Grassi Lakes Hike (Canmore, AB)

It was a while since we had visited the mountains, which we seem to have fallen in love with since we first saw them back in Aug’09. We had seen the Rockies a few times in summer and in fall. We loved it each time. Winter was just about setting in and we wanted to check how the Rockies looked in snow. More importantly we had just invested in our snow boots and wanted to try them out to ensure we made a sensible spend. So we chose to go on a hike to Grassi Lakes - just off Canmore.

So we set on the morning of 22/Nov/09, a Sunday. We decided to leave early and have breakfast in Canmore town – we anyways had to go to the visitor’s information centre to confirm that the trail is still open after a heavy snowfall during the week. We didn’t get enough time the previous day to research on a restaurant, so we ended up walking down the main streets of Canmore in the cold before settling on a Coffee Shop specializing in Bagels. We gulped down the hot coffee and bagel sandwiches quickly. The information centre was closed, so we went to another centre in the outskirts. We got a confirmation on the trail and the helpful lady behind the desk gave us a couple of maps as well.

As we approached the base, we saw how well winter had set in the mountains. Snow was allover and the lake at the base was already frozen. There are 2 trails to Grassi Lakes which is found around 200 meters from the car park. We had read and were also told at the information centre that the more difficult route had all the views - of Canmore and the Bow Valley. The more difficult route is not really very difficult but one has to watch their footing. Though there is a series of stairs to make the climb easier, the snow and ice made the path extremely slippery. Moreover it had completely covered the path in many places and we were clueless on where to go next. We were lost for about an hour with no signals on the phone as well. At one point we contemplated on retracing our steps. But we got stuck in a particularly difficult spot.

The spot was difficult because a brook running down the mountain had frozen and the whole place was just ice. We fell several times between the 2 of us. The situation was more hilarious than we thought – am sure we looked like bowling pins getting knocked down regularly. We managed to catch a glimpse of a lovely and quite big waterfall over the next mountain amidst our falling act. Luckily an hour into this falling and searching madness, a group of hikers came along. One of them had been to the place before so knew the “hidden” path. We followed them all the way to the top.

There are 2 lakes (springs really) at the top and a beautiful view of Ha Ling Peak. The 2 lakes atop the mountain have been named after the guy who discovered it. The lakes themselves are a sparkling sight. The water is so clear that a good reflection of the mountains, tree and snow falls very well on it. A steep but short climb at the end of the upper lakes leads to a canyon where a genuine petro-glyph can be found on a large boulder. We heard that the area was popular sport climbing as well. We didn’t climb that part as it was getting late – we had lost a lot of time earlier on trying to find the path to the lakes. But it gives enough inspiration for a re-visit at least. We got back on the easy route after the interesting incident we had on the other route. This route was quite boring comparatively. It looked like a truck route and just cut through the trees blindly.

We were thankful to come back home and that too in one piece. But despite the episode we loved the hike – it was enchanting and charming nonetheless.

Here is a link to our album: http://picasaweb.google.com/akshatakaranth/GrassiLakesHike22Nov09

More information on how to access the trail and the trail itself can be found at:

http://www.trailpeak.com/trail-Grassi-Lakes-Trail-near-Canmore-AB-6066 or

http://hikealberta.com/hike/grassi-lakes-trail

Waterton National Park

The first thing anyone in Alberta tells you about Waterton is the wildlife spotting. So when Mujir and Avanti suggested we accompany them and Avanti’s mom, we happily agreed. Moreover Sharan colleagues let out the secret – it’s the pre-hibernation time for the bears so they’ll be out there gorging on berries before they disappear for winter. That nailed it for us. We have been fairly luckily in Bandipur and Panna in India. So definitely wanted to check what it was here.

As always we decided to leave early. Waterton is a minimum 3 hr drive (borders USA) and if wanted to make the most of the day in the place, we had to be there early. We got up late making others wait, so we were running around scampering for things. In all the early morning commotion, both Sharan and I forgot our camera – A blunder and not just a mistake we found out later.

We reached our 1st destination – a hiking trail just before Waterton Village called Bear’s Hump around 9:30. As we got off the car, we heard girls screeching and screaming. When I turned around to check what the hullabaloo was all about, it was our first bear sighting for the day. It was a fully grown black cinnamon bear 12 feet away, looking straight at us. Thanks to all the noise it scuttled away before Avanti or her mom could get the camera. That pretty much defined the rest of the day for us.

We happily started the ascent to the Bear’s hump. The board read that it was short but steep. Knowing our fitness level both Sharan and I got instantly cautious. The climb was quite sharp but we trudged along slowly. We reached the hilltop within an hour. And it was the windiest I’ve ever seen – Sharan was almost knocked off his feet, so one can imagine the plight of the rest J But it was all well worth it as the view of Waterton lakes (upper and lower) and the village was stunning. We missed our camera but 2 other point n shoots were available atleast for witness. The downhill hike was much faster as always but not as fast as it would be for the Canadians. We met several hikers who were on the way up when we were going downhill. The entire lot crossed us again and we hadn’t reached the base yet. Speaks a lot about our and their fitness and speed, huh?

We decided to have packed brunch on the banks of the river nearby. Though there weren’t appropriate seating available, we hungrily devoured the sandwiches. The mood got even better after a stomach fill. We decided to head to the village and see if we could get onto the cruise around the lake. On the way back from the river to the village, we saw that the car in front of us had stopped. We weren’t sure if it had broken down or they were lost, looking at maps. We were in the middle of nowhere – with the valley on 1 side and forrest on the other. The driver then pointed out to a nearby hillock. It was our second bear sighting for the day. It was another fully grown black cinnamon bear looking at down at the car in front of us – just 20 ft away. This time we were able to capture it on camera. Oh but there is a difference - it wasn’t our camera. Anyways, guess there was another bear nearby (we couldn’t see), so this one ran back into the jungle.

By now everyone agreed that luck WAS on our side - we reached Waterton village in time for the cruise. The cruise was quite good – the commentator was even better. But I’d not recommend it for the 2nd time. The 2 highlights of the cruise were –
A. Part of Upper Waterton Lake is in the US, so we crossed borders with NO FUSS.
B. Spotted bald eagles nesting.
The other interesting point we noted was that the 7 hour difficult hike up to Crypt Lake, the most popular hike of Waterton, started in the middle of nowhere and the only way to get to the starting point was this cruise.

Once we were off the cruise, we roamed around the main streets of the village. We spotted some wild deer roaming around just like us – that definitely was an unusual sight. It was almost 6pm and we hurriedly got to our next destination – red canyon. The drive up to the place was very scenic. But the canyon itself was disappointing because the river was almost dry. But it was definitely red – due to the color of the mud and the dusk. We headed to our last destination for the day - bison paddock. A vast space where wild bisons are found, fenced though. We saw more than a dozen of them – quite ugly creatures I must admit.

On the way back, just as we took a turn into the highway I spotted a coyote trotting along a farm fence (I thought it was a fox till I looked it up the next day). Unfortunately since it was the highway we couldn’t stop. And by the time others saw it, we had zoomed past L

We stopped at Pincher Creek Village for some gas and a quick bite. It also had gotten much cooler. We reached Calgary late evening, tired and sleepy. That was the end of a satisfying trip. All of us did have a smile as we went to sleep dreaming of bears but not bulls for a change.

More info on Waterton is available at:
http://www.watertonpark.com/
http://www.watertoninfo.com/

Photos: will be uploaded/ updated once I get the pictures from other cameras.

Johnston Canyon – Banff National Park

Sharan informed me that we would have the car over the weekend. Since the office rental car was shared between 4 colleagues, we had to wait for our turn to take the car. I suggested that we go to Lake Winniwonka (yes, sounds like it’s from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, isn’t it?). Sharan’s colleague Mujir had suggested Johnston Canyon. We finally decided to take a call after we reach Banff. We initially wanted to go on Saturday – but with all the cooking, cleaning, groceries, etc – the plan didn’t materialize. So it was Sunday, 20th Sep’09.

It was drizzling all the way through making us wonder if we chose the wrong day. It would be a good drive if not anything we agreed. We stopped at Lac De Arc (lake) – the 1st “viewpoint” you see when you approach Rockies/Banff from Calgary. After a couple of quick shots, we left to our next destination – Banff National Park gates to buy a pass. We now have a year around pass – given that we were going so often and with all the promised visits from folks n friends, we thought might as well.

On reaching Banff village we headed to the information centre. The lady said it was beautiful day to hike up the Johnston Canyon. The sun was coming up after all. So we took a map and headed for some breakfast. Once we got done with that as well, we headed to Johnston Canyon. The drive up to the trail was a long one – amidst dense coniferous forests. The sky cleared up and the sun was out in all splendor. With the fall having set in and all shades of green to yellow colors splashed across the place, it was beautiful. One could teach shading and mixing colors to aspiring artists from just here I think.

We finally made it to Johnston Canyon parking lot. Surprised to see that there were lots of hikers there, we started our ascent. The trail itself was well laid with wooden/metal railings on and off. This is something a trekker from India isn’t used to. The trail had the mountain towering on 1 side and the river down the canyon on the other. So sometimes it was great to have the railings after all.

The hikers were accommodating – followed “right of way” even while walking/hiking. Received an occasional “hi there” or “hello” (they got to be Brits – who else would say that in today’s world? But it’s great).

We saw many cascades all along the way. The water was crystal clear – well after seeing all those ads on glacier fed mineral water bottled, we can now say it could be true. In some sections the water was deep blue and in other sections it was turquoise blue – effect of the stones beneath we were once told. But Johnston Canyon has 2 main waterfalls – upper and lower. You hike longer for the upper. It’s also the bigger one. You need to walk through a cave tunnel for the lower one – very exciting. The ice-cold water just sprays at you. It actually is a welcome feeling after the hike for unfit people like us. Though the trail promised, sadly we couldn’t spot any birds except A raven.

We decided not to climb further up to Ink Pots as it would get late. So we headed back to Banff Village for a late lunch (or early dinner). We decided to try the tex-mex restaurant. It was worth it. With yummy fruitless Sangria (yes you get fruitless sangria here), quesadillas and salsa dips, it was a perfect ending to a wonderful day. A good drive, a good hike and good food definitely makes a good Sunday.

More details are available at: http://www.banff.com/hiking/johnston_canyon.shtml

Link to our picture album:
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/sredir?uname=akshatakaranth&target=ALBUM&id=5386734871504858417&authkey=Gv1sRgCI-V5KSFlKn9OA&invite=CNvXlscN&feat=email