PART ONE: BRIDGELESS
My
second backpacking trip with Dave would be an adventurous 7 day route in Banff
National Park, Jasper National Park, and the White Goat Wilderness. We planned to start at the Nigel Pass
Trailhead in Banff, and end at the Sunset Pass / Norman Lake Trailhead, also in
Banff. Since we had two cars, running a
shuttle between the two points on the Icefields
Parkway would be simple. The first day
would feature a crossing of Nigel Pass.
From the Brazeau River, we would do the
classic Jonas Pass > Poboktan Pass > Brazeau Lake loop.
We would then backtrack a bit, almost to Nigel Pass. Over the final 3 days, we’d hike off-trail,
upstream into the headwaters of the Brazeau
River. We’d cross Cataract Pass into the
White Goat Wilderness, and descend the Cataract Creek valley to the Cline
River. We’d follow the Cline River
upstream to its source at Pinto Lake.
From there, we’d hike out over Sunset Pass and down to the highway.
We
checked the weather forecast the night before the start of the trip. The first two days looked cold and
rainy. After that, conditions were
expected to improve dramatically. We
weren’t looking forward to starting out in the rain, but if we could persevere
for the first two days, we would be rewarded.
Unfortunately, the first two days of our route featured some fantastic
scenery, including Nigel Pass and Jonas Pass.
In fact, Jonas Pass is considered to be one of the most scenic places in
the Canadian Rockies. If the weather was
poor, would we be able to see anything?
It
rained that night, but had stopped when my alarm went off the next
morning. Still, the sky looked
ominous. We decided to cook breakfast
and do our final packing at the cooking shelter in the campground. It was an excellent choice. During breakfast, a violent thunderstorm
rolled through. It was a bit startling
to experience thunder and lightning first thing in the morning.
I
had an inspiration as we began our drive to the trailhead. I had made reservations for our backcountry
sites three months earlier. That meant
doing the loop portion of the hike clockwise.
It also meant that if the weather forecast was accurate, we’d be hiking
the 12ish miles above treeline across Jonas Pass in
the rain. That was unappealing in terms
of both comfort and aesthetics. As I was
driving, it occurred to me that doing the loop in the opposite direction would
be more enjoyable based on the forecast.
Hiking along the Brazeau River to Brazeau Lake would be tolerable in the rain, and we could
save the best scenery for better weather.
I
pulled over and shared my plan with Dave.
He was all for it. We drove back
in to Jasper and headed to the Visitor’s Center. Luckily we were able to switch our campsites
on nights 2 and 3, enabling us to reverse the loop. We got a new permit, and headed out of town
on the Icefields Parkway.
The Peanut Butter Incident (1)
We
drove up through the Icefields, across Sunwapta Pass,
and down to the Sunset Pass Trailhead.
It rained the whole time. The
Sunset Pass Trailhead was a little hard to find because the turn is unmarked,
but the directions in my guidebook were accurate. We left my rental car there, and took Dave’s
car up to the well-marked parking area for Nigel Pass. Due to all of the changes and a fair bit of
loafing around, it was already noon.
It
was still raining, so we decided to eat lunch in Dave’s car. This proved to be awkward. My lunch for the next 7 days would consist of
peanut butter and tortillas.
Unfortunately, the grocery store in Jasper had only a limited selection
of peanut butter. In fact, they only
carried organic peanut butter. It turns
out that organic peanut butter is mostly liquid. I stirred the jar for several minutes, but it
was still pretty runny. I tried to spoon
some into a tortilla, but a spill in Dave’s car seemed inevitable. I stepped outside into the rain and added
some chunky strawberry jam. By the time
my lunch was constructed, it looked like a bear shit sandwich. I attempted to eat it standing up, but most
of the peanut butter and jam ended up in a pile next to the driver’s door of
the next car over. So, to the owner of
the Nissan Versa with Saskatchewan plates, please be assured that the mess that
was next to your car wasn’t what it looked like.
Cold Rain and Snow
The
rain continued, but we couldn’t afford to stall any longer. We packed up, and started up the trail, which
initially follows an old road. It was
wet and cold, but at least the chilly temperature (a bit above freezing) kept
me from sweating in my rain gear. We
eventually left the old road, and followed Nigel Creek for a while. There were lots of nice wildflowers along the
way, which made up for the lack of views.
Nigel Pass is considered to be extremely scenic, but the mountains and
glaciers were hidden behind dark, heavy clouds.
We
crested the pass, and a short, steep descent brought us to the Brazeau River. The
trail crosses the infant river here without the benefit of a bridge. Normally the crossing requires a long but
easy rock hop. That wasn’t the case
today. It had rained constantly since
the previous evening, and the water was UP.
Rock hopping wasn’t an option, because most of the rocks were
underwater. We would have to wade. It would be a long ford, too – perhaps 100’, and the river is glacial. Most of the water we would be wading through
had been solid ice a few days earlier.
While we were contemplating this, the rain suddenly changed to
snow. I thought that was a nice touch.
We
didn’t have much choice. We switched to
sandals and started across. The water
was knee deep, with a moderate current, and it was every bit as cold as I expected. I didn’t get used to it at all. If anything, it seemed to get colder as I
crossed. I finally reached the far side,
where I dropped my pack to put my boots back on.
From
there, we noted an unofficial trail heading upstream. That would be our route to Cataract Pass in a
few days. We headed the other way,
climbing a steep slope to a rocky hillside high above the river gorge. At that point, we were almost level with Nigel
Pass, on the far side of the river.
Mountains and glaciers loomed through the fog and driving snow. I paused to look back upstream, and was
startled by what I saw. Conditions
obscured the view, but everything around Cataract Pass was snow-covered. I’d read that snow often lingers well into
summer on Cataract Pass. But was the
snow I was seeing left over from the previous winter, or was it fresh
accumulation? I began to wonder if we’d
be able to make it out that way.
It
was at this point that I noticed that I couldn’t get any water out of my
Platypus reservoir. I thought the hose
might be pinched, so I gave it a tug.
Suddenly, I was holding the entire hose.
Yikes! If the hose had
disconnected, water was leaking in my backpack.
I dropped it, and quickly began to unpack. I pulled out the reservoir, but it was already
empty. Some of my clothes were wet, but
my sleeping bag was in a waterproof stuff sack.
It’s a good thing, too. With
temperatures near freezing, this could’ve been a complete disaster.
I
resumed the hike as the snow continued to fall.
I hiked high above the river gorge, along a hillside littered with
boulders. A steep descent followed, and
I passed what would’ve been a great view down the Brazeau
River valley. I made a note of the spot,
since we would be passing back through here 4 days later.
From
there, the descent led past a powerful waterfall, where the river emerged from
the gorge through a narrow flume. I
returned to river level, and the snow changed back to rain. I caught up with Dave at a footbridge over
the river. The bridge was a huge
relief! The river was raging, and it had
doubled in size since the first ford. I
don’t think we would’ve been able to cross it safely without the bridge.
We
passed through the Boulder Creek campground, where we would be staying in 3
nights. From there we hiked downstream,
mostly in the woods. We crossed a long
bridge over Boulder Creek, and endured several steep ups and downs before
arriving at the Four Point Campground.
Four Point is in the woods near the river, and
is quite lovely. It’s a large site, with
room for 7 or 8 groups. Luckily, there
wasn’t anyone there when we arrived. We
set up camp, and pitched my tarp over one of the picnic tables. It was nice to get out of the rain after
walking in it all day.
After
I pitched my tent I was able to assess the damage from the platypus leak. Some clothing was a little damp, but it
wasn’t too bad. A bit later, a couple
from Belgium hiked into camp. We tried
to converse, but their English was very marginal. I thought they wanted to share our tarp,
which would’ve been fine with us.
Instead, they built an impressive fire.
Before long they had most of their clothing suspended over the fire. The temperature was barely above freezing,
but the guy was actually standing next to the fire barefoot, wearing
shorts! I guess being from Belgium
toughens you up against foul weather!
I
slept well that night. The rain
continued into the next morning. We got
a lazy start due to the conditions, despite having a 12+ mile day ahead of us. We hung out for a couple of hours under the
tarp as the rain persisted. Eventually
it eased up, so we broke camp and hit the trail. Heavy, dark clouds still obscured the
surrounding mountains, but they had lifted enough to reveal a line of fresh
snow a few hundred feet above us.
We
hiked downstream, passing a ranger’s cabin a short distance from the
campground. We continued downstream to
another bridge over the river, where we stopped for lunch. The normal route crosses the bridge here and
continues downstream on the far side of the river. Unfortunately, the next bridge downstream had
recently washed out. The park service
had constructed a temporary trail down the opposite side of the river,
bypassing both bridges. However, it
wasn’t much of a trail. It was well marked
with ribbons, and occasionally antlers, but there was no tread to speak
of. It was basically a game trail. It was little better than bushwhacking, and
we had to do it for several miles. The
worst part was a stretch of willow swamp with a stream crossing. We both got our boots damp there, and a
larger creek crossing required switching to sandals.
This
stretch was tedious, and it was a relief to rejoin the official trail at the
site of the washed out bridge. The hike
was much nicer after that. There was
some lovely forest, carpeted in neon green moss and colorful wildflowers. One section of river was particularly
interesting, as it ran through narrow, boulder-lined gorge. From there, we left the river and entered
deeper forest. Before long we arrived at
another bridge spanning the North Fork of the Brazeau
River. This river was equally
impressive. It was a flood of
whitewater, swollen from 2 days of steady rain.
We followed it upstream to another bridge, and the spur trail to the Brazeau Lake campsites.
Brazeau Lake is a beauty, and the campground
is one of the nicest I’ve seen. It is
situated right at the outlet, so it has the aesthetics of both a lakeside and a
riverside campsite. I’m not sure what I
liked best, the view from the lakeshore or the musical sound of rushing
water. Part of the charm of the Brazeau Lake Campground was due to timing. We had the whole place to ourselves, and the
sun came out just as we arrived. It was
late in the afternoon, but it was still high enough to warm us up and dry us
out a little bit. We weren’t content to
rely just on the sun though. Brazeau Lake is one of the few campsites in Jasper where
campfires are allowed. We managed to get
a nice fire going despite the wet wood.
That evening we enjoyed the fire, chocolate and marshmallows, and a bit
of whiskey. All in all, it was one of
the nicer evenings I’ve spent in the wilderness.
MORNING SUN
We
awoke to bright sunshine and blue skies on Saturday. Brazeau Lake was a
hard place to leave, so we got another late start. It was worth it though. We took advantage of the opportunity to dry
our clothes and gear before packing up and hitting the trail.
We
hiked back downstream to the bridge we’d passed the previous afternoon. Then we hiked uphill through the woods, well
above the lake. This stretch of trail is
heavily forested, but I explored off-trail twice in hopes of finding a view of
the lake. Both forays were
successful. Each time I worked my way
out onto a cliff, with the long greenish lake stretched out below me. Peaks surround the lake on every side, making
it look like a Scottish Loch. Some of
the mountains still had fresh snow, too.
All of the viewpoints I found were partially wooded, but a couple of
them were open enough that I was able to get photos.
I
caught up to Dave just before we reached John John
Creek. There was another viewpoint here,
from the west side of the lake. It was
more open and quite scenic, though the view wasn’t as exciting as what I’d
found earlier by exploring off trail.
Still, it was nice to get even more views of the lake, with Chocolate
Mountain forming a dramatic backdrop.
We
continued on, crossing John John Creek on a narrow
bridge. We then hiked up the John John Creek canyon, finally leaving Brazeau
Lake behind. We stopped at the John John Creek campsite for lunch. This spot was a bit confusing, as one trail
continued upstream beyond the campsite, while another crossed the creek on a footlog and ascended the hillside above the far side of the
creek. Both appeared to be well
traveled. The map only shows one
trail. We eventually noticed a trail sign,
which we somehow missed when we arrived.
The correct trail continues beyond the campground. I’m not sure where the trail on the far side
of the stream goes. Dave theorized that
it might be a shortcut to the Jonas Pass area.
It’s also possible that it leads to another ranger’s cabin.
A
long steady climb took us through lovely subalpine forest to treeline. We enjoyed
sweeping views for several miles as we strolled through the meadows leading up
to Poboktan Pass.
It was late afternoon when we finally reached the top. We took a break there, and I decided to climb
the hillside behind the pass for an even better view. I was rewarded with a broader vista from a
hillside carpeted with stunted yellow paintbrush. It was windy and chilly up there, and by the
time I returned to the pass, Dave had disappeared. I eventually caught up with him on the trail
along Poboktan Creek.
The
final mile or two had some wet, muddy stretches that were tedious. Despite this, it was a still a scenic
hike. We finally reached the Jonas
Cutoff junction, and headed up that trail a short distance to the Jonas Cutoff
Campsite. This area was extremely busy,
which was a bit startling after seeing only a few people during the first 3
days of the trip. The campground was
full, and we set up camp in the last 2 sites.
At the campground we met the couple from Belgium again, a couple from
New England, and a big group of guys from Calgary. The local guys were a fount of
knowledge. They told us about some of
their favorite hikes in the area – mainly ones that are off the beaten
path. I ended up jotting down notes on
some of them, because I love doing hikes that are off the radar of the average
tourist.
Mosquitoes
made their first appearance of this trip at the Jonas Cutoff Campground. They were pretty annoying, but barely
noticeable compared to what we encountered in Tonquin
Valley. Mosquito meter 2.
I
used the “Don’t Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies” guidebook to plan both
of our trips to Canada. It’s a useful
book, in that it rates all of the hikes according to the opinion of the
authors. I’ve found that I agree with
their opinions in most cases. However,
their view of the Brazeau loop is an exception. They recommend hiking from the Nigel Pass
Trailhead, over Nigel Pass and Jonas Pass, and down to Jonas Cutoff. Then, after a layover day to hike to Poboktan Pass, they recommend backtracking rather than
completing the loop. They describe the Brazeau Lake and Brazeau River
portion of the loop as tedious and boring, and state that there aren’t any good
views of the lake. This is one instance
where I have to strongly disagree. While
some of the hiking along the river is tedious (particularly the stretch of
temporary trail that bypasses the washed out bridge), other parts are lovely. The river is a nice companion, and there are
occasional views of the surrounding mountains.
The view of Brazeau Lake from the campground
is quite nice, and even better vistas can be found by exploring off-trail on
the hillside south of the lake.
Back to the Canadian Rockies
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!