Mount Assiniboine and Company

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Due to the mosquito problems, we resolved to improve the setup for the tarp that night. Of course, if we were unsuccessful, there wouldn’t be many options out in the backcountry, away from cars and lodging. Since Sara was sleeping in the car and her alarm clock was in the tent, we didn’t wake up until later than we hoped. I just don’t hear alarms in the morning. Anyway, we rushed to get ready and hopefully make the first bus out of Sunshine Meadows. We though that would be an 8:30 am bus, but we got there at 8:40 am and found out the first buses were at 9 am. Perfect timing! There were two other groups of backpackers along with 20 or 30 day hikers. Most of them would only go as far as Citadel Pass, about 5 miles away, while we had at least 13 miles in front of us. We were feeling pretty good, so we raced out ahead of most of the crowd. The hike was almost all above tree line to Citadel Pass, and we had only two fellow hikers with which to share the pass. It was lunchtime, so we had a good long break.

After lunch, the hardest part of the hike, especially for Sara, wore us out. The trail was a steep downhill and her toenails were becoming excruciatingly painful. Every step down, with her toes sliding into the front of her boots, brought a grimace. Advil brought some relief, and we trudged on toward our goal of Og Lake. The next 6 miles were a bit monotonous, with far more up and down than our guidebook led us to believe. The only break in our drudgery was a rare bird sighting, the White-tailed Ptarmigan, which was sitting in the middle of the trail with three chicks, making for a great photo shoot. We rolled into camp around 6 pm, tired and ready to settle down with a good meal. The view would have been great, but the mosquitoes had other ideas. The high snowfall and following warm temperatures had led to extraordinary numbers of the little buggers. All activity required walking in circles, running back and forth, swatting and occasionally swallowing mosquitoes and, eventually, succumbing and hoping the DEET worked. We did a much better job of setting up the tarp and, with the help of earplugs, slept off our long day.

Never a day’s rest. That seems to be the motto of our trips. We would follow up our thirteen mile day with yet another thirteen mile day. Since there wasn’t a bus to wait on, at least the day could begin earlier. First, we hike the four miles to our next campsite, Lake Magog, which sits at the base of Mount Assiniboine, the highest peak in the area. As we were the early risers, we got first choice of campsites. The pick of the litter allowed us to look out at the mountain through the tarp’s open door. Good thing, as Og Lake was merely the warm up act for the bugs.

After setting up camp and hanging our food, we could either stay in the tent or head out for one of the nearby day hikes. Since the sun was broiling our tent, the hike sounded great. The best of the hikes involves walking past lakes with names like Sunburst and Cerulean, then climbing up 9000’ Nub Peak, for a great overview of the area. So that’s what we did. The lakes were nice, but the viewpoint from Nub Ridge and “The Nublet” allowed eye level views of the glaciers on Assiniboine and great views of all the surrounding mountains. I was satisfied and enjoying the mosquito free heights, but Sara insisted on hiking the additional 700’ of elevation to the top of the peak. There was some mild exposure, but we skirted the lower regions and made the top. The views there were 360°, looking back to Citadel Pass, down on the Simpson Valley, Wonder Pass, and the Assiniboine range. Plus, there was plenty of clean snow to fill our water bottles for cold drinks! The hike down was fun as we met up with a couple we had been talking to earlier in camp. He has done hiking all over the US, especially in the Southwest, and even appears on the cover of a canyonneering guidebook.

Since we had only hiked 11 miles so far, we decided to carry our food to the Naisel Huts, which have an indoor cooking area. While it was nice to not have to fight the insects off while we were eating, we probably spent more time hiking there than it was worth. Regardless, there was still some snow left to make cold Gatorade, the meal was relaxing, and we got to talk more with our new friends. He makes salads for backpacking with his dehydrator, and the one I had was delicious. Though it was a bit too spicy for Sara to even try, but it re-sparked her interest in getting a dehydrator to make our own meals. The hike back drove both of us crazy with swarms of mosquitoes seemingly sucking all the energy out that we just put in. The tent was a welcome sight.

It always seems like our trips are too short. How do you make it longer? Hike out early, of course! By cutting the backpack down to 4 days, we would have an extra day of hiking later on, and still get to see everything we wanted. Day three would take us to Wonder Pass. Since we would have to backtrack to return to camp, we packed up and took our packs with us. After a comparatively short climb, we reached the pass and decided to have a hot lunch in a mosquito free environment. Since I had brought two meals that required extra preparation time, we had the Biscuits and Gravy, from Backpacker’s Pantry. The time was well spent and enjoyed by both of us, as the makers used soy sausage to make it vegetarian friendly.

Wonder Pass isn’t the real view, so after a couple of worry-free hours on top, we headed to the Wonder Pass Viewpoint, about two miles away. Once there, we had to scramble down the hillside to obtain an unobstructed view, but the views were the best of the trip. Mount Assiniboine was to the right, with Mount Eon in the center, and down below were the most brilliant blue lakes. A great view.

On the hike back, we began to regret taking our packs with us, as ours legs weren’t quite as spry at this point of the trip. We passed by the Magog Lake Lodge and were envying the comfortable cabins and home-cooked meals when we noticed a sign saying afternoon tea - campers welcome (for a price of course). After 5 glasses of lemonade and 6 pieces of a wonderful variety of homebaked breads, we thought that our $14 were well spent. It was also nice to sit down although the smells emanating from our feet made us a little self conscious. The destination took us back down to Og Lake, as dark clouds began to roll in. Since we were so satisfied by our hot lunch, and the nine miles felt like an easy day, we decided to have a cold dinner, wash up in the lake, and get to bed. The rain held off long enough for us to get to sleep, but began during the night. The tarp opened to mixed reviews, as a few drips made it through, but we made it through the night without any major drenching.

Dead legs. After three days of the trip, with 35 miles under our belt, that is what I had. We got up at 5 am and were on the trail at 6 am, trying to catch the 3:30 pm bus back to Sunshine Meadows. We retraced out steps back through the monotony, reaching Citadel Pass by 11:15 am. After a thirty-minute lunch, we resumed hiking. Whenever you take the same path back, there are always sections that seem more difficult the second time around, mostly because you are now performing the section with tired legs instead of fresh. We were finding new hills around every turn, but still managed to best estimates and arrived in time to get some Gatorade before catching the 2:30 pm bus.

We headed back to Banff, the city, got a campsite and a long shower, and headed to Nourish, a vegetarian restaurant. Both of us had good meals and desserts, but had difficulty getting up and walking down the stairs. Seems a day off was the order for tomorrow. At camp, we set up the tent and just as we finished, rain began to fall. All night.

The increased rain made for a long night. We both felt a few drips, but Sara got the worst of it, with all the stuff just to the right of her getting soaked as the rain blew in. Even with that, we managed to get a good night’s sleep. Now it’s off to the Icefields Parkway and Jasper National Park, followed by the premier backpack in the region, to Berg Lake and Snowbird Pass. Here’s hoping for no mosquitoes!

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Photos

Mount Assiniboine
Reflection from Our Campsite

Mountains in the Backgroud...
And me, acting stupid. Sara likes those pictures, but I would focus on the backdrop.

Evening Light
We managed to get the best pictures at, of course, the times that are usually best for photography, morning and evening. We had to take this one quickly, or risk needing a blood transfusion.

White-tailed Ptarmagin?
While we concluded this was a White-tailed Ptarmigan, we were having second thoughts after seeing a picture in the visitor center of a "Spruce Grouse". After further review, we are right. The visitor center? Wrong.

Assiniboine at Sunrise
From our campsite at Og Lake, the early bird catches the best pictures!

Evening Light
We managed to get the best pictures at, of course, the times that are usually best of photograph, morning and evening. We had to take this one quickly, or risk needing a blood transfusion.

Initial Wonder
On the way to Wonder Pass, the stillness of the lake made for great reflections. We arrived at just the right time, as minutes later the wind erased all stillness from the lake.

Common Loon
These loons were lucky they were so good looking, as they were ruining our reflection!

Initial Wonder
On the way to Wonder Pass, the stillness of the lake made for great reflections. We arrived at just the right time, as minutes later the wind erased all stillness from the lake.

Evening Light
We managed to get the best pictures at, of course, the times that are usually best of photograph, morning and evening. We had to take this one quickly, or risk needing a blood transfusion.

Yes, We Were Both There
Getting pictures of the two of us can prove difficult, as we are usually the only ones there. Occasionally we share a spot at the top, and Nub Peak was popular enough for us to find a helper.

Lake Howard Douglas
The lakes were many shades of blue near Assiniboine. Here is one of the better shades.