havecarryonwilltravel

It is drizzling when we wake under Mount Robson. Pit pat pit pat. I love the sound the rain makes on the tent. It always sounds like it is pouring when in fact it is hardly raining at all. I emerge from our cocoon bum first and when my head is exposed I feel a few drops of very light rain. The weather in the mountains can change, for the worse or for the better in an instant and it does. The rain stops almost immediately. As I lug the breakfast fixings to the shelter the clouds begin to thin and soon the sun is peaking out. The day looks like it will be another good one.

We get up early so we are not in any kind of a rush. It takes us ½ hr. longer to pack up than our usual slow selves but we start out before 9. We are told by the ranger the route across the river delta is no longer flooded and we choose to stay on the level. As we walk along the rocky riverbed we look up and realize how much up and down on the forest trail we have bypassed. When passable this ‘shortcut’ saves a lot of effort and it is a different view of the world.

Re-entering the forest at the end of the bike trail we are soon at the Kinney Lake campground. We have not stopped even once yet, we still feel good and the draw of a cold Coke is causing me to pick up speed with every step. Debbie doesn’t complain at all as I think she is too busy trying to keep up knowing it is useless to complain when I have a Coke in my sights.

The 3 km to the ‘highway’ trail goes by quick, as we get closer to the parking lot the trail gets smoother and wider.  At the south end of Kinney Lake we cross a bridge and our feet hit the 4 km road to the bottom. The road has a negative elevation gain and we travel fast. Not stopping for even one rest the entire trek out we cross the bridge at the base in the opposite direction we crossed 5 days ago. It takes 2 hrs and 30 mins. from the time we started this morning. Certainly no West Coast Trail pace!

Beep, Beep, Click, Thump, Thump, Pop, Ssssss, Aaaaah. Ouch that fizz is hard on the throat after 5 whole days without.

The drive home is not too crowded.  A stop at Safeway for a few essentials, A & W for a quick supper and we are at home in time to utilize the remaining sunlight to dry out our damp gear. The sun that peaked out in the morning at Mount Robson is still following all the way home again.

We have had our moment at the top of the world and it is time to move on. The walk today is to Whitehorn campground on the same trail we traveled to get here. We awake to another sunny day, Robson’s peak is again clear, three in a row. As we exit the valley we turn for one last look at the beautiful bright white Berg and Mist Blaciers and the majestic Mount Robson, it is not likely we will return so we try to impress a permanent image in our minds.

The trail is crowded. Many people pass by on their way up to Berg Lake, it is Friday and the weekend crowd has arrived. The Alpine Club of Canada is having a celebration this weekend to mark the 100^th anniversary of the establishment of the Mount Robson Provincial Park. They have lectures set for Friday and Saturday evening and there are several people going to try to climb the mountain to the top. This only adds to the number of people heading to Berg Lake today.

Our hike is reasonably easy, it is mostly downhill. Debbie is cautious and the going is slower on the really steep sections but we still make good time, traveling 8 km in 2 hrs 20mins and arriving at Whitehorn camp before noon. We have our choice of sites and end up at the same site we occupied on the up trip. Today seems to be the rest day we missed out on yesterday. Sitting in the campground shelter we make a few blog notes, do a crossword or two, read a few pages of the books we brought along and talk with hikers; both those heading up and those heading down. At about 3pm a few campers arrive and the tent sites begin to fill up.

Suspension Bridge at Whitehorn

The clouds have started to move in and with the intermittent sun it is cool in the bottom of the valley. Our tent is set a few meters up the slope and it is amazing how much warmer it is up there. I could not say what the difference is in degrees but it is noticeable. That being the case we move up soon after we have our supper.

Even with the clouds moving in we decide to camp the night. If it is raining in the morning we have an easy 11km hike to the car and will not have to figure out how to dry out. We will just stash the wet gear in the back of the Rav 4 and dry it out in our basement.

It is easy to get used to the simple life when backpacking. All of the worldly possessions are on our backs and the choices to be made are relatively few. I’m quite sure that after a few months the simple things would cause stress but for now it is very relaxing. Again here, as on the West Coast Trail, the people we meet are of like mind and we enjoy our many conversations. We retire early so we can get on the road and home to Edmonton before dark. Already the busy world has a wedge into our serenity of Mount Robson.

Today is our “rest” day up at Berg Lake tucked in behind Mount Robson. Since we hiked to the toe of Robson Glacier yesterday, we plan to hike up the Mumm Basin Route, over to Hargreaves Lake and back down close to Marmot Campground.  We think it is a 10 to 12 km hike – some rest day! At least I will be hiking with no pack, unlike Murray who will have his backpack on with our rain gear, lunch and first aid kit inside.

The sky is almost cloudless and Mount Robson is glorious in the sunshine. Berg Lake is calm in the morning and we see small ice floes that have broken off the glacier during the night. We drink in the colour of the lake and the ice atop the mountain.

We hike towards Robson Pass  and meet three young guys from Brittany, France who are spending 6 weeks touring Canada. They are very friendly and willing to chat. We try to talk them into hiking part of the West Coast Trail since they are heading to Victoria next. After leaving them, we start up a steep path towards Mumm Basin. The forest hike keeps the views hidden and it is easy to concentrate on the task at hand – climbing almost straight up for about a kilometer. We finally pop up out of the trees and are stunned at the views. We are looking down onto Berg and Mist Glaciers and their lakes. We realize that Mist Glacier does have a lake at the toe of its glacier at the campground level it is hidden behind a very large terminal moraine.

We can see mountain ranges to the east and west of where we stand. The long range views remind us just how massive the mountains are.

Berg Glacier, Mist Glacier and Mount Robson

We hike along varying surfaces – hard rock to soft forest floor. We notice the difference even through our hiking boots. As a note, I hike today in old hiking shoes, it is not necessary to have hiking boots to do this route. We pass through changing environments from forest to meadow to scree slope back to rock rubble and meadow. We talk loudly and I break into off key song to alert any bears that might have wandered up there during the night.

We lunch on a great round flat rock on the lee side of some trees, hidden from the wind, admiring the views and calling “hello” to other hikers passing by. Once we know other hikers have passed along our route we can be quite confident they have scared away any bears, I stop singing, Murray’s ears sigh with relief.

We cross Toboggan Creek upstream of the falls and the bridge crossing site shows off the smoothed and curvacious rock forms created from the swirl of water tumbling down the creek.

We hike towards Hargreaves Lake and Murray hikes up the moraine to take a peek. I sit to rest as I am nursing slightly sore knees and I know what’s coming the next day. Murray says that Hargreaves Lake is a big puddle of water and the glacier is quite large but has receded a long ways.

We start to descend through the rock rubble of the Hargreaves Glacier’s lateral moraine, finally reaching the forest where the ground is again very soft and the footing much better. The descent on this end is much shallower than the Mumm Basin end and I would recommend traveling in the same direction as we do. We reach the campground after about 6 hours with lots of stops to absorb the views.

Berg Lake is an awesome tourist spot. Even though there are loads of people up here, it doesn’t feel like a typical tourist spot, as Lake Louise say. The back country campsites are private, well maintained and comfortable. The only wildlife we encounter are ground squirrels and chipmunks (who tried to steal our lunch). The bugs are mostly non existent although there were these small flies that bite.

It has been another perfect day in the alpine with not a cloud in the sky, the glaciers continue their booming conversation, and the continuous din of the streams provide background noise much like the traffic in the city. Our eyes are overwhelmed by the visuals in very direction. Where else can we eat breakfast, lunch and supper with views of two glaciers and the majestic Mount Robson.

Last night is cold, really cold under Mount Robson. Even though I am all bundled up in my mummy bag my nose is freezing and I have to turtle my head right in. We leave relatively early, we look up to see the hanging glacier above us bathed in sunlight as if a lighting tech has trained a spot on it just for us.

Today we test our metal. About a km from the Whitehorn campground the trail tips up. Steep; really steep. We climb over 500M in 4 km. It would be a good climb in the Tour de France. Trudging our way up we make the inevitable comparisons with the West Coast Trail. This climb is far more extreme than anything on the WCT but the footing is so much better. There is no ‘green stuff’, there are roots to contend with but they are intermittent with long spaces between allowing for some respite, and the rocks are for the most part solid and provide good footing rather than a rolling surface. The trail maintenance is very good, there are no ladders so there are no missing rungs, and there are some very neat stone bridges spanning some of the rills we must cross.

When we reach Emperor Falls there is a group of girl guides dawning their rain gear intending to make good use of the natural shower provided by the falls. The overspray is as dense as any modern shower and for those willing, it is an experience to get close to the falls and get soaked. We on the other hand prefer to stay reasonably dry and find a spot out of the spray to observe this landmark.

Part way along the trail we get glimpses of Mount Robson. The peak is completely visible, not a cloud to be seen. At one point the sun is directly behind the very top of the mountain. It provides a glowing backdrop; a stunning sight.

Being away from all the sensual overload of modern living we notice that we observe things a little more closely. Although the constant loud booming caused by the shifting of the glaciers is hard to miss we do take note of every instance and look to see if we can see an avalanche of ice headed for the valley floor. The glaciers themselves are bright white. There has not been a cloud in the sky all day and the bright light really accents the snowy brilliance of the top layer of snow. Visible in the cracks and crevasses is the transparent blue hue of the ice. As we come out of the forest, Mist Glacier is a very impressive sight, a short while later we round a headland and Berg Glacier is added to our panorama. We arrive at Marmot campground and Berg Lake with these two glaciers and the north face of Mount Robson is our view. A condo on the same site would sell for multiple millions of dollars. It is ours for a mere 20 bucks and a bit of effort.

Another comparison to the WCT is the number of people on the trail. I did not realize how popular this trail is but be do not walk 20 minutes without running into another group of hikers. Most stop to chat. We meet people from all over the world. Mostly Canadian of course, but there are many from the US and Europe and we meet one fellow from Israel. The mix of ages is from about 6 to over 70 and there are a lot more women on this trail than on the WCT. Not necessarily traveling with their spouses but in groups of 3 or 4 ladies without male companions.

We make good time and even with the extreme uphill section walk the 8km in 2 hrs and 50 mins. Lunch is at our new home for 2 days. We decide to make good use of time and the excellent weather and do the day hike along Snowbird Pass in the afternoon and not chance rain in the morning. It is a flat trail and easy to navigate. We only walk to the toe of the Robson Glacier as after that the trail becomes much more arduous and we do not have the time or the reserves to venture farther so we are happy with where we get to. There is an awful lot of snow and what I see is a whack of good skiing. I guess I’m a winter guy at heart.

After such a cold night, this day prove to be a perfect day in the mountains. The weather in the Rockies can be very fickle but today it is outstanding.

Debbie is worried that even with warmer sleepwear her light sleeping bag will not be warm enough, so we unpack her pack and she does a test sleep at the Robson River Campground before we embark and she cannot make a change. It is decided the warmer bag is to make the journey. We repack Debbie’s pack and we’re off to the trailhead.

It is early at the Berg Lake Trailhead below Mount Robson and the parking area, the very big parking area, is almost full. There are either a lot of enthusiastic day hikers or there is one heck of a lot of folks camping up and down the Berg Lake trail.

As I haul the packs out of the car I accidentally drag my camera out of the car, along with one of backpacks, and it bounces off the pavement. It is in a case so I curse and continue with our preparation.

Clothes changed, boots on, packs on our backs and we start across the parking lot and to the bridge that marks the start of the trail. Fifty meters down the trail a photo op presents itself. A mushroom is bathed in the morning sun and is calling out to be documented for all time. I take my camera from its case, remove the lens cap and glass falls to the ground. The filter that protects the camera lens is shattered. Shit! I try to unscrew the filter; the lens does not look damaged. I cannot, no matter how hard I try, remove the filter and the lens view is lousy with all the cracks in the glass. I drop my pack, return to the car, and stow my now useless camera in the concealed compartment of the Rav 4. This is somewhat of a disaster as Debbie, for reasons unknown, chose to leave her camera at home. We set out on a journey to a world class destination in what appears to be perfect weather with only our eyes to record the trip. Oh well.

After our previous trip along the West Coast Trail the travel is very easy. The first 4 km to a picnic area at the outlet of Kinney Lake is a road, literally. It is wide, the footing is good and the grades are not at all steep. This is the route most day hikers tread and it makes for a pleasant walk. We arrive at the lake in just less than one hour.

Wow, the adjacent river flows fast. There is enough elevation change and enough water volume to make for a very rough and fast kayak ride if one were so inclined to risk life and limb.

For the next 3 km to the Kinney Lake campground the track narrows and undulates up and down but is very passable.

This is the last stretch on which bikes are allowed. Again the hiking is easy; if you are on a day hike the shelter at the campground makes for a nice place to sit down with a ½ million dollar view. The trail follows the edge of the lake so there is virtually no elevation gain and we traverse the distance in about 40 mins.

The weather has turned in our favour and it is mostly sunny. We gambled and start out with a win. It is a beautiful walk in the woods, the tall healthy trees provide shade and the footing allows us to look around a bit. The water in both the lake and the river is a pale green, a light jade color, both are silty making the coloring opaque. This is an indication the waters are glacial, a fact that will soon become apparent as we follow the water to its source. The ground is covered with an undergrowth of moss and lichen. It grows everywhere, on the rocks, on the fallen trees, and on the soil. It looks like it would make a very soft bed should the need arise.

Further on, past Kinney Lake, we follow the forest route, an up and down trail that parallels the edge of a very wide delta/flood plain at the north end of the lake. The trail is more ‘trail like’ from here on. After crossing the river the trail goes up as a precursor to what is to come. It is steep but very manageable. It rises for about 2 km before dropping onto a bench where we will spend our first night at the Whitehorn campground.

Crossing the suspension bridge we see the shelter, sit and eat lunch before we look for a site to set up our tent. We travel 11 km in about 4 hrs. and 15 mins. We walked at a very civil pace, stopped several times and are quite surprised at how little time it took. We are still working on West Coast Trail timing.

Arriving as early as we do we have our choice of campsites. Learning from our WCT experience we view the entire campground before choosing a spot to bed down for the night. There are several tent pads up slope from the river and these should be a slight bit warmer than those at the lowest elevation and after the very cold night last night we think it prudent to move higher.

The rest of the afternoon is spent on the shore of the river, sitting on the rocks, staring at the amazing surroundings, filling in crossword puzzles and reading. Debbie thinks (again) since we do not have a camera we should try to record our surroundings by drawing. We try (sorry).

View of glacier high over Whitehorn Campground

About 4 pm  the campground has a few more customers. The day hikers are all on their way back out and the trail quietens.

Valley of a Thousand Falls

In the distance we see our first goal for tomorrow’s hike, Emperor Falls. The misty spray is visible way above us in the trees. The ‘cliff’ we have to ascend is daunting but we do get a short 1km warm up before we have to go up.

Debbie climbs into her sleeping bag of choice and we rest, because tomorrow the hike is for real.

We spend the afternoon on the road. Arrive at the Mount Robson Visitor Centre at about 6pm with loads of time to ponder booking our proposed hike for the next 5 days. We talk to the chatty lady at the desk, get the lowdown on what campsites we can stay at over the next four nights, what the weather forecast is and the ins and outs of camping in the Berg Lake area. After watching the short (13 min.) orientation video and a short discussion, Debbie and I book four nights camping on the trail and at Berg Lake. We are not sure how hard the hike will be and are a conservative in our choices.

Tomorrow we will walk 11 km to the Whitehorn campground. The next morning we will tackle the very steep 520M elevation gain and hike 8km to the Marmot campground. This will be our base for exploring the valley on the north side of Mount Robson. After 2 nights at Berg Lake we will the return to Whitehorn,  an easy walk we hope, and spend our last night there before walking out the last 11km to the staging area. 10 minutes and $80 later we are committed to the next few days.

We spend the night at the Robson River Campground. It is just 1km west of the Visitor Centre. It is the smaller of the two campgrounds at the foot of Mount Robson, having 15 or 20 reasonably private sites and access to heated flush toilets, showers and hot water for washing dishes. It is raining when we start to set up the tent. Ugh! We are fairly fast and the tent is hardly damp by the time we have the fly on. Shortly after we have everything set up, the rain pauses for a while so we walk the campground loop to warm up. There is not much to do outside so we retire to the tent to work on a couple of crossword puzzles. It rains most of the night. The campground has one drawback, it is very close to the highway and the trucks ply the route all night long. We’re tired so it is not a big deal.

The mountains are the mountains and the weather changes every 10 minutes. We are hopeful we are going to have good weather in the morn.