Roche Miette

Here's another summit I've been meaning to get to for some time. The perfect weather made for a great day. The photos are ordered from bottom to top, rather than in the order taken, as a visual description of the route.

Cascade Mountain

Made it to the mountains with two friends a few weeks back. Scrambled up Cascade Mountain. I've stared at this summit from Banff Ave. for many years but this was my first trip to the top.

Pinto Lake via Sunset Pass, Alberta

With work and running I get to spend a lot of time outdoors. I don't, however, spend nearly enough time in the mountains, especially outside of ski season - Edmonton is just a little too far away for a last minute trip to be convenient. Thankfully our good friend Cris is a planner and a motivator. Hence the second annual weekend-in-the-mountains-with-dogs backpacking trip.

The requirements for this trip are few: 1) mountains, 2) a nice campground, preferably on a lake, that can be reached in a single, moderately challenging day, and 3) dogs off leash. Our destination was Pinto Lake via Sunset Pass. The campground is just outside of the national park so dogs were no problem.

The trail to Pinto Lake via Sunset Pass starts in Banff National Park along the Icefields Parkway halfway between the towns of Banff and Jasper.

We/I assumed, incorrectly, that the place would be largely deserted, despite it being a long weekend, because the trail head is remote compared to others in the parks. Besides being a popular trail with backpackers, there also is a horse packing outfitter at the pass that was doing a brisk business. Thankfully the trail was in much better shape than many trails frequented by horses.

 

The trail quickly switchbacks up through the forest and enters the broad Sunset Pass at Norman Lake Campground. The views of Mt. Coleman (above) and Mt. Amery (below) were spectacular.

 

We found route finding on the pass to be less than straightforward. It might have been the branching trail, the unbridged water crossing, the thick willow, or the crappy map and route description we gleaned from the internets.

 

We intended to take the shorter of two routes to the lake. Turns out we zigged left when the lake came into view when we should have zagged right. In hindsight, 'zig' was probably the better choice.

We got to the lake later than expected but with enough time to enjoy the evening. Unfortunately the mosquitoes drove us into our tents before sunset. The bugs weren't bad on our second night and we stayed up around the campfire well past nightfall.

Given that it was a long weekend we didn't have to rush back to civilization the next day. We chose to hike the trail that loops the lake, including a side trip up to a large cave.

Perhaps not surprisingly to those that know me, I lost track of the trail and we ended up bushwhacking the majority of the way up. I should know better than to follow a dog that insists on leading but has no idea where it's going. Thankfully this ordeal was followed by a dip in the lake. The pool in the cave was aesthetically appealing but way too cold to contemplate swimming.

On the advice of several folks we chose to take the 'shorter' route back. Someone pointed it out to us from our campground on the northern shore of the lake. I had to ask twice, "You mean that scree slope?", I said pointing at a thin ribbon of talus bisecting an otherwise impenetrable headwall. In reality it's only shorter in distance, not time, unless you're comfortable climbing a long, loose, steep slope with a backpack.

In fact, this is only the second hiking trail I've been on where a rope was provided and the first trail where the rope was more than 15 feet long. Do not rely on the rope. In fact I would suggest avoiding use of that rat-chewed POS if at all possible. You'll see what I mean when you get to the top of it. I was going to yell the same to the Mrs. but she can kill a man with just a look. True story.

Had we zagged, this is what we would have seen if we looked over our shoulders before entering the scree slope. I think Mt. Amery is out of view behind Coleman's shoulder when taking the other route but don't hold me to that. The hike back to the trail head is all downhill from here.

dry island buffalo jump

When planning your next adventure into the great outdoors, don't forget about the prairies. I'm sure most folks don't equate the prairies to wilderness and the great outdoors, which is a shame. Maybe it's because there is so little natural prairie left. Or maybe it's because the prairies are not as in-your-face with their beauty as the mountains and the average person is too distracted, unobservant, or lazy to be captivated by something so subtle. How else do you explain the popularity of reality television? I want to challenge the notion of the prairies as flat and boring by giving you Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park.

The word prairie tends to invoke images of farm yards and crop fields stretching to the horizon, which is what you'll find today in many places that were once natural prairie. These landscapes have their own beauty. They feel quaint while simultaneously feeling vast, which is a big part of the prairie allure. Wallace Stegner (1960) helped petition for the preservation of wilderness in America by drawing, in part, on similar images of a Saskatchewan prairie from his childhood.

"We need wilderness preserved... because it was the challenge against which our character as a people was formed. The reminder and the reassurance that it is still there is good for our spiritual health... A prairie [landscape] big enough to carry the eye clear to the sinking, rounding horizon, can be as lonely and grand and simple in its forms as the sea. It is as good a place as any for the wilderness experience to happen; the vanishing prairie is as worth preserving for the wilderness idea as the alpine forest... We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in."

I encourage you to drive to the edge of Dry Island and look in because the view is spectacular.

I also encourage you to explore further

because, like the arctic tundra and alpine meadow, there are small-scale wonders waiting to be discovered in the many pockets and folds of this country.

And while you're there, why not explore nearby Rumsey Natural Area. This classic knob and kettle landscape is home to mule deer, waterfowl, and numerous species of prairie songbirds. They're not hard to find, just open your mind and look.

oh christmas tree

Nothing says Christmas like cutting your own tree. In Alberta, anyone can do that for just $5 (here).

Family photo with our trophy.

S and K with their find.

Doing the deed.

Taking it home.




Heading to the truck.

Loaded and ready to go.