GIVE ME ALL YOUR LUPINES

Another day in the life of a mosquito:

Phil was a mosquito. That meant that he was universally loathed by every other animal on the plant. Some might say that Phil was an asshole. But Phil didn’t know this. Phil lived in Tonquin Valley, which was a pretty good place to live for a mosquito. There were plenty of swamps and mud holes to breed in, and hikers and horses to feed on. Phil got up early that morning, as soon as it was warm enough to move. He headed straight for the campground, as it was his favorite place to make a nuisance of himself.

There were hikers eating breakfast at one of the picnic tables. They smelled terrible, but summer is short, and Phil wasn’t inclined to be picky. He headed for the nearest one. He got warmed up by flying around in his face. The hiker was wearing some sort of mesh contraption, but that didn’t stop Phil from buzzing around in his ear. While he was there, he ran into his friend, also named Phil.

Phil: “How’s it going?”

Phil: “Not bad. This hiker keeps swatting at me, but he has bad aim”.

Phil: “They usually do”.

Phil: “It doesn’t matter anyway, because I’m thinking about killing myself”.

Phil: “Oh?”

Phil: “Yeah, I’m just trying to decide if I want to dive into his oatmeal or do the backstroke in his coffee.”

Phil: “He’s drinking coffee?”

Phil: “Yeah”

Phil: “Well good luck with killing yourself – I’ve got to run. I’ve got to get over to the privy to get myself in position.”

Like I said, Phil was an asshole.

I got up earlier the next morning. It was early enough to catch some nice light on The Ramparts, but there was a light breeze creating a ripple on the surface of the lake. The clouds were less appealing, too, so the photography was actually better the previous morning.

After a few photos, we had breakfast and packed up. That morning we hiked around to the Surprise Point Campground, at the south end of the lake. The hike was only a couple of miles, but we had a longer dayhike planned for that afternoon.

We enjoyed nice scenery as we left the lakeshore. We passed another horse camp (cabins) and endured a fairly steep climb through the woods. The views were limited along this stretch of trail, but the wildflowers were fantastic. There was plenty of paintbrush, but the lupines stole the show. We passed numerous pocket meadows, and most of them were full of the tall, purple flowers.

We crested the hill and reached a junction. At that point, the horse trail continues down to the Astoria River and on to the Edith Cavell Trailhead. We turned right, passing the Clitheroe Campground (decent, but only limited views) before descending through more woods and lupine-filled meadows. A few views of the Ramparts opened up before we bottomed out at a ranger station. There wasn’t anyone there, so we continued on through willow flats and marshy meadows to the outlet of Amethyst Lake. The scenery was fantastic there, with views up the length of the lake, below the sheer cliffs of The Ramparts. The views of the more distant peaks and glaciers to the south and west were equally impressive. Most eye-catching were the mountains surrounding the Eremite Glacier – our goal for the afternoon.

Another ½ mile of hiking brought us to the Surprise Point Campground. It sits on a knoll just south of Amethyst Lake. The view from here is different than from the Amethyst Campground, but no less beautiful. I’m glad we were able to stay at both, so we could see the lake and cliffs from different vantage points.

We set up camp and had lunch. During lunch we met two of our neighbors, Arry and Roberto. They were from the Boston area, and were quite memorable because Arry had a full-sized cowbell attached to her pack. I’m prone to making fun of the tinkling little bells that some hikers carry to allegedly alert bears of their presence. I must say, while the cowbell was big and heavy, it certainly was more effective. From that point on, I referred to Arry as “Cowbell”. This is how trail names are born.

After lunch Dave and I took a dayhike to Eremite Valley. The hike started with a long, rocky descent to the Astoria River Trail Junction, just above Chrome Lake. This stretch of trail was mostly tedious, though we did encounter a spruce grouse with chicks. Also, the last bit of trail before the junction was a wildflower garden featuring wild columbine and other blooms.

From there we continued up a beautiful valley along a glacial stream. The valley was thick with willows, but open enough to allow views of the peaks and glaciers surrounding us. Before long we crossed a milky glacial stream on a footbridge. Just beyond, we took a brief side trip to the brink of a roaring cascade.

More easy hiking through willow flats followed. Eventually we started a stout climb though. We worked our way up a ridge above the stream as clouds built overhead. We passed above Arrowhead Lake, but went off-trail a short distance to get a view of the silty green water. It was a great view, with an impressive glacier immediately above the lake. We continued on the trail, up to a crossing of one of the streams feeding the lake. It began to rain when we arrived, so we put on rain gear before continuing. We rock hopped the creek and worked our way downstream to a view of the upper end of the lake. It was a nice spot, but the view from the earlier vantage point had been better.

The rain passed quickly, but we decided against going further. An unofficial trail continues up the valley past Arrowhead Lake to a chain of smaller lakes and tarns.

We met another of our campsite neighbors, Johnny, on the trail. He was a solo hiker on a long off-trail backpacking trip. We passed him as he was coming down the valley. He was moving fast, so we didn’t see him again until dinner that evening.

We returned by the same route. Originally I’d planned to take a side trip up to Outpost Lake. There is an ACC (Alpine Club of Canada) hut there, at the base of another glacier. It was getting late though, and it looked like the sun would be in a bad place for photos. We headed straight back, for a relaxing but mosquito-filled evening at camp. After dinner, everyone headed down to the bridge over the outlet stream for sunset. It wasn’t the most spectacular sunset, but it may have been the longest. The Ramparts at the far end of the lake descend at angle towards the horizon. From our perspective, the sun followed the line of the mountains as it dropped. We all watched as it slowly rolled its way down from the highest peak into the lake.

MORE COWBELL

I got up at 5:30 the next morning. I had one last chance to catch morning alpenglow on The Ramparts, and I didn’t want to miss it. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. I was fully dressed and out of the tent when I realized that it was overcast. Sunrise was a dud, so I went back to bed briefly. As luck would have it, the clouds cleared off later that morning, and it ended up being a gorgeous blue sky day.

Dave and I broke camp and hiked back down to the Astoria River Trail. We could’ve hiked back up to the main horse trail, which is more heavily traveled and better maintained. However, that route is a couple of miles longer, and would’ve required a significant climb and descent. We took the direct route. We descended on the same trail we’d hiked the previous day. After the first mile in the woods, we picked up the Astoria River Trail down to Chrome Lake. The lake is scenic, though not spectacular. We crossed the river on a bridge and negotiated a tedious section of trail with lots of boulder hopping. Afterwards, we followed good trail along a wooded hillside high above the river. Most of the trail was good, but there were a couple of difficult stretches. A few places were wet and muddy, and it was hard to follow the trail through one marsh.

We eventually descended to a bridge over the river. The view here to the mountains upstream (that we’d just left) was lovely. On the far side we joined the main trail. We stopped for lunch there, since there were good places to sit and we were right next to the river. Shortly before we departed, I heard a familiar sound – a cowbell. Arry (Cowbell) and Roberto were coming down the trail behind us. Dave had already started down the trail, but I waited to chat with them briefly. We ended up passing each other and occasionally hiking together the rest of the way out.

We hiked past the Astoria Campground (in the woods above the river, but a pleasant spot) and down to another bridge over the river. Beyond, we began a gradual climb out of the valley. Along the way we passed an elderly German couple that was dayhiking to the second bridge. Good for them! I hope I can do that when I am their age.

The final few miles were long and mostly boring. We were high above the river, and the trail was wide and uninteresting. There were a couple of highlights. The first was an area with some limited views of the Jasper Skyline on the far side of the valley. Later, just before the trailhead, we arrived at a gorgeous lake at the base of the sheer cliffs of Mount Edith Cavell.

We ran into Cowbell and Roberto again at the end of the hike. They were trying to hitchhike back to their car at the starting trailhead on Portal Creek. We were headed that way, but there was absolutely no room in Dave’s car. In fact, it was tricky squeezing our packs in. Before we left, I had an inspiration. If they could get to the bottom end of Marmot Basin Road, I could pick them up and take them up to their car. It just so happens that there was a family leaving at the same time. They were headed for Jasper, and would pass right by there. They weren’t keen on taking them all the way up to Portal Creek, but were willing to take them to the bottom of the road.

Dave drove us back to the trailhead. I then took the rental car down to pick them up. The drive back up only took a few minutes, and it was nice to help them out. Getting between the two trailheads isn’t terribly difficult because the roads are well traveled, but it is definitely not something that anyone would want to walk!

We drove into Jasper and checked in at the Wapiti Campground. I’d made reservations months in advance, and it was a good thing – the campground was full. We went straight to the showers. After a good scalding we headed into town. We were looking forward to real food and beer, plus we needed to pick up some groceries and other odds and ends.

Our first stop was at a gas station. When I pulled in, all of the pumps were taken except one at the far end. There wasn’t anybody waiting, so I drove around and pulled up to the pump. I was starting to pump when the owner of the car directly in front of me said something rude – with a Canadian accent. I was shocked – a rude comment from a Canadian? I didn’t think that was possible.

At first I didn’t know WTF his problem was. Then he told me that the gas station was one-way, and that I was going the wrong way. I was fascinated. A one-way gas station? I’d never heard of such a thing. I figured there must’ve been a sign or something that I failed to notice. But no, in fact, there wasn’t. Then it occurred to me that maybe all gas stations in Canada are one-way. That would be just like Canada to be that organized. If that’s the case, a lot of people haven’t gotten the memo. We passed lots of gas stations during our trip with cars facing different directions. If it was really a one-way gas station, it was only one-way in his head. My guess is that he was just annoyed because he had to back up a couple of feet to get around my car. In all likelihood this self-appointed enforcer of gas station etiquette was just a jerk.

We drove on into town, which is a pretty nice place. It’s busy, but smaller and less crazy than Banff. We stopped at a small, crowded grocery store to pick up food for the backpacking trip we were starting the next morning. Then we went in search of dinner. Dave suggested KFC. If Eric Cartman had been along, he would’ve been thrilled. After a 4-day backpacking trip, I was setting the bar a little higher. We ended up at the Jasper Brewing Company where we enjoyed decent but expensive burgers and beers.

Afterwards I picked up some boot laces to replace the pair that had unraveled on me the previous day. Then we stopped at a liquor store so I could get a little treat to share on the next hike. The clerk recommended Forty Creek whiskey, which apparently has won some awards. It was a lot cheaper than Crown Royal, and, as it turns out, quite a bit better. That clerk really knew what she was talking about! Christy and I ended up buying another bottle later in the trip, and then a third one to take home with us.

Afterwards we made a brief stop at the Visitor’s Center to use the WIFI and check the weather forecast. It was somewhat discouraging – two days of rain, followed by several days of nice weather. I hate starting a long backpacking trip in the rain, but the promise of better weather later in the trip was heartening.

We returned to camp, and spotted an elk in the campground. I decided against chasing after it with my camera. Although we hadn’t seen much wildlife in Tonquin Valley, I was confident that would change. We spent the rest of the evening getting re-organized for our second backpacking trip. It would be a 7-day trip, starting with the classic Nigel Pass > Jonas Pass > Brazeau Lake loop. The last few days would feature an extension, as we planned to hike off-trail into the headwaters of the Brazeau River. Then we’d climb over Cataract Pass, before descending the Cataract Creek valley in the White Goat Wilderness. Our last night would be at Pinto Lake, before we hiked out over Sunset Pass on the final day.

Continue reading about our adventures in the Canadian Rockies as Dave and I conclude our backpacking trip in Tonquin Valley in Jasper National Park.

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