YO-YO YOHO
Editor’s Note: We
apologize for the increasingly silly nature of the section titles. In this case, it’s also inaccurate, as
Fungi’s hike in Yoho National Park was a loop, not a “yo-yo”. Let’s start over, shall we?
THE ICELINE
The French word of the day is “a oublié”, which translates to “forgot” in English. As in, “Fungi a oublié his camera, so he doesn’t have any photos from his hike in Yoho.”
This should not be
confused in any way with the French professional tennis player Guy Forget
(pronounced Gee For-gay).
Most people wouldn’t
consider 17 miles a reasonable distance for a dayhike. Particularly when those 17 miles include
nearly 3000’ of elevation gain. My wife
is one of those people. So, while I
hiked in Yoho National Park, Christy went for a bike ride. This suited her just fine, since she wanted
to keep in tune for the upcoming fall triathlon season.
We got up early on Thursday
and drove to Lake Louise, where we picked up bagels at the bakery there. From there, we headed to Yoho. We followed the highway across the
continental divide into British Columbia.
Before long, we were driving a narrow, winding road up the Yoho Valley. Christy dropped me off at the trailhead near
the Whiskey Jack hostel, and headed back to the bike shop in Lake Louise. As the car disappeared around a bend, I
realized I had left my camera sitting on the floorboards! I tried to call her, but of course there was
no cell service.
My guidebook tells me that
“Yoho” is a Cree Indian exclamation of wonder.
Even after spending a few days in Banff, I could see why. Even down in the valley, I was surrounded by
rugged cliffs and sparkling glaciers. A
deep blue sky promised great weather for what I expected would be a very scenic
hike.
I headed up the trail at
8:45, climbing rapidly out of the Yoho River valley. I wandered in and out of forest, with occasional views back
across the valley to Takkakaw Falls.
“Takkakaw” is also a Cree word, and apparently it translates to “Holy
crap, will you look at that. Helen,
where’s the camera?” Well, that’s one
interpretation. After all, Takkakaw is
very popular. There is a large parking
area where I’d be ending my hike, and a short trail to an overlook of the
falls. I wouldn’t need to hike the
nature trail though. I had a great view
of it tumbling more than 1000’ from the
cliffs into the valley. The waterfall
is fed by melting glaciers, so the water volume is intense, especially on a
sunny day. I haven’t been to Yosemite
yet, but I’ve seen photos, and this waterfall looked to be every bit as
spectacular as Yosemite Falls, if not more so.
After all, it doesn’t dry up in the summer.
Frequent views of the falls
helped take my mind off the climb out of the canyon. Before long, I cleared the final trees and continued to ascend
through a barren, rocky landscape. The
view continued to improve. Aside from
the falls, which were my constant companion for the first few miles of the
hike, I could now see the glaciers feeding them. Behind me, the peaks and glaciers around Lake O’hara towered over
the valley. Ahead, the trail traversed
a ledge high above the canyon, but still at the base of yet more peaks and
glaciers.
I was still climbing when I
heard voices behind me. Before long, a
couple had caught up to me. It’s not
often I get passed while hiking uphill, but these two practically left me in
the dust. The guy was from Australia,
and the girl was from Washington, DC, though she was born and raised in the
Canadian Rockies. It turns out that
they were doing basically the same hike as I, except they were planning on
skipping a shortcut I intended to take.
They were planning on going closer to 20 miles. It just goes to show that even when you’re
attempting something difficult, there’s bound to be someone else doing even
more.
The trail leveled off
somewhat, though it still wandered up and down at the base of the cliffs. Before long, I was passing directly below a
series of glaciers clinging to the mountains above. I rock hopped several streams, before reaching a junction with my
shortcut trail. It would take me down
past Lake Celeste and into the Little Yoho valley. From there, I would climb the Whaleback and descend past Twin
Falls into the Yoho Valley.
Instead of heading down, I
decided to tack on a side trip. I guess
17 miles wasn’t enough, after all. I
continued ahead another ½ mile to the crest of a minor ridge, where I was
rewarded with a view to the glaciers at the head of the Little Yoho
valley. From that point I scrambled a
short distance up a minor peak, which improved the view even further. At the top, I found the same couple that had
passed me earlier, as well as two guys backpacking. They were on the final day of a 3-day trip. One guy was from Calgary, while the other
was from somewhere in British Columbia.
We talked for a while, before hiking together back to the Lake Celeste
junction. We parted ways, as they were
heading back the way I had come.
I descended steadily through
lovely meadows and forest before reaching the lake. It was noon, so I stopped for lunch. My feet were already achy, so I took off my boots and waded out
into the water, which wasn’t nearly as cold as I expected. The lake provided a pleasant place to rest,
but bad flies and mosquitoes chased me back onto the trail before long.
I descended the rest of the
way into the valley, and crossed the Little Yoho River on a sturdy bridge. On the far side, I crossed the valley trail
and picked up the steep path up the Whaleback.
The day’s first climb had been bigger, but this one was steeper. I was glad I was only carrying a daypack as
I climbed out of the valley.
I reached the crest of the
ridge in less than 30 minutes. Several
people were milling about, including the same couple I had already met twice
during the hike. I took a long break,
and enjoyed perhaps the best views of the day.
Once again, I was surrounded by mountains and glaciers in virtually
every direction. It would’ve made a great
photo.
I descended into aptly named
waterfall valley, where dozens of streams cascade down from the surrounding
glaciers. I crossed a bridge over the
main creek, just above the brink of Twin Falls. Once on the far side, I hiked downstream until I reached the
brink of the falls. This vantage is
stunning. Twin Falls is one of those
rare waterfalls that is better appreciated from the top than from the
base. I was at the edge of a cliff,
looking out over the canyon to the mountains beyond. The creek spilled over the cliff only a few feet away with a
deafening roar. Then the wind shifted,
and all of the incredible spray from the falls was blown back on me. I was instantly drenched. Maybe it was good thing I forgot the camera,
after all!
I thought it was all
downhill from here, but I was wrong.
Instead, I had to tackle the first of several puds (pointless ups &
downs). Puds were a recurring theme
throughout our vacation. A small, yet
significant climb finally led to a long series of switchbacks down the face of
the cliff. I finally reached the
bottom, and wandered through the woods to the side trail to the base of the
falls. At the base, I would’ve had a
nice view of the 260’ waterfall, except the sun was directly above the
falls. I could’ve gone blind trying to
look at the falls. I did get water, and
soaked my aching feet again. Only 5
miles to go!
I left the falls at 4pm,
passing the Twin Falls Chalet. I have
very few complaints about the hiking in the Canadian parks, but here’s
one: There are way too many chalets and
tea houses and lodges and helicopter tours in the backcountry. The Canadian National Parks could contain a
vast stretch of spectacular wilderness.
In most respects they do, with the exception of these annoying and all
too frequent intrusions. I suppose some
of that sort thing might be ok, particularly in appropriate places (for
example, near Lake Louise). But three
of our four backpacking trips and many of our dayhikes passed near these
backcountry hotels. That’s too many.
I headed down the trail, and
before long passed a group that was obviously staying at the chalet. They were distraught, as they had gotten
separated from another couple. A few
minutes later, I found the missing hikers, heading in the wrong direction. I redirected them, and suggested they call
their friends on the radios they were carrying.
The next stretch of trail
was enjoyable, as it passed near the creek, which was still roaring down the
mountain. At one point, the creek raced
through a short slot canyon only 2’ wide.
Just beyond I passed the Twin Falls campground, which looked nice though
it wasn’t particularly close to the falls.
Beyond the campsites, I climbed a short pud to join the Yoho Valley
Trail.
The rest of the walk was a
breeze. It was on mostly flat trail
through the woods. Occasional views of
the Yoho River provided some distraction from my tired feet. I reached the confluence with the Little
Yoho River, and enjoyed a nice view of Laughing Falls just upstream. The next hour of hiking was pretty boring,
as short side trails to two other waterfalls were less inspiring. Finally I reached an open meadow, where I
was greeted with another view of Takkakaw Falls. Beyond the meadow, the trail passed through a walk-in campground. I reached the parking area at 6:15, which
was 15 minutes early. I spent that time
soaking my feet in the icy river.
Christy found me a few minutes later.
She had been up at the Takkakaw Falls overlook taking pictures – with my
camera.
Continue reading about our adventures in Canada, as I meet some new friends on a hike from Moraine Lake to Paradise Valley.
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!