 number on either my mobile phone or the hotel room's phone, but the front desk dialed it for me and I finished that upsetting business just in time for dinner with our Calgary friend Barry.

The next day we flew back to Columbus via Minneapolis. Our trip of smoke and snow ended with a tropical homecoming -- we were dazed by 90° temperatures and high humidity. Was this really September 23rd in Ohio??

Smoke and Snow: Bridges on the Galatea Lakes Trail

Wednesday, September 20th. Joan and I breakfasted at the Forté restaurant within the Delta Kananaskis Lodge (now the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge). The smoked salmon and eggs bake, a dish very much like eggs benedict, was good. The menu item called eggs benedict, however, had no meat in it. None, nada, zero. The server and the kitchen verified that this was correct and by design. To us, this verged on false advertising!

We drove down to the Galatea Lakes trailhead and set off, again visiting the new incarnation of a trail that had been knocked out of commission by the 2013 floods, in this case one we'd never been on. The route, meandering west and up the watershed, has been laid over the terrain in this Google Maps image.

The trail dips rapidly and then crosses the Kananaskis River on a suspension bridge.

We were passed by a faster couple here, and they told us the path ahead boasts 10 more bridges as it winds up the valley of Galatea Creek, all reconstructed.

Our second bridge crossed to the north side of the creek, and the junction with the Terrace Trail. It was framed in fiberglass, which we'd first seen in 2016 hiking down from Prairie View to Jewell Creek.

Next to it was an improvisational bridge based on the remains of the original. Probably useless after a rain!

After a section of switchbacks the trail followed the creek more gently upstream. Here Joan and I are approaching bridge #3, which was built from logs, not fiberglass.

Crossing #3. A nice fresh deck!

From  #3 we could see bridge #4.

Soon we were there. In this photo there's a large, moss-covered stone at far left.

From #4, Joan and I could see two tributaries feeding into Galatea Creek.

 Zooming in on the little waterfall.

Shortly thereafter, another large chunk of mountain.

On to bridge #5, another log construction.

 The approach to bridge #6 skirted a large wash and the ruins of the old bridge.

Bridge 6 was not far upstream.

 This bridge was built with the fiberglass framing also seen in the second one. I'm guessing that the longer spans get fiberglass.

Click on the above image to enlarge it and white spots and streaks will appear. The snow flurries that had been increasing as we ascended were now thick enough to catch the camera's eye.

My notes say this was bridge #7, not #6. Either I failed to photograph one, or lost count!

This seemed a good spot to turn around. The snow would continue to increase if we went higher, and we didn't have time to make it all the way to the lakes anyway. However, this trail is one of our ambitions for 2018. On the way down we spotted some bear scat but never saw or heard anybody of the ursine persuasion. We did yell "Yo Bear!" periodically.

At the junction with the Terrace Trail we took that trail north. In 2013 Joan and I had taken the Terrace Trail south from Kananaskis Lodge most, but not all, of the way down, and we wanted to plug that gap. It would be easy to find the 2013 spot ... the rubble outwash from Mt. Kidd. This image predates the 2013 floods, but the channel is clear.

On the way we encountered this tree, which has oozed layer upon layer of protective sap.

 When peeking closer we saw trapped insects.

The rubble field came into view. There's a vague trail scuffed into the detritus, but we kept our eye on the path emerging from the far side.

It's obvious where all those stones, large and small, came from.

Joan and I lunched here. My hands grew steadily colder, and I was ready to move on immediately after the last bite. We hiked north for another quarter-hour and then returned.

From the parking area we drove down to Kananaskis Lakes and then up the Smith-Dorrien through waves of heavy flurries to Mount Engadine Lodge, where we'd spend the next two nights. The Moose Suite offers a great view of the meadow.

Dinner was great. The house wine was a British Columbia merlot, the least expensive offering, and it was good. We never get a chance to sample B.C. wines in Ohio! Dinner chats included a long discussion with a Malaysian woman about hiking in the area, including pulling out maps and pointing out options.

In late September it got dark early. It almost never happens, but tonight no moose showed up to check out the mud wallow just below the lodge.

Our choice of hike tomorrow would hinge on the weather when we woke up.

Smoke and Snow: Upper Kananaskis Lake, Part Two

On Tuesday, September 19th, Joan and I snacked for breakfast at the Market Café, which, hurrah, now had four flavors of  Le Chocolatier chocolate bars in stock. We bought two, plus two bananas. Side note: Delta Lodge at Kananaskis is now rebranded as Kananaskis Mountain Lodge.

Today we would continue exploring the trail around Upper Kananaskis Lake. When we pulled into the Interlake parking area, where we had turned around the day before, the temperature was hovering at the freezing mark, and some snow was falling, definitely a different weather drainage from Kananaskis Village.

And there were three moose! A female, her youngster, and a young male hanging around her and making noises, which she ignored. We quietly watched until they disappeared into the woods when a helicopter approached.

The chopper was ferrying supplies towards, we guessed, the Turbine Canyon backcountry campground, and bringing trash and debris back. Each round trip wasn't taking very long.

Here the helicopter is lifting away again.

Zooming in on this trip's cargo.

Driving to and back from the parking area we also saw six deer (groups of three, two, and a solo.)

Joan and I set out counter-clockwise again to add the north and west shores to our Upper Lake experience. We moseyed along, as neither of us was feeling 100%. The weather was very localized; snow might be falling on the north shore but not the south, or the reverse. Here's a view looking south.

This photo is centered on the strip of land that gives Hidden Lake, nestled between two mountains, its name.

Then the trail entered the Palliser rockslides, an area of geology research and a tumbled landscape.

The source of these millions of cubic meters of debris is the adjacent mountainside, unstable in the geologic sense.

The lithic outflow is clearly visible in satellite images. In this image the red dots trace today's hike, the purple, yesterday's; click on it to enlarge.

We bypassed the Point Campground turnoff on our outbound leg. Bicycles are allowed this far, no further, if they take the higher wider path when available; there are four concrete forms at the entrance for bike parking.

As the trail bent south we came across this inlet, with Canada geese, colorful grasses, and tree stumps.

There was a wonderful picnic bench at the bottom of Upper Kananaskis Falls, on a short side trail off the main trail. Here we had lunch.

The weather allowed the pigs to come out of our daypacks and enjoy the view.

Joan and I continued the short distance up to the bridge across the stream, rebuilt after the 2013 floods. Until this new bridge was installed there was no way to complete a lake circuit.

The reconstruction includes a stone wall held by wire mesh, anchored to the near bank, and a tree lashed in front of that!

From the other side of the bridge I could walk down to the water level and photograph the undercarriage.

This was our turn-around point. On the return we visited Point Campground, which was empty. It's a family-friendly campground with gravel pads, picnic tables, firewood, two biffies, and food storage lockers. Not primitive back-country stuff!

As we re-entered the Palliser rockslides we encountered a pika (and heard one more). He looked fluffed up and well-fed against the cold. At this altitude there was still greenery to harvest against the winter months.

 He looked a bit sleeker stretched out for a jump.

In recrossing the Palliser we saw this stone bearing red paint marks. I don't think it indicates anything useful ...

The weather reinforced its fickleness as we passed through the Palliser. Here, another panoramic view.

A closeup showing the variation in snow with altitude.

Back in the woods, Joan and I saw three pileated woodpeckers, and likely a fourth. They are not common here but flourish in suitable habitats. Joan spotted a varied thrush.

Drawing towards the end, we began to be hit by wind and soft ice pellets. In a strong breeze we tossed our gear into the car, trying to keep the weather out. Only then did it let up! 

We returned to the lodge to find that housekeeping had visited, even though we'd signed up for the "green" option and its small discount. Well, the lodge hadn't been open under the new management for long.

We planned to explore the new bridges on the lower reaches of the Galatea Lakes trail the next day.