THE MOOSE THAT SAVED SUNDAY
We
got off to a slow start on Sunday. After
a breakfast of eggs, potatoes, sausage, and coffee we spent a good bit of time
reorganizing the car. We would be car
camping for the next few days. I planned
several dayhikes, but Christy decided to skip
them. Her knee wasn’t swollen from our
backpacking trip, but Saturday’s hike had been painful. She wanted to rest it for a few days so that
it would be in good shape for our final trip to Lake O’Hara.
We
stopped in Banff that morning to do a little research on other activities that
Christy could do. Unfortunately,
everything we considered was horribly expensive. We looked at horseback rides and whitewater
rafting, but it was hard to justify the cost.
For example, a 1/2 day horseback ride through Paradise Valley would cost
nearly $300 per person. In the end,
Christy decided to spend her time swimming, shopping, and relaxing at various
hot springs. The swimming was easy, as
there is an aquatic center in Banff.
From
Banff we drove to Canmore. From there we followed a long dirt road up
past the Spray Lakes. My goal for the
day was a hike to Burstall Pass. The hike would be in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, though the pass is actually on
the boundary with Banff National Park.
The
drive was long and tedious. I was
frustrated, as it was already after noon and it was taking forever just to get
to the trailhead. It was a long, boring,
dusty drive, too. I was also feeling
guilty, since Christy planned to drop me off and then drive back to Canmore for the afternoon.
That meant that she would have to drive back out that afternoon to pick
me up. I was in an inexplicably grumpy
mood when I spotted something large and brown on the hillside above the
road. I slammed on the brakes. When the dust cleared, we spotted a moose
relaxing in the bushes.
Woohoo!
This was our first significant wildlife sighting of the trip. Nine years earlier, we encountered all sorts
of wildlife, both while driving and hiking.
This trip had been a huge disappointment in the wildlife
department. We ran into several groups
of local / regional hikers, and a consistent theme was that there was no longer
much wildlife in the area. Nobody knew
why. Either the overall numbers are
down, or the animals have moved into more remote areas.
My
mood took a 180 degree turn thanks to that moose. Moose are Christy’s favorite wildlife, so I
was glad that the long drive had been worthwhile for her. It turns out that she encountered mountain
goats on her way back to Canmore, and spotted a bear
on her way back to pick me up. Clearly
the Spray Lakes area is the place to look for wildlife! In fact, back in 2005 we saw several moose,
deer, and bighorn sheep in this area.
We
reached the trailhead, and found the large parking area completely full. Luckily Christy was dropping me off. I ate lunch quickly in the parking lot and
hit the trail. The hike started with a
couple of miles on an old road. This was
fast, but pretty boring. The only highlight
was a series of lakes, including Mud Lake and the Burstall
Lakes. They had serious wildlife
potential, but I didn’t see anything. Of
course, early afternoon on a sunny day isn’t ideal for wildlife sightings.
The
road ended, and I negotiated a long creek crossing in a willow swamp. By long, I mean that I crossed a series of
channels over a ¼ mile or so. Somehow I
was able to hop through all of that without dunking a boot. There was a nice view from this valley, up to
an impressive glacier surrounded by jagged peaks. Once I finished the creek crossing, the climb
began. The first 2 miles had been flat,
but the next 2 were all uphill. Parts of
it were steep, too. After the initial
climb I leveled out in a subalpine meadow.
Views of the surrounding peaks were lovely here.
The
scenery only improved as I continued up above tree line. I reached Burstall
Pass, and was treated to incredible vistas in every direction. Mount Sir Douglas and its glaciers were
particularly beautiful, but most interesting was the
view across the Spray River Valley to a sea of jagged peaks. In their midst was Mount Assiniboine, which
was one of my favorite places from our 2005 visit. It was interesting to see it from a different
angle. The view back down the valley to
the Burstall Lakes was quite spectacular, too.
This
area was very busy, but the pass was broad, so it didn’t seem crowded. I considered climbing the peak immediately
north of the pass, but didn't think I had time for it. Instead I wandered around off-trail,
strolling through the meadows and enjoying the views from different vantage
points. This is definitely one of the
most scenic places in the Canadian Rockies.
I’d like to return and do a longer trip through this area. Maybe start here and continue over to Lake Magog at the base of Mount Assiniboine.
The
hike to the pass only took me 2 hours. I
spent the next 90 minutes enjoying it, before hurrying back. I returned in 95 minutes and reached the
parking area 4 minutes after Christy pulled in.
We headed back to camp there, and had fresh grilled fish for dinner.
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