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The Canadian Rockies (aka, Our Trip to the Wind River Range)
Pre Trip Planning Journal January-August 2003 [ Home ] [ USA-International Travel ] [ Southeast Travel ] [ Favorite Sunsets ] [ Content ] Epilogue: Today our itinerary indicated that we would break camp at Lake Magog, cross over Wonder Pass and enjoy our last night in Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park. But months of planning and “the perfect” itinerary could not make this plan a reality. In the end, forces much stronger than us provided a reminder that within the context of the world community, our own hopes, dreams and plans can appear very insignificant. As I write today (8/22/03) fires continue to spread through forest areas in western Canada and northwestern sections of the US. The fires, fueled by winds and extreme dry conditions, are burning everything in their path including businesses, forests and homes. The fires are permanently changing the lives of many. With little rain predicted for the near future, the ”Forest Fires of 2003” are expected to rage on. I had a great time planning and dreaming this trip therefore I have included it on our web page. In a couple years the plan will bubble back to the surface and we will take it just was we planned!
“In The Beginning” Why did we plan to spend 2 weeks in the Canadian Rockies instead going absolutely anywhere else? By accident I guess. It was not on my top-10 list of places to visit. Though seemingly unrelated, this trip (and our February 2003 trip to Cumberland Island) grew out of last fall’s desire to vacation at the beach. 2002 had been stressful for me with parental health issues and work concerns. I wanted to feel carefree and irresponsible. Sleeping till noon followed by beach lounging seemed like a great idea. The problem (?)…I am not a beach girl. I much prefer cool and breezy to hot and humid, exploring to lounging, mountains to sand and getting up reasonably early to sleeping till noon. So why was I dreaming about the beach? I surfed the web a number of evenings looking for a compromise between the beach and the mountains. I browsed through my favorite travel journals and combed through folders of travel information. An oft considered but always put aside backpack trip to Cumberland Island surfaced which prompted me to book a long “beach/hiking” weekend at the island for February 2003. Now what about our 2-week vacation in August? My search continued to focus on beach opportunities but I added a qualifier, I wanted to travel out of the good ole’ US of A. I was looking for 2-weeks of “out of the country but close” (read: not too expensive). Nova Scotia and Newfoundland popped onto the radar. Suddenly I was thinking about waves crashing against rock cliffs, hiking along the coastline and lighthouses. John listened patiently to a month of Nova Scotia ramblings. He made no commitment and showed only marginal enthusiasm. Finally he weighed in on the trip…if I wanted to go to Canada and wanted him to go with me, forget about Nova Scotia and start looking west toward the Canadian Rockies. Getting up early, cool, exploring, mountains, BINGO! Suddenly John is committed and several hiking companions are signing on. And so our journey to the Canadian Rockies began. “The Road to Canada” January 2003-Trail Search Adventure group planning for friends. How do you pull together excitement for 6- 8 while dealing with the details …flight coordination, shuttle to and from trailheads, city sightseeing, day hiking, hotel, car rental, park passes, backpack passes AND make everyone almost happy? As I fret over the arrangements I wonder if my hiking companions are sitting back confident in my planning skills. I am nervous. Well okay; let’s see, I guess we start with the biggest part of the trip, the backpacking trails. Finding information about backpacking routes in the Canadian Rockies was surprisingly simple. I used three sources to select trails, a website, advice from a hiking companion and a guidebook. Early in my search, I stumbled across a website titled “Hiking in the Canadian Rockies” (http://waputik.tripod.com/trguide.htm). This site is easy to negotiate, well organized, well written, and extremely informative and, as a bonus, the photography is incredible. I forwarded the website to hiking companion Will Skelton (our usual trip planner) who pulled out his copy of “Classic Treks: the 30 Most Spectacular Hikes in the World”, (see books, guides, web links section for details). He studied the website and his book then weighed in with his opinion. Certainly the world’s 30 classic hikes are subjective but the areas we were considering are featured in a spread on pages 46-51. Things are looking good for the Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park and the Rockwall in Kootenay National Park. After reading trail descriptions in my third source of information, the well-written and informative guidebook, “ The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide” (see books, guides, web links for details), the trail selection is sealed. We decided to do two separate backpacks, one on The Great Divide Trail from Sunshine Village to Mt. Shark in Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park and the second along the Rockwall in Kootenay. We needed maps of the area and a web search brought up Gem Trek Publishing located in Alberta, Canada (see books, guides and web links). I ordered two maps to cover our hiking area: “Banff & Mount Assiniboine” ($10.95CN) and “Kootenay National Park” ($10.95CN). We have the beginnings of a plan…7 months and counting. February 2003-Group Buy-In February brought the members of our hiking group together around a table at Will’s house to discuss the preliminary plans. This is a group with extensive levels of international and US backpacking and travel experience. As one would suspect with a group like this, everyone had ordered a set of maps and spent time surfing the Canadian Rockies website prior to the meeting. Excitement filled the air as the itinerary and trails were discussed. The trip seemed like a long way off but I still had quite a challenge ahead, working out the little details. The trails are decided and the group buys into the plan…6 months and counting. March 2003-Working out the Details I developed a planning form for the details that I believe needed to be addressed. Our trip will consist of two backpacks, one- 7days/6 nights and one- 5 days/4 nights with a sprinkling of city days and a day hike in the Lake Louise area. My 1st task was to find a hotel. During our February meeting we agreed to stay in Banff. The cost is a bit higher than Canmore (a sister city in the area) but it is the better-known resort town and one we wanted to spend time exploring. Our group varies in income level so cost must be considered with comfort. I searched a number of websites for Banff hotels and ended up relying on “The Lonely Planet Guide to Canada” for the final decision. I picked the Red Carpet Inn, 425 Banff Avenue, which is close to town. The Lonely Planet noted that the hotel is usually full in the summer. Must be because the Red Carpet has air conditioning, not the norm for lower priced hotels. The verdict is out on the rooms and service. John went on-line to book our car. We initially talked about a 15-passenger van (remember we need room for city suitcases and backpacks for 8) but he chose two mini vans instead. He decided that 2 vehicles would provide more opportunity to shuttle and freedom to do different things on city days. The cost is about the same for both. We will pick the vans up at the Calgary airport. This will solve our shuttle problem for the Rockwall but I still have a concern about shuttling on the Mt. Assiniboine backpack. John Finger and Will Skelton booked their flights this month. Both will arrive on Friday, August 15, 2003 just before midnight. They will stay in Calgary overnight and have an opportunity to do a bit of exploring before the rest of us arrive on Saturday afternoon. The next big month for planning will be May…5 months and counting. April 2003-We Book Our Flights, Duane is engaged and SARS hits Canada John and I finally gave into panic and booked our airline tickets. With the war in Iraq and unstable oil market, ticket prices were on a roller coaster ride. After 3 months of daily price checks, the ups and downs were wearing us out. We reached the point of second-guessing each other on what direction the rates were going and when to buy. We took the plunge in mid-April. By late April it became obvious that we should have waited a week or two. Rates dropped $60/ticket/person (one night’s lodging). On April 28th, Duane called to announce his engagement to Angela. This was a bit of a surprise although he had dropped hints to John during a recent 3-day backpack. A date had not been determined but Duane indicated that they plan to marry before the end of 2003. I believe this puts Duane’s trip participation in question, he says it does not. Much has been made in the news about SARS. At this time, over 135 people worldwide have died from the illness, 1000’s of cases reported. Most are in China but imagine our discomfort when Canada, specifically Toronto announced several SARS related deaths. We were very relieved when the travel advisory was lifted for the city. I know Toronto is quite a distance from Banff but a scare is a scare! I am still worried about the shuttle issue on the Mt. Assiniboine portion of the backpack…4 months and counting. May 2003-People Come, People Go…Details, Details, Details Imagine my surprise (not!) when Duane called on May 6th to give the “heads up” that he probably won’t go on the trip. The wedding is set for August 2 and he thinks that August 16 maybe a little early to leave the love shack. Since Angela is not a backpacker and has no plans to go on the trip, I tend to agree with him. Duane called again in late May to confirm that he probably won’t go but not to count him completely out. He would like to do the first week of the trip and is trying to work it out. Hmmmm! In the meantime, Brain Lawson, one of Barbara Allen’s co-worker’s decided to go on the first week of the trip. At 35, Brian will be our youngest and least experienced participant. We don’t know him but Barbara thinks that we will all get along just fine. He is a bicyclist and should, therefore be in great shape. We just hope he can carry a heavy pack and hike! About the same time, Ray Payne, our oldest (74 years old) and most experienced member canceled. We will certainly miss Ray’s opinions, direction and knowledge but we will not miss his very early morning rush to get on the trail. Most of our group likes to lounge around camp in the morning, drinking coffee and eating a hot breakfast, Ray likes to get on the trail!
Mad Cow disease touched down in Alberta on May 20th. Only one cow has been infected although several other herds are quarantined. This too will come and go though we will certainly think twice before asking “where’s the beef.” SARS flared up again with vengeance just as the month was ending. The infection is remains centered in Toronto and mostly contained to hospital workers who had loosened precautions. On May 22nd I booked our reservation for the Marvel Lake campsite (Mt. Assiniboine Provencal Park). On May 26th I booked tent sites for the Rockwall leg of the trip. We will purchase our park passes when we get to Banff. The dollar weakened in May as the US economy began to tank (thanks dubya). When we started planning the trip, the exchange rate was $1CN=$.68 US. It is now $1CN=$.741. As the cool and rainy month of May came to a close, John and I discussed planning next year’s vacation for two. The many facets of this trip coupled with the indecisiveness of friends have made it difficult to plan. This is especially relevant for hotel rooms, tent sites, and the cost of shuttle service and vehicles. Oh, what to do about shuttle service…3 months and counting June 2003-Finally, the Shuttle Issue Solved By the 10th of June, John and I have been notified twice about changes to our flight schedule. We booked our tickets through Orbitz and have been pleased with the ease of booking and the notification system. The changes put us in Calgary two hours later than originally planned (2:45 pm versus 12:30 pm). We will be a bit pushed to pick up our luggage, pick up our mini van, drive 1.5-hours to Banff, exchange money (we need $CN on the trail) and buy park passes. Yikes! I hope the money exchange and park office are open late. On June 11, I checked the trail conditions on the Canadian Parks website, just for fun. Most of the trails, specifically the passes that we will cross are snowy, icy and under a winter weather watch. Hard to believe when it is going to be 86º, humid and hazy in east TN today. I finally made the plunge and booked a shuttle service with White Mountain Adventures. The cost is going to run about $50/US/person but it is worth it. I have to confirm the number of participants by August 1. This has definitely taken a load off of my mind. By the end of June the SARS warning was lifted for the last time….2 months and counting. July 2003-Three Weeks Out and Duane Finally Commits $1 CN= $.71 US. The dollar is definitely getting better. Although Duane has indicated that he intents to commit to the first week’s hike, on July 21 he is still ticketless. For me, time has arrived to attend to details, the pack list, dehydrating food, double-checking camp information and generally getting ready. July 25 signaled the first indication of a logistical nightmare and trip malfunction. Duane booked a frequent flier ticket for the first week leaving open the option of staying through the 2nd week. He is scheduled to arrive a day behind the group so he will have to work out city-to-city transportation, hotel and shuttle service to the trailhead. He will hike alone for two days and catch up with the group on our layover at Og Lake. The end of the first week will signal an end to Duane (possibly) and Brian’s (definitely) trip requiring transportation to a hotel in Calgary. The rest of us will return to Banff for a rest day before beginning the 2nd leg of our trip. We have been vacillating over keeping both mini vans or sending one back with Brian and Duane. John is having an anxiety meltdown over the details. We have decided to keep both vans and send the first crew back to Calgary by bus. 22 days and counting… August 5, 2003-“Fire on the Mountain, Lightening in the Air” This morning I told John how happy I was that we were not hiking the West Coast Trail in Vancouver (originally on our list of possibilities). The area surrounding Vancouver is ablaze. I called Parks Canada to reconfirm our reservations and assorted details. Guess what??!! FIRE! As of August 3rd all backcountry camping along the Rockwall has been discontinued due to extreme fire conditions. Although there is some minor possibility that the trails will open before we are ready to go, the chance is just that…minor. Right now the trails in Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park are open but there is concern that the upper area (Citadel Pass) may close too. I checked with the park service about the possibility of rain and it isn’t looking good. Tonight I will pull out the maps for Jasper and Kananaskis National Parks. Only about ½ of Jasper is closed and Kananaskis, located east of Banff, is open. Time to start developing a backup plan. 11 days and counting… August 6, 2003-Okay, So It Really Can Get Worse Citadel Pass closed this morning shutting off our entrance into Mt. Assiniboine. Lake Magog/Og Lake campsites are open but the Park Service is not issuing new or modifying current backpacking permits so we have no way in. I have been looking at other areas in the Yoho, Kootenay, Banff, Jasper and Kananaskis Parks but without permits we are stranded in the city. Oh well, most of the trails are closed due to extreme fire hazard anyway! On the flip side, Banff may get some good rain in the next 1-½ weeks and the sites could open up. John wants to cancel if we aren’t able to backpack. He doesn’t want to spend money for a so-so vacation. Barbara wants to go ahead regardless (she will probably loose her free ticket if she doesn’t). She said that car camping and day hiking would be a great option. We have a meeting with 6 of the 7 great (?) minds tonight. We will come to some decisions! 10 days and counting… August 7, 2003-Putting Off the Decision Everything is status quo on the trail closures today, nothing new to report. After our meeting last night, we decided to reconvene on Monday night to make the final decision. Several options were batted about including moving the trip to early September (no guarantee the trails will open), going regardless if we can figure a way into Mt. Assiniboine or going somewhere else like Wind River Range in Wyoming. We asked John Finger to fall back on his distant Cherokee bloodline and do a rain dance…or at least a chant. I wonder how fast we can pull another trip together? We will all be watching the weather and Canadian Parks website very carefully over the weekend. 9 days and counting… August 11, 2003-This Trip is Unraveling We had quite a roller coaster ride this weekend. We spent Saturday morning studying maps of Glacier National Park. We made phone calls and discussed trails. Will really took the lead on this effort. Unfortunately the areas that we want to explore (above Logan Pass) are closed….FIRE. Paramount in an alternative trip is the WOW factor that was prominent in our Canadian trip. Other areas of Glacier did not offer the WOW effect that we were looking for so we started looking at Wind River Range. I know little to nothing about the Wind River except that it is suppose to offer incredible hiking. Will contacted Roger Jenkins and Ray Payne, both experienced in hiking in the area, for some suggestions. We have struggled all day to cut this Canadian trip loose and move on. We have our hearts in it and it seems to have quite a hold. We have a meeting tonight at Will’s house to make some final decisions. Airline tickets need to be changed, Canada hotels canceled and hotels booked in Wyoming, car rentals canceled and rebooked, campsite reservations canceled and money refunded. 5 days and counting… August 13-A New Trip Takes Root The book has closed on 7 months of planning for the Canadian Rockies. We cut the strings on Monday, August 11th and our carefully planned trip flew out of our thoughts. We have turned to the next chapter in our travels and tonight we found ourselves gathered around Will’s table once again looking at maps of The Wind River Range. In some ways, giving up the Canadian trip provided an unexpected sense of relief for me. 2003 was not the year for Canada. Monday night I worked with United and Orbitz to change our plane reservations from Calgary to Jackson Hole, from August 16 to August 27. The process took almost an hour but I am again happy I booked through Orbitz instead of through United. Orbitz service is customer friendly and helpful. Yesterday I scrambled to cancel hotels, shuttles, cars and backcountry reservations. Will, Duane, John Finger, Barbara, John and I are really looking forward to our 2003 adventure!! Two weeks to the Wind River Range and counting. THE END! Books, Guides and Web links for Planning a Trip to Canada Web Links
http://waputik.tripod.com/trguide.htm This is certainly my favorite site for hike planning in the Canadian Rockies. The information and photographs are great. The downside is the annoying pop-up ads that fill the computer screen with each new link.
http://www.worldhost.com/parks/banff I like this site a lot. This is the official Parks Canada website and is a good basic source of information. Included are trail conditions, weather, and camping information. If you click on the address, you will be transferred to the new site or even better, you can click on the park of your choice and automatically go to that park’s specific web page.
I can (and do) spend hours just dreaming in this site! Hikes all over the world are listed. Click on the “hikes” drop down box; pick the area of the world that you are interested in and viola.
This site is a must stop for Canadian Rockies maps. Maps are available for hiking and driving. The site also provides a lot of additional information.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/north_america/canada/ General Canadian information site http://www.nationalgeographic.com/explore/ http://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/ The two websites listed above are among my favorites. The first site provides access to “National Geographic Adventure” magazine as well as a lot of other information. The second site has a link to “National Geographic Traveler” magazine, which just happens to have the Canadian Rockies and Banff written up in the July/August 2003 edition.
http://www.hormel.com/home.asp On-line is the only place we are able to find Herb-Ox Vegetable Bouillon cubes, our choice for a pre-dinner hot drink when we are camping. Although stores in our area (Kroger, Bi Lo, Fresh Market) once carried this veggie bouillon cube, it is no longer available in any of these stores. Our local stores carry a boxed liquid veggie bouillon or Maggie and ----- cubes which leave an oily (greasy) residue in our cups. We find Herb-Ox bouillon tastes good and is not “slimy”. Thank you Hormel for finally putting the veggie bouillon in your in-line store assortment. Deane Hill Bi Lo store manager, Steve Scarborough, accused me of being a Hormel "plant" when I tried to special order through his store. He never did order the bouillon as promised and never contacted me to tell me he didn't.
http://trailfoods.com/index.html
Enertia Trail
Foods Call Toll Free 877-Enertia (363-7842) This is truly the best backpacking food we have eaten. Our favorites are listed in the food and expenses section. The food is well spiced and comes in single serving sizes. Enertia ships free of charge. The number of outdoor stores carrying this product is increasing although many stores still do not. Books, Guides and Magazines Lonely Planet Canada (Lonely Planet Canada, 7th ED) By Mark Lightbody, Thomas Huhti, Ryan Ver Berkmoes, 7th Edition November 1999, Lonely Planet Publications, Paperback, $24.95 At 992 pages, I find this book cumbersome. The idea of trying of cover the country of Canada in one book is akin to the idea of trying to cover the entire United States in one book (which Lonely Planet does). Too much information in too small print. Classic Treks: The 30 Most Spectacular Hikes in the World By Bill Birkett (General Editor), Forward by Chuck McGrady Bullfinch Press, 2000, Hardcover, $28.00 (purchased @ amazon.com) This is a dreamer’s book even if you never set foot outside your living room. Although I believe that picking the 30 most spectacular hikes in the world is subjective, the editor has indeed picked 30 spectacular hikes. Chris Townsend researched and wrote the section covering our hikes, which is located between pages 46-51. The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide A Guide to Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, Waterton Lakes, Mt. Robson, Mt. Assiniboine, Peter Loughead, Elk Lakes and Akamina-Kishinena Parks By Brian Patton and Bart Robinson, 7th Edition-Revised, Summerthought, Ltd., Paperback, $14.95 (purchased @ amazon.com) According to the many reviews I have read regarding hiking guides in the area, the is considered to be the “must own.” The pictures are in black and white but I figure this keeps the cost of the book down. Many beautiful color photos of the area are available on the web. “National Geographic Traveler” This is a fun magazine to read for travelers and armchair dreamers. An article titled “Deep Banff” was featured in the July/August 2003 issue (pgs. 70-84), just in time to let us know that our planned backpacks were listed among the “must-do’s and where-to’s” list (see website above).
Wind Rivers Photo Gallery
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