Starting Day 1 at Lake Louise
Nine hikers, 40,838 steps,
24.8km, 1330m elevation gain, dozens of "Wow" moments........hiking
in the Rockies........priceless!
This was my Facebook post after our first of 5
days hiking in the stunning Canadian Rockies. We covered a lot of ground
that day starting from the Chateau Lake Louise. First we headed out on
the Lake Agnes Trail towards beautiful Mirror Lake before continuing to the quaint European-style Lake Agnes Teahouse. They have been serving tea there since 1905
and it is named after Lady Agnes MacDonald, wife of our first Prime Minister.
On the way we took a side trip up to Little
Beehive, an aptly named mountain along the way. The views were beautiful,
the hiking satisfying and already the group was feeling blessed to be
experiencing this amazing geological landscape.
We commented then, on Day
1, that if we had to go home now, we would be satisfied with this beauty that
we had already discovered. But that was only the beginning. After our
brief stop at the crowded teahouse we continued on to our next side trip,
Devil's Thumb, an amazing challenge.
This proved to be a more technical
climb, a little more precarious and a little less travelled. A few in the
group decided to wait at the main trail while we scurried on. It was
exciting, a little scary and amazing. Once this detour was over and our group
reunited, we headed off for the second teahouse of the day and the Plain of Six
Glaciers Trail.
As we scampered up this
loose, rocky trail, Dana was wondering if her insurance was up to date. By
following this to the very end, we were at the foot of Mt. Lefroy and Mt. Victoria,
which form the continental divide and separate Banff National Park in Alberta
and Yoho in BC. Here we could get a peek-a-boo view of the Hut on Abbot
Pass, our destination in a few days.
When asked what they thought of this first,
amazing day, Barb said "epic", Jocelyn said "awesome" and
Karen said it was "beyond her expectations".
Getting there
Our adventure had begun just one day before as
our two cars, loaded with 4 women each and backpacks, poles, food and supplies
galore, headed out at 7:10 am from our meeting spot at the foot of Joanne's
driveway in Blueridge. It would be 8 hours of driving before we would
reach our home for the next 3 nights; the Lake Louise Hostel. After a quick
bathroom stop in Hope and a lovely lunch on the sunny deck of the Village Idiot
in Revelstoke, we arrived safely and ready for a fun filled week. Here we met
our guide, Joanne's "little" brother James, who would soon be
nicknamed "Mountain Man". He briefed us in detail about our
hiking plans for the next 5 days.
“So many trails, so little
time…”
-everyone who hikes in Lake Louise
Day 2 took us another 21.9km and 35,724 steps. Thanks to James’ planning and careful
research, we were able to organize an amazing loop instead of having to
backtrack by dropping a car at our ending point in the Paradise Valley
Trailhead parking lot.
We started out on the Valley of the Ten Peaks
Trail. Here we could have had great
views of the Ten Peaks however, the weather was not in our favour. It was clouded in so we couldn’t see many of
the peaks and we then got rained on a bit too.
Along the way we met a lovely Israeli couple
that we would end up passing a few times on the trail and then meeting again
back at the hostel. They were lovely
people enjoying a wonderful stay in our beautiful Rocky Mountains. As we were on the Larch Valley Trail and
approaching the Sentinel Pass, a chilly wind had us all layering up and wishing
we had our gloves with us but it was short lived. As Sentinel Pass came into our sights, I
think we all wondered what we had gotten ourselves into. When Joanne and Jane rounded the corner and
looked up, Jane said “Look Joanne, I see an orange jacket up there; people are
actually hiking up there” and Joanne said, “Yes Jane, that is where WE are
going.” Then together they named this
intimidating zigzag path, “Zoro”. Dana
thought this particular portion of the trail looked a lot like the Inca Trail
where she has been on her travels.
Sentinel Pass
Once we were on top of Sentinel Pass, the views
in all directions were absolutely stunning.
It seemed to be the perfect location for another group photo and Ben,
our new lone hiker friend, was happy to help us out. But sadly, here the story must end because I
promised “Cougar Barb” that I wouldn’t mention anything about her and this
handsome Australian’s crotch.
The path down the other side of the pass was imposing
and demanded our full attention but it was well marked by many Cairns. The diverse colours and uniqueness of each of
the stones made for a nice distraction as we descended.
Then as we returned towards the Paradise Valley
Trail to finish off our loop, we were rewarded with the most stunning waterfalls
at Giant Steps and the picturesque Annette Lake before we were finally finished
for the day.
When asked to comment on this day’s adventure,
Jane said “Hmmm, way past my expectations in every aspect. They were all “Wow” destinations and I never
expected it to be this great.” Dana
commented that she expected it to be hard but then observed “We’ve gone
hardcore! I’m amazed to be alive and
please God, make Abbot worth it!” Joanne thought it was epic and really enjoyed
it.
I Might Be Done
After two days of serious hiking, Dana’s feet
were one big blister patch-----Ouch!!!
Unless she could find some serious solutions, she was done.
Abby to the rescue with her blister bandages
that she swears by. If these didn’t
work, nothing would. They proved to be
successful, along with mole skin, duct tape and good old fashioned grit. These will be a mandatory item on the next
trip’s packing list.
Packing and Re-Packing
Next it was time to prepare for our relocation
to the Lake O’Hara area. Everything we
took with us there would have to be slogged up to the Abbot Hut so pack carefully. The rest could be left in the vehicles before
we bus in.
I did my rearranging and sat my pack down with
satisfaction………until I felt how much lighter Jocelyn’s pack was. “Jocelyn, will you please help me lighten my
load?” I pleaded. After she had helped
me pare down my over zealous food supply, I was almost set. “How about this 1st Aid Kit I’ve
simplified, Joc?” I asked, handing it to her.
Upon inspection, after spotting my teeny, weeny, 1.5 oz bottle of Scope,
she replied, rather exuberantly, “Mouthwash! Are you F-ing kidding me??!”
I’m sure you can all deduce that the Scope
stayed in the car.
Off to Lake O’Hara
Day 3 found us up early and out the door to
catch the bus to the protected area of Lake O’Hara, a crown jewel of the
Canadian Rocky Mountains. It’s
jewel-blue lakes and breathtaking vistas along with it’s extensive trail system
make it a sought after destination.
Parks Canada limits the number of people who access the area in order to
preserve the sensitive alpine environment.
Lake O'Hara
Upon
arrival we got settled into the charming, rustic, Elizabeth Parker Hut that
would be our communal home for the next night along with 20 or so other outdoor
lovers. Elizabeth Parker was a
journalist and founding member of the Alpine Club of Canada, which was started
in 1906.
Elizabeth Parker Hut
With all this scenic beauty around us, there was
no time to waste so off we set for another 16km and 26,247 step day. A short walk past the picturesque Lake O’Hara
took us to the start of the Wiwaxy Trail. This steep and windy path tested our
endurance but left us in awe as we reached the Wiwaxy Gap. Jane got in a little trouble along the way
and while Joanne patiently waited with her while her sugar stabilized, the rest
of us were on Wiwaxy Gap waiting when the weather turned and we ended up in a
survival huddle, garbage bags, foil blankets and all.
Once again joined by Jane and Joanne, we
continued on our way along the Huber Ledges Alpine Route then the Yukness
Ledges both marked by blue squares with yellow markings painted on the rocks.
Dana figured these were for the Swiss
hikers…………haha, the next day she realized she’d meant to say Swedish. Here is where we had our first wildlife
sighting……….a marmot right on our trail.
In fact, he wouldn’t move out of the way for us to pass so we eventually
had to kind of coax him along so we could get by. Later as we rested by Hungabee Lake, we saw
several more frolicking in the meadow, one chasing another. We saw 8 in all and Dana said “How
convenient; one for each of us.”
This Marmot was not afraid.
At this point, we felt we’d had enough hiking
for the day, anxiously anticipating “the big day” we were facing the next day;
our climb to Abbot Hut. So, we altered
our route and headed straight back to EP Hut via West Opabin Trail rather than
including Lake McArthur as earlier planned.
Here were the one word sentiments at the end of
Day 3: Abby-Majestic, Jane-Loved, Barb-Empowering, Jocelyn-Anxious (about tomorrow) and
Dana-Ouch.
Sisters on the Trail
You have to love these two. Karen was showing off her multitasking
skills………she managed to floss her teeth and file her nails while on the
trail. Impressive!
Barb was fine-tuning her photography skills but
having a little trouble. “Did you see
the picture of my boob? I was trying to
do a selfie and I missed. I’m going to
send it to Steve.”
Day 4, The Main Event
Well, we had made it to Day 4 and the Main
Event……..the trek to Abbot Hut where we would spend the night. We couldn’t go up too early since there
really is nothing to do there and it is basically just sitting there on the
ledge of the Continental Divide. So, we
went for a morning hike around Lake Linda; 9km and 19,834 steps. It was a
pleasant, flat, easy hike where I enjoyed hearing some beautiful songbirds and
the word “serene” was running through my mind.
Jocelyn thought it was boring.
Back at EP, we had lunch and prepared to head
out to the Abbot Pass. Jane enjoyed our
Lake Linda hike with us for the morning and then opted out of the climb up the
scree. She stayed down to enjoy another
day of hiking in the Lake O’Hara area and was even able to enjoy a bit of time
with our other North Van friend, Sandy, who by coincidence was also staying at
the EP Hut.
We headed out around 2pm hiking past Lake O’Hara
again, this time taking the easy Lake O’Hara Circuit route towards Lake
Oesa. The Lake Oesa Trail was steeper
than I thought it was going to be but the whole time I was thinking “Good, the
higher we hike to get to Lake Oesa, the less elevation there is left going up the
scree from there”. After a brief stop at
Lake Oesa, it was onward ho for the final summit. The trail from here began to get more and
more challenging.
As I ascended towards the Abbot Pass, I was
filled with a progression of many thoughts…………doable, scary, challenging, OMG,
terrifying, a brief but emphatic “I am NOT having fun”, “where is that hut?!”,
“I hope this gets easier soon!”. But to
no avail; it just kept getting
harder. I resorted to talking to
myself………and to the rocks. “Stop
moving”, “don’t you dare slide”, “where am I going to step next”, “I can’t
move!”
Eventually, Jocelyn and Barb had made some
serious headway along the marked trail as advised by “One Eyed Guy” (more on
him later). As they watched one
avalanche and two rock slides, Jocelyn was thinking “We are in over our heads;
this is too risky for my liking!” and Barb was simultaneously thinking “I don’t
want my parents to lose two daughters today.”
Barb’s sister, Karen, had come all the way from Salt Lake City to join
us on this excursion. She and Dana were
the only ones in the group who had not done the Juan de Fuca 2014 trip with the
rest of us.
Meanwhile, the rest of us were flailing and
spread out helter-skelter across the rock face.
Karen was sliding and Joanne, Dana and I were
simply frozen in terror when along came “Mountain Man” bringing up the
rear. It was at this moment that our
fearless leader wondered if he had misjudged our abilities. Quickly, he turned on his rescue mode and leaped across the rocks like a mountain goat
on steroids towards Karen. There she
sat, at the bottom of her 15 ft slide, unable to gain traction. With one scoop he hoisted her up by the
backpack and she was standing. “He is so
strong;” said Karen, “I love men!”
Next he got us 3 strays in the middle to work
together and keep zigzagging up the mountain.
Joanne calmly prodded us along yet there was often the semblance of a
Gong Show when Dana couldn’t quite hear all of the instructions. James then herded us all up together the rest of the way. Finally, we reached an easier path; one that
would have seemed hard just a day ago but now seemed like a “piece of cake”.
By this time, Jocelyn and Barb were already up
at the safety of the hut and were awaiting our arrival as were all the other
guest up there who had witnessed them anxiously watching and waiting for an hour for
us to get there. It was 7:10pm when we
finally arrived. When I took that last
step onto the landing and turned left to finally see the glorious Abbot Hut, in
a heartbeat, my thoughts changed from “this is the most terrifying thing I’ve
ever done” to “this is the most satisfying thing I’ve ever done.” I savoured the moment and the euphoria for a
few moments before entering the hut to greetings of hugs all around and tears
of joy, relief and accomplishment.
Once we had all arrived, the lovely young people that we had just met showed us much love and care, offering tea and blankets. They
showed the true spirit of what being in a hut, on a ledge, at 3000m, with a
bunch of strangers is all about.
We had a wonderful time there sharing and
bonding with all these other mountain people and sleeping like sardines in the
upstairs bunks. It was a great time! We cheers’d with Joanne’s Fireball Whisky
“Here’s to living another day.”
When asked their thoughts now, Joanne calmly
said “There is an incredible view up here.” and Karen said “Holy shit!” Jocelyn simply said “I like boring.” and
then, “Everything “One Eyed Guy” said was right!”
There was an entry in the ACC Abbot Hut Register
book that caught my eye---“Biggest, most badass hike I’ve ever done.” And here is my entry----“Happy to be
alive! haha That was challenging. I’m very happy and proud to be here but as
the journey was terrifying, I will not be back but will likely
consider this one of the most satisfying things I’ve done for the rest of my
life."
Here is some information on the Hut that I found
online:
The Abbot Pass
Hut is one of the most unique huts in North America. It was built in 1922 with
the stones from the pass and has served as a base for mountaineers and as a
destination for strong hikers since then. Sitting at 2,926 metres elevation, it
is second only to the Neil Colgan
Hut on the list of highest permanent structures in Canada. The hut
is on the Continental Divide so the provincial and National Park borders run
right down the middle of the hut. Make dinner in Alberta, eat it in BC.
The pass and the hut are named after Philip
Stanley Abbot, who became the first mountaineering fatality in North
America[2] after he fell in an attempt to make the first ascent of
Mount Lefroy in 1896.
And just so you don’t think we are exaggerating
how “Bad Ass” and “Hard Core” we are or how difficult this hike was, here is
the description of it online:
Accessing the hut
is not for the faint of heart: the steep scree gully on the approach is
notorious for its frequent rockfall, and parties choosing to make the climb
should be in top shape and well-equipped.
The One Eyed Guy
I’m sure you have all been dying to find
out whom this mysterious guy is that I’ve been talking about. Well, the day before we were heading up to
Abbot Hut, this fellow, likely in his late 60’s, entered the EP Hut where we
were staying. He looked a little worn
out, a little traumatized, and his glasses were completely broken. Half of the frame and all of the lens was
missing from one side. I asked him how
it happened and he proceeded to tell me in great detail, his dangerous
adventure descending from the Abbot Hut.
His glasses got broken, his legs were all scratched and his spirit a
little dampened. For the next few hours,
he tried to tell anyone who would listen how dangerous this trail is. We did not want to listen. We did not want to be discouraged and we did
not want to be dissuaded from going.
However, he managed to corner Jocelyn and she politely listened and took
notes detailing his advise on how to approach this task. We spent the next 24 hours making fun of him
and calling him a fear monger and so on.
As well as nick naming him the “One Eyed Guy”. At the end of the day, his advise was all
very sound and would have been very helpful had we all listened to him like Jocelyn did!
Day 5, The Descent
James was up early with his crampons and ice axe
and off he went to summit Mt LeFroy from the Abbot Pass. By the time most of us were up, he was at the
very top; amazing! He is definitely a
“Mountain Man”. He had told us to be
ready to go when he came down so we obediently awaited his arrival and then it
was time for our descent. This time
James was going to lead us all together to avoid the chaos of our ascent. It all went very smoothly with James in the
lead and Jocelyn bringing up the rear. I
think we all felt a lot better about our journey that day than we had the day
before.
James at the top of Mt LeFroy
We were joyfully greeted half way back at Lake Oesa by Jane and we were very happy to see her smiling face.
Once back at Lake O’Hara, we indulged in the
infamous Carrot Cake sold at the Le Relais, a small day shelter in the
area. Then we relaxed at the lake a bit
before catching our bus back to our vehicles.
We arrived at Lake Louise Hostel for our much needed showers and then enjoyed our final dinner together at the Station Restaurant, a lovely
atmosphere in a heritage railway station.
The food was great, the group was excited and we all enjoyed reminiscing
about what a great 5 days of hiking in the Rockies we had just enjoyed.
Our wonderful organizers!
Ties That Bind
Our experiences together on and
off the trail bond us in a way that I just cannot describe but Joanne found
this quote that I believe says it all:
"The circle of women around us weave invisible
nets of love when we are weak and sing with us when we are strong." Sark
Thank you to this amazing
"circle of women" who let me be a part of this adventure with them.
I love you all.
The Gang:
My circle of women
Jane, Joanne, Susan
the Sisters
Jocelyn and me
Dana and me
Barb and James
Dana, Karen, Barb
Joanne and little brother James
Some of my favourite nature shots:
