A Weekend in the Mountains
A Bank Holiday is as good an excuse as any to head out to the mountains together, which is exactly what Sarah and I did over the Labour Day weekend. With our usual lack of planning we scrambled around at the last minute trying to find a place to stay. Our hope was to visit Yoho National Park and take in a few 'easy' hikes along the way. We eventually found a room at the 'The Crossing Resort' which is a motel on the Icefields Parkway in a nice central location. It has a grocery store, gift shop, cafe, pub and fuel; so just about everything you need for a weekend away. We arrived there on Friday evening and settled in ready to begin our getaway on Saturday morning.
The small chalets are dwarfed on all sides by towering mountains, to the rear it is Mt Wilson with it's 11km curved ridge which runs parallel to both the Icefields Parkway north of the Saskatchewan River and highway 11 to the east. It is an enormous mountain named after Tom Wilson, an early explorer and guide in the Canadian Rockies. An early traveller wrote of this mountain, "I don't like Mount Wilson. I once travelled around its base for two days and it seemed as though I should never get away from it."
The image below shows the small chalets and the balcony at the adjacent pub, the location of this resort is perfect though the chalets are somewhat dated they are very clean and functional....and of course they have a pub right next door!!
The image below shows the small chalets and the balcony at the adjacent pub, the location of this resort is perfect though the chalets are somewhat dated they are very clean and functional....and of course they have a pub right next door!!
Directly across the highway this shot taken from our balcony shows Mt Erasmus, Survey Peak and Sullivan Peak; it also shows the early morning mist rising from Glacier Lake. We decided to head out to a viewpoint just a few hundred metres along the highway to get a better shot of this wonderful morning.
From the overlook Survey Peak appears the most prominent, the steep forested flanks of the mountain rise out of the mist reaching toward the bare alpine zone. The snow capped point of Mt Erasmus can be seen in the distance as can the beautiful bare ridges of its outliers.
After enjoying the stunning sight of the misty morning from the overlook, we continued south along the Icefields Parkway to Mistaya Canyon, located in Banff National Park Mistaya is a deep slot canyon where glacial blue waters have carved their way over centuries. It's a short hike of about 1 km and makes a nice little morning warm up.
The water was thundering through the canyon spraying a fine cool mist over us as we looked on from the bridge that crosses the river here. The trail continues and makes two very interesting looking trails that I would like to return to and explore, just one more for that never ending list of 'hikes I'd like to make'
The water was thundering through the canyon spraying a fine cool mist over us as we looked on from the bridge that crosses the river here. The trail continues and makes two very interesting looking trails that I would like to return to and explore, just one more for that never ending list of 'hikes I'd like to make'
After the canyon we returned to the truck and continued our journey to British Columbia and Yoho National Park. The name Yoho is derived from the Cree Indian word for 'awe and wonder'. The park is bounded on all sides by other incredible parks, Banff to the east, Jasper to the north, Kootenay to the south and Glacier to the west. Our first stop was at Takakkaw Falls a 384 m (1260 feet) waterfall.
It's another nice short stroll to the falls on a good trail designed for tourists who arrived in their hundreds just as we were on the way out.
The falls are fed by the Daly Glacier which is part of the Waputik Icefield just above, though not visible from the falls area, the water of the Yoho River is clouded with glacial rock flour not just from the falls but also from other surrounding glaciers.
Once we had made our way out of the scrum that the car park had become we continued west along the Transcanada highway stopping at a natural stone bridge which crosses the southernmost tip of the Yoho River. This shot from downstream shows the milky waters of the river as they exit the twisted pathway under the stone.
Looking along the bridge gives a better perspective but does little to help me understand how this natural abutment has remained in place for so long, it appears to meet the full force of the river head on with little impact on the rock itself. It certainly stands as a testament to the load bearing capabilities igneous rock.
It is just a short ride along Emerald Lake road to the incredible blue waters after which the road is named, there were a few more tourists here but it was far from crowded as we made our way out across the bridge to begin the 6 km (3.7 miles) hike around this stunning pool.
As we crossed the bridge remnants of low cloud hung around the top of Emerald Peak to the north-west. Hidden from sight behind the peak is Emerald Glacier which provides the glacial rock flour needed to maintain this perfectly named wonder.
Beginning our circumnavigation of the lake we pass through an area of log cabins that we both immediately begin considering as a new weekend retreat spot for sometime in the future. Once past the cabins we stop in a grassy area which provides a beautiful shot of the lake. Whilst there I'm asked to take a photo for a couple from the UK who are on their honeymoon.
after chatting for a while the guy returns the favour and does a pretty good job of capturing us, lake and mountain. After a few minutes discussing the usual stuff we depart and leave them to their honeymooning as we head off around the lake.
As we circle around in an anticlockwise direction we get a glimpse of the Emerald Glacier and more of the President Range rising to the skies beyond it.
The trail rises and falls beside the beautiful lake, from the lower elevations the clarity of the water can be seen close to the edges until that incredible blue is returned by the depth of rock flour refracting the morning light.
It is impossible to put the camera down for more than a couple of minutes and every time a break in the lakeside foliage allows I take the opportunity to make another panorama of this natural wonder.
At its northernmost point a well constructed bridge sees us safely across the inlet with dry feet and provides another photo opportunity
The trial along the west bank of the lake provides far fewer opportunities as it cuts through the forest but as we near the end of the hike it's pretty clear from the thronging masses on the footbridge that the tourists have found us again.
Fortunately for us the tourists stayed out of the restaurant beside the lake and Sarah and I could share a beer and a great meal right at the waters edge in the glorious sunshine.
after a lovely lunch and a long relaxing beer or two we reluctantly leave our chairs by the water(seen below, the two empty chairs with the lowered umbrella) and cross back toward the car park.
Our last port of call was the gift shop where we picked up a few things as usual before heading back to the truck and escaping the masses once more.
We returned to highway 1 and continued west through the park taking in some beautiful views along the road to the small town of Golden where we stretched our legs around the shops in the downtown area.
A walk along the river brought us to a farmers market beside a new, covered trestle bridge, fortunately the market was ending and the stall owners packing away otherwise Sarah might have succeeded in acquiring some of the jewelry she was eyeing like a magpie as we approached.
As we left Golden it was getting late so we turned east to head back to our cabin for the evening, along the way we saw the roadside sign for Wapta Falls and decided to take the 4.5 km (2.7 miles) trek through the forest to the overlook. Here the Ice River pours over into the Kicking Horse River, it's a lovely end to a fantastic day in Yoho.
Sunday morning saw us heading east along the David Thompson Highway to the trailhead for Siffleur Falls, a 6.3 km (3.9 miles) hike in the Kootenay Plains area of Alberta. The image below shows Sarah at the start of the hike, the falls are located in the mountains that can be seen peeking over the trees in this shot.
The trail begins beside the North Saskatchewan River and the sun is already beating down on the rock flour laden water as we begin our hike toward the suspension bridge ahead.
The name 'Siffleur' falls comes from the French word meaning 'to whistle' and in this instance means 'Whistling Marmot' which is the name early French Canadian fur traders gave to the local critters that make a shrill squeak to warn others of your approach. Though we didn't hear any marmots on approach to the suspension bridge we did see a couple of people in the middle of it crossing the river which provides some scale to the shot below.
The Topham suspension bridge is named in memory of Corporal Frederick Topham of the Canadian Parachute Battalion who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions during operation Varsity in March 1945. It's a fine monument to a local man who loved the area, and it serves as good a purpose as any monument might. None of the history of this bridge made Sarah feel any safer as it swayed to and fro during the crossing.
after another short area of flat hiking we crossed a second bridge before the trail rises beside an ever deepening canyon and the water is squeezed into a narrow channel where it bounces noisily over boulders and bulwarks.
the forest envelops us providing some refuge from the heat of the sun as we continue beside the canyon, looking back downstream toward the plains shows the distance covered so far .
The canyon reaches a maximum depth at a sharp turn in the river before falling gently back down toward the falls.
When we reach the falls they are crashing through a tight channel forming the canyon, the spray helping to maintain a lush green carpet of moss beneath the broken and twisted trunks of fir trees.
we broke out of the forest and sat on rocks which were worn smooth by the passage of water (though they were dry today) Others came and went as we soaked up the sun before calling it a day and heading back along the same route, stopping at one point to grab a shot of the two of us using the camera timer and the top of a trail sign as a tripod.
Back at the second river crossing looking upstream I remind Sarah that we have our swimming gear in the truck with us and suggest that we make use of it as it is so warm.
Sarah is surprisingly keen to get into the ice cold water and I'm reluctant to believe that she will actually do it, as we head back along the river in the last of the forest she insists that she is 'going in'
Back at the truck we head down to a suitable roadside pull in and park up, after changing in the truck we stride out in the sunshine toward the North Saskatchewan River just a short distance from its glacial beginnings. After a good 5 minutes of standing knee deep in the freezing water I finally take the plunge.........It was horrific, without doubt the coldest water I have ever been in, I actually began to wonder how on earth it was still liquid....I didn't stay in there long but did feel 'refreshed' as I staggered out.
After observing my reaction to the temperature and watching three guys a little further upstream actually screaming as they dived in and then quickly dived out again, this is as close as Sarah got to the chilled water of the North Saskatchewan River.
After 'our' swim we travelled a little further east to the David Thompson Resort where we had lunch in the restaurant, the views of Abraham lake as we approached were stunning.
As we returned from lunch I stopped beside the road and ran up a small lump to capture a shot of this incredible lake....one I am sure we'll be returning to in the future.
On Monday morning we took our time with breakfast before packing up and avoiding traffic by heading back along the David Thompson Highway toward the prairies and highway 22 which is the 'back road' home. We stopped off in the small town of 'Rocky Mountain House' and had lunch and stretched our legs before making the rest of the trip home.
This was another fantastic weekend in the Rockies and another one where Sarah has avoided the chilly waters of the mountain lakes....maybe next time.
This was another fantastic weekend in the Rockies and another one where Sarah has avoided the chilly waters of the mountain lakes....maybe next time.