An overnight bike trip out along the Cascade Fire Trail
Category: trip reports
Thanks to the generosity of visiting family, Alex and I had a day to throw ourselves at any crazy adventure we fancied, without the company of a toddler. Of course, the weather forecast threatened rain. We laughed in the face of the weather forecast, and decided to go and hike/run the Rockwall trail anyway.
We’d never been on any of the Rockwall trails before, so were excited despite the rather ominous looking weather. The Autumn colours were gorgeous, and the views better than expected as we set off through burnt-out forest and crossed avalanche paths, having left our car behind at the Floe Lake trailhead.
I think we’d been on the trail for an hour or so when it started to spit. We decided that if it started bucketing down we could turn back, but otherwise we’d at least like to make it to Floe Lake – it was quite warm after all.
There weren’t many others on the trail, and those we came across were mostly heading down.
After a lot of up, we finally hit the open meadows, where the wildflowers were still blooming away.
And then, Floe Lake! Gorgeous, with glaciers, and wildflowers, alpine lake, and wonderful camping. It looked to be a perfect spot – well, perhaps with a little less rain.
We didn’t linger too long over lunch at Floe Lake – mostly because of the damp.
As we headed up towards Numa Pass we were surprised by the larches everywhere, and the relative lack of scree. And then we were surprised by the hail.
Numa Pass was the highest point on the trail though (at around 2335m), so after crossing there we thought we should probably be safe from snow (and lightning).
Not to say the rest of the trail wasn’t lovely, but the scenery around Floe Lake and Numa Pass was definitely significantly more amazing than anything we passed later on.
The rest of the trail is now a blur of wet undergrowth, creeks, rain and bridges. The rain got us from above, and then again as we pushed through the undergrowth – it’s a very planty sort of trail.
The damage done to the trail by avalanches and flooding over this year is amazing. We went out via Numa Creek, but the Tumbling Creek connector trail is still closed, as it will require too much work to get it re-opened this year. After travelling along the Numa Creek trail I can imagine why.
As we got closer to the highway, the rain got heavier, and by the time we finally emerged in the parking lot at Numa Falls, we were both saturated – although perversely still enjoying it. Within 100 metres of heading out along the highway we got a lift though, and thankfully didn’t have to run the 8km back to our car (parked at the Floe Lake trailhead) in the pouring rain. That would have been rather difficult to enjoy.
I’d love to go back again to cover the trail in the not-rain some time.
Route: Rockwall Trail from Floe Creek – Floe Lake – Numa Pass – Numa Creek
Distance: 27.5km
Elevation gain: 1400m
Highest Point: Numa Pass, ~2335m
I was dropped off at the Elbow Lake trailhead, and shooed up the trail. The menfolk would be meandering their way up to the lake and back, while I ran the loop all the way from Elbow Lake, through the Sheep River Valley, up Rickert’s Pass and out along Mist Ridge. It was to be a little over 30km I thought, all through the Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park. I was hoping to do it in under four hours – although with the enormous climb up Rickert’s Pass in the middle of that, there was always the probability of taking longer.
Out past Elbow Lake the crowds thinned considerably. Once I turned off up towards the Sheep River valley, just before Tombstone campground, I only saw a couple of other people – so most of the time on the trail it was just me and the imaginary bears that were going to eat me.
We’d read about the trail as a suggested mountain-bike route, but I think I’d be more inclined to bike up Mist Valley and back along Mist Ridge if I was on a bike. The trudge through Sheep River Valley and up Rickert’s Pass wouldn’t be any more fun on a bike than it was on foot (although it’s always nice to explore new terrain).
There were lots of streams to cross on the Sheep Trail. The first I tried to keep my feet dry, but after that I just gave in and waded straight through. Seven streams later, and the deepest had nearly reached my knees. Wet shoes and socks, but that was about it – and warm enough that they dried out quickly enough.
As you travel along the Sheep River Valley, you leave the Provincial Park and enter private land. The trail up to Rickert’s Pass is marked on many maps, but according to a sign posted now, the trail up to the pass from the Sheep River is now closed: “Private Property – Trail Closed – Travel restricted to main Sheep River Valley bottom trail as marked on map… Travel off main Sheep River Valley bottom trail by written permission only”. By the time I’d gotten that far, I wasn’t about to turn around, so I headed on up, wondering what had prompted the posting of the sign, and hoping I wasn’t about to be chased off by shotgun-wielding property owners.
After an interminable hill-slog, I reached Rickert’s Pass, and then set out along Mist Ridge (after briefly considering just throwing myself straight down the Mist Valley trail instead). I’d been dreaming of flat running along the ridgeline, but there was still plenty of up. But at least there were spectacular views to go with it.
After one final awful uphill, it was finally downhill to connect to the Mist Valley trail, where Alex was waiting for me on a bike, with a bottle full of water. I drank it down, but declined the offered bike – I had nearly made it by then, after all, even if it was looking like it would be a few kilometres longer than I’d imagined. A long few kilometres when you weren’t expecting it. But then, finally, back at the car, and done!
Elevation gain: 1200m
Distance: 34.5km
Time taken: 4hr20min
Location: Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park, Kananaskis Country, Alberta
Bears seen: 0
Bears imagined hiding in the undergrowth about to eat me: ∞
(And yes, they’re all phone photos, I was not tempted to carry a heavy camera, strangely enough)
Categories
The Iceline Trail
The Iceline trail had been on a vague mental to-do list for a while (actually, who am I kidding, it’s no longer a mental to do list, it’s a fancy google map with annotations and hike lengths, filled with dreams of endless time and money). But a few weeks ago a friend wanted to hike it, invited me, I couldn’t make it, but then she came back exclaiming how awesome it was. And so from there a plan was born. Gorgeous sunny weather, Sunday with nothing planned – why not? Let’s go.
We’d never even been to Takakkaw Falls before, which is a big tourist destination, and right where the hike starts, over in Yoho National Park.
The plan was to hike along the Iceline Trail first, climbing up above the Hostel, and then hopefully making it all the way over to the Stanley Mitchell ACC Hut, and then down and out via Laughing Falls and back to the car. There are a few different options for making the loop though – with the option of an extension out along the Whaleback Trail (out to Twin Falls), or a shorter return via Celeste Lake on the Highline Trail.
But despite a slow start, the Moosling was a champion again, even after his big hiking day yesterday. He warmed up to the trail and delighted in all the rocks and streams as we traversed along the bench below the glaciers on the Iceline. He’s now learnt about stopping and taking your shoes and socks off to soak your feet when you get to a stream though, and was pretty keen to do so at every single stream we crossed.
The views really were amazing (you can see over to the Wapta Icefield, amongst other very cool things), and it’s definitely one of my top three Canadian hikes – I would love to come back and run it too – maybe covering some of the extra trail we missed this time.
And apparently toddler-pace is a steady jog. He only stopped running when he fell down. Or occasionally for help over rocky sections.
He certainly put the trail runners we saw to shame.
Eventually though, the running machine needed to nap, and so he went into the Ergo, and we hiked on. Down off the Iceline bench and into the trees again, past some lovely flowery meadows.
A brief stop at Stanley Mitchell hut, to check things out, then onwards down the trail. We were trying to cover as much distance as we could while we didn’t have to worry about toddler herding.
He woke up not long before Laughing Falls though, and walked the rest of the way down the switchbacks to reach the Falls (and dabble his feet in the water yet again).
After Laughing Falls, the trail did begin to drag a little. We’d walked it in the direction we did in case of afternoon storms, or in case a waning toddler meant we had to turn back instead of continuing around the loop. But the endless trudge was made even more endless as the Moosling began to decide he didn’t want to walk, but he didn’t want to be carried either. He just wanted to find sticks to play with in the trees. We lured him on with leg bridges, and games of chasies, and ‘Find Mama behind the tree’. And eventually Takakkaw Falls were in view again.
We walked the side trip up to the base of the falls, for the lovely cool spray of a rampaging waterfall on hot hikers. Then it was back to the car and driving home, after a long and satisfying day.
Distance: 22km
Elevation gain: 875m
Max elevation: ~2230m
Car to car time taken: About 7.5 hours (yes, not a speed assault of the loop by any means)
Trailhead: Takakkaw Falls parking lot, or the road next to it
Toddlerability: No Chariot, but fine with an Ergo/backpack. Lots of rocks and streams.
The Cory – Edith Pass loop has a little bit of rave surrounding it online, as being possibly the best in the Banff National Park. There are also notes about it being strenuous, and easy to lose the trail at one point.
It’s definitely a little strenuous. But it’s a hike up a mountain, so you tend to get that. Nothing out of the ordinary though, and certainly not as bad as the spirit-crushing sort of sidewards scree walk of Grotto Mountain or the Tower of Babel. So the uphill wasn’t so bad, but the mosquitos were enough to drive a person crazy.
The traffic noise lasted for a while, but as we climbed above the highway the sound faded. A short scramble over a rock band provided interest, but it wasn’t so scrambley that it was an issue to do it with a toddler on my back (although the accompanying agoraphobics weren’t so keen on it).
And then came the sidling around the slopes of Mount Edith – again, something that was not loved by those who don’t love exposure, but not difficult. And then, Cory Pass. Many rocks, and a ground squirrel, views of the Banff section of the Bow Valley, and more mosquitos. And a view of both Edith and Cory, and the tantalising scrambles to their summits
A brief lunch and we descended into the scree on the far side, dropping down towards Mount Louis – a fantastic view, as you walk around between Mount Louis and Mount Edith, and gradually views down towards Mystic Pass and the Sawback Range open up, and Brewster Mountain appears. The trail-finding difficulties mentioned in some route descriptions would only be genuinely difficult if you were in a white-out, or were particularly bad at trail finding (as were two guys we walked past, who got turned around, failed to find Cory Pass altogether, and then ended up lost in the bush, calling for help to get back to the main trail).
As you round Mount Edith, you enter a damp sort of forest. No more scree, instead a dirt path, and more mosquitos. Occasional views, thanks to avalanche paths, but then simple forest drudgery past trickling streams and through swarms of mosquitos. Perhaps a nice hike, if it weren’t for the bugs, but the constant biting and itching and slapping and flapping didn’t really add to the enjoyment. The few wild strawberries did wonders to improve the mood, although then of course, the Moosling kept trying to find more wild strawberries, and was inclined to try and eat anything he found by the side of the trail, just in case.
The Moosling obviously hasn’t heard of hiking at a toddler pace. He’s gotten the hang of hiking trails, and as soon as you get him on one, he just wants to run along it, as fast as possible. He only requires a little assistance to get down the hills. Or up the hills. “Uh oh”, he says, and holds his hands in the air. That’s our cue to come along, offer a hand, and help him past the spot. On prolonged downhills he’ll happily run along for as long as I’m willing to run with him, bent over and holding his hands.
Anyway, all in all, it’s not a bad hike. Some nice views, close to town, interesting terrain, and a nice stream by the trail-head at the end. The whole thing would be more exciting with a side-trip up one of the peaks, or more enjoyable with the subtraction of the mosquitos from the equation. But alas, mosquitos have to eat too, and we’re tasty and convenient food apparently.
Distance: 13km loop
Maximum elevation: 2350m
Elevation gain: 920m
Trailhead: Fireside Picnic Area, just by the Banff end of the 1A
Toddlerability: No Chariot, but fine with an Ergo/backpack