12 days in Canada

“I've got to go farther north....

never saw a Larch tree before. I've been missing out.”

“Og, Gog, Magog.... a bit confusing, eh? The last ones there are Gog Lake enroute to Wonder Pass”

“

When we reached Wonder Pass the weather was building and the clouds were resting heavy on the peaks obscuring what would have been a grand view.

Wonder Pass


Great!

So we head back down towards the Mount Assiniboine Lodge following the trail through a Larch Forest...


As we near the lodge the helicopter is landing with new lodge guests, we pause at a trail intersection to watch all of the activity. The helicopter ride is $130 per person one way and you can rent a 2 person cabin for $295 per night (per person) Yeah that's right....you can rent this beautiful little log cabin in the wilderness for $600 a night two night minimum.


We stop by the main lodge, pick up a brochure and take a peek inside. We were too early for tea time so we head back to camp for a while. After hanging around camp a while it's finally tea time! The public is welcome at the lodge for afternoon tea and cakes. Mmmmmmm Hodge tells me you can substitute tea for beer, wine or soda....Kewl! Well let's just say we started having a bit of weather while we were hiking the mile or so back up to the lodge. The kind of weather that travels sideways on an angle....LOL!

When we arrive at the lodge we shed the muddy boots, gaiters and the rain gear in the breezeway and head inside. Much to my surprise we are the only ones in the dining room. the nice lady that works at the lodge brings us both a Coke and a plate with 6 small slices of various cakes...WOW! never had that kind of service in the backcountry before ;) We hung around for quite a while..Hodge had a beer and I had another Coke as we watched the rain turn to snow through the windows of the lodge dining room. The staff seemed to be concerned for us..."you're staying at the campground?" they asked several times as the snow got a little thicker. Hodge said "yes, we are set up pretty good over there" then we heard a voice coming from the kitchen "There are some Naiset Huts available" We took a couple of Cokes to go and settled up our bill "$30 even should do it" Ouch! (but they were really good)

Back in the breezeway... we got back into our rain gear and headed back to our camp...
the snow was coming in on an angle, big wet flakes that just stuck to my rain gear. I looked down and my rain gear was solid white! Walking talking snowman :)”

“I knew there was an O and a G in the name! LOL!”

“None the worse for wear we arrive back at camp...dinner under the tarp tonight :)
That ice cold Coke was very nice with dinner!!!

The next morning we awoke to a light dusting of snow...

The Hodge Lodge


Breakfast under the tarp too.
See Martyb we know how to come inside out of the white stuff.

Since the snow was still falling we did discuss our options...

1. Continue as planned
2. Stay an extra night in a Naiset Hut and do a couple of higher mileage days to get out.
3. Throw money at it and fly out.

After a little discussion we decided to go ahead as planned...today's destination was Porcupine a much lower elevation in the trees where we could have a fire. That turned out to be the perfect decision.”

“I stowed my camera for this portion of the hike not wanting to expose it to the "bit of weather" we were having. Hodge took several photos along this section of trail....anything you want to add here Hodge?”

“Hodge works magic with that tarp!!!

I saw a special on TV that included Mount Assiniboine Lodge and showed the helicopter coming in. I guess the owners of the lodge are quite the gourmet chefs.

Glad your plan worked out! Waiting for more!”

“I do have a couple of shots of the 'bit of weather' hike to Porcupine. Just have to step out for a bit and then I'll get them posted so we can continue with this great trip report”

“Hey Hodge...remember at Cerulean Lake I said I was shooting a really moody one?

I converted it to B&W to add a bit of drama...
”

“Hey Hodge and David my wife leslie is making some of these tonight for little old me!!!
http://www.tracksoutdooradventures.com/recipe.html”

“bookmarked”

“mmmmmmmmmmmm......they're good :)”

“Mmmm.... Nanaimo Bar... LOL :-)”

“Okay, so we pack it up wet and snowy to set off for Porcupine Camp, down at the head of the Simpson Valley. It's about 700 feet lower than the trail we came in on, so maybe that will get us out of the weather a bit.

The sun tried to burn through as we started out and I thought WindWalker might get the camera back out....





It actually looked like it might clear up as we turned for the meadow trail back toward Og Lake...





But as we neared Og, we were heading back into the clouds...



A pika greets us at the Valley of the Rocks and so does the snow....





Finally a chance to dry out and warm up at Porcupine Camp....

”

“That fire warmed me through and through!!! Finally got a chance to dry my socks out thoroughly :) We stayed up all the way to midnight that night...LOL!

The new tent pads at Porcupine Camp.”

“Kewl!!! Nice trail pics!”

“Great trip report and beautiful pictures!”

“Thanks Karen!

Cool photos Hodge (pun intended). Leslie loved the Pika shot!

So the next morning we need to climb up out of this 700' hole and make our way to Citadel Pass...Phil's glossary of Canadian terms comes to mind here. The trail was "slightly uphill" for most of the day :)

Looking back down to the maedows below.


Back up and in the snow again...headed for Citadel pass.

At Citadel pass we had a snack or two and soaked in the views. We were greeted upon our arrival by this little chipmunk...



The Citadel


Larch and the Rockies

After hanging around on the pass for a while we head toward today's destination Howard Douglas Lake...our last camp on this trip.


We pass this small lake on our way...is this Citadel Lake Hodge?
”

“
Back at Howard Douglas Lake....tomorrow we leave the backcountry...so on the last afternoon I went nutz with the camera ;)




That puddle is actually the trail out of here...LOL!


Patio Umbrella???

We met a hiker from Calgary here on our last night...who had brought in lots of fresh food. He shared fresh rolls, dill pickles, Hot chocolate, etc. with us...I must say they were very good after a week in the backcountry. We were also treated to another amazing star show here at Howard Douglas Lake!

Our new friend from Calgary also cooked up a chicken breast that evening....then promptly stowed his grub and fry pans in his tent...so the bears wouldn't get them. :) Interesting fellow, thought we were going to have to carry his half eaten a$$ out to the trailhead in the morning...LOL! Hope he finished his trip without incident.

The next morning we hiked out and met the shuttle by 10AM. Thanks To the Hodgeman for a wonderful trip....The Trip of a Lifetime!!!

Back at the Hodgemobile the road trip resumed...”

“WW, those are spectacular shots! Love the chipmonk and the one of the citadel is very powerful!”

“Great Trip report and awesome pictures! What a great trek you had! Thank you for posting!

I had to put on my sweatshirt just to finish looking at the pictures.... brrrrr.. that "bit of weather" looked pretty chilly!

Was that Lake Magog (Og? Gog? Good Grief..) where you took that picture of the "Mind Bending Relections"? WOW!

I saw the border in the snow around the tents and wondered if it was to keep the rattlesnakes away when you were sleeping (I know.. I know.. too many Rifleman Westerns), then I saw the picture that had the caption of the Tent Pads. What are those? Canadians have cushy spots for their tents?

Nanaimo Bars.... Ohhhh.. Be afraid.. Be very afraid.....

Hodge - Great picture of the sun trying to burn out between the tree limbs...

And by the way... Hodge is quite adept at finding gourmet restaurants (or hot crab and beer) in the middle of a grueling backpack trip! (Keep it up!)”

“After a hot shower at a Lake Louise campground we were good to go rub elbows with the rich and famous at Chateau Lake Louise. Yes we were back to playing turon :)

Had lunch at a cool pub near Lake Louise, our waitress was a beautifl young lady with the cutest French accent...Hodge and I agreed that we could listen to her read off the specials all day....but had many more miles to travel. The food was wonderful too ;)



What a view!


Lake Louise”

“
We drove over to Moraine Lake just to see if it sucked too. Yep just as we thought, that's probably why they took it off of the $20 bill.


These Canadians live pretty extravagant lives...paddling on a lake full of Blue Gatorade® :)

Don't adjust your color folks...it's real!!!”

“Next we were off to Yoho to see some scrawny waterfall...Tak something or other it's all a blur at this point. LOL!
oh yeah it was Takakkaw Falls....good thing I bought that book Hodge :)
”

“


Bighorn Sheep
Golden, BC

We spent the night in Glacier, the hotel had a wonderful buffet...where I was introduced to Nanaimo Bars...WOW!

The next day we were headed back to Vancouver. We stopped by the Train Museum in Revelstoke, it's a very interesting place, the railroad is deeply rooted in Canadian history.”

“WW^2 & Hodge-

Good call to keep the outing going. You've both brought back an experience of a lifetime.

The photos bring to mind that it's about the journey and not the destination. The fact you can share and inspire and challenge folks to explore like that sure adds quality to your trip. When we're dead and gone, put together the words and images and what do ya have? -- I want my kids to say, "that was my dad". Or, with my better half, "that was my husband." But, whatever.

WW- you're being paged over at Mpix. Also, talked to Mike today. We should bring him breakfast or something on an up-and-coming weekend. He's home now.

tekdude \o/”

“Fantastic shots WW !! Those last few at HD Lake are very cool !

No name that I know of, on that tarn near Citadel.

LadyHiker - The 'mind bending relfection' is at Lake Magog.

Don't let the term 'tent pads' fool you. They're not necessarily cushy, but do provide designated spots to reduce impact. Also, providing a bit of convenience for cooking areas and food storage helps keep people from cooking anywhere near their tents.

I'll be sure to let you know if I ever spot a rattle snake in the Cdn Rockies
;-)”

“Thanks Hodge!
This is probably my fav from HD lake...
”

“great, now im having flashbacks to my trip.. i think that is a good thing, because its still 100f here in az.”

“What a great trip! WW your pics are absolutely incredible. Don't know why but was really taken by that shot of lake louise through the window. Hodge you sure live in a beautiful part of this world. Thanks for the report.”

“I do indeed Landscaper. No argument with that. Although I can hit the California border in about the same time it takes me to get to Banff from here
;-)”

“Aw, those last pics bring back great memories of last summer!! Camping by Takakkaw Falls and looking up at them really sucked!”

“"Don't know why but was really taken by that shot of lake louise through the window. landscaperjb"

I believe the sign on the table says "reserved" ....table for two? Right this way. Maybe it's reserved for you and Karen :)

Thanks everyone for taking the time to read and view the report and photos!”

“Not gonna tell the entire joke, but the punchline is: "OK, where's the eskimo woman I gotta kill?"? Yep. Hammered on a work day. Tomorrow is gonna be rough.”

“Thanks WW. Great trip. I enjoyed your report and pics. I gotta put that on my to do list.”

“Well I finally got my photos all loaded up. Drop by for a peek....

Mt Assiniboine 2006”

“Awesome photos Hodge..the Mrs and I watched the slideshow last night!”

“Great photos! Thanks.”

“Those photos really suck, hodge....”

“Loved the fall colors and winterty mountain pics...Looks like you guys had quite an adventure!

How many miles was your hike?”

“Thanks guys

Phil - It's 20 miles from Sunshine Ski Village to Lake Magog in the core. If the shuttle should happen to take the day off, like it did to us a couple of years ago, then add 4 more to hike up the private road. There's a variety of different day-hikes possible in the core area
last edited: 10/08/06 11:14:23 AM”

“Phil ...another entry for your glossary of Canadian Rockies hiking jargon.
"20 miles" = 46 miles

Just kidding...LOL!”

“Hodge, I love your photos. It's so beautiful there.”

“Great Great pictures,as Ladyhiker said about putting on a sweatshirt I could really feel the wind and the snow and smell the fresh air.”

“I hate you guys.

:P”

“So Hodgeman, are you familiar at all with Waterton? I have a good friend from Alberta that wants to take me backpacking there.”

“FrankenHobbit - Haven't had a chance to look around in there myself, but I've seen some very inviting photos. It's definitely going to be worth a look I'd say”

“Hodgeman - what's next on your agenda?”

“those are awsome pictures, Hodgeman...how deep were the snows you ran into on your hikes?”

“Phil - Nothing major planned now for a while. It will be time to break out the snowshoes here pretty soon. Next year is a bit up in the air at the moment. I may have an obligation that will prevent any long trips.... won't know 'til the end of this year.

Matahairyhellion - Nothing over the knee on the Assiniboine trip. And it's been very dry here since then. I was just up in the Cascades on Saturday and there wasn't a speck of snow yet. We haven't even had a decent wind to take the leaves down. Definitely getting cooler overnight though.... only about 40 degrees here this morning”