Hiking Canadian Alpine Regions - 2014: Some Thoughts

We returned from Canada late Tuesday night, and I am still in the process of collecting my thoughts for what was for me, an experience of a lifetime. The primary objective for me on this trip, was to see as many glaciers as we were able to, and in those moments, try to get a sense of meaning. Another goal was to push myself mentally and physically in ways I had not been challenged before. To accomplish these tasks, we set up an itinerary of 11 consecutive days of hiking, in various parks throughout the Rockies and Coastal mountains regions including Banff, Yoho, Jasper, Mount Robson, Glacier, and Garibaldi. Logistical issues resulted in 9 days of hiking.

Despite coming up two hiking days shy, my goals were met. We saw many, many glaciers, and the impact of them on me is still being processed. For now I will just share this thought about the glaciers I saw: when you approach something that is of the ancient days, yet still alive (glaciers move, make sounds - they are quite lifelike) and is nearing death, it is almost like walking onto holy ground. I went to church when I walked among glaciers; it was for me a time for spiritual renewal. My observation is that glaciers are truly a gift to the world, and when they are all gone, it will be the saddest of times.

As for the goal of pushing myself to my limits, through nine days of hiking, by my calculation we knocked out roughly 110 miles, averaging 12 miles a day, most of it in elevation gaining alpine regions. Most of those miles were accomplished in 9 major hikes that I will discuss in upcoming blog entries: Bow Peak, Snowbird Pass, Berg Glacier to trailhead, Valley of Ten Peaks, Citadel Pass & Fatigue Pass, Iceline Trail, Lake O'Hara Alpine Circuit, Russet Lake, and Blackcomb/Overlord/Decker.

We could not have accomplished this ambitious slate of hikes but for the fact we worked very hard throughout the year training our bodies. Even with all of the training and all of the energy supplements (Clif Shot Bloks, Clif Shot Gels, Quest bars, Saltstick cap+, NUUN tablets, trail mix), our bodies were still challenged. Perhaps the greatest challenge was to our knees, especially during the descents. No pain was insurmountable, however. And honestly, I feel as though I could have gone another 10-11 days of long hiking. The pain peaked in the evening, and it was always a rough start the next morning, but within 30 minutes of motivated movement, the pain subsided. It helped tremendously when all around marvelous wonders were there to behold.

And in Canada, marvelous wonders are everywhere. The difficulty is narrowing down what can be accomplished in the allotted time that you have. I mentioned this previously, and I will say it again here: buy "Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies." To save weight, we made copies from this book of each hike we hoped to do, and then made copies of back-up hikes in the event our primary hikes could not be accomplished. One fellow hiker we met on the trails, used his cellphone to take photos of specific sections of this book. Either way, have this resource with you in the Rockies portion of your trip.

Seven hikes that I had originally planned for, we were not able to do for various reasons including logistical issues, weather, bear activity etc. Those hikes are Panorama Ridge, Wedgemount Lake, Parker Ridge, Wilcox Pass, Plain of Six Glaciers, Glacier Crest Trail, and Cirque Peak. Additionally, some of the hikes that we were able to do, had to be altered in large part due to weather considerations. It is important to have alternative plans ready for each day as a trip of this nature is quite unpredictable. Despite the alterations, we were still able to get in 9 full days of spectacular hiking. And because of the alterations, we plan to go back and complete what we were unable to do.

Hiking Canada: The Itinerary

Over the past several months I've put a considerable amount of hours into mapping out a game plan for the two weeks that we will spend in Canada hitting some of its most famous parks and locations including Banff, Yoho, Mt. Robson, Jasper, Lake Louise, Glacier, and Garibaldi. It is my hope that future visitors to the area will find the following resourceful.

The number one consideration that I looked for in choosing hikes in Canada is whether the trail puts me into high elevation and past the tree line quickly. I do enjoy the mystery hidden deep in old growth forests from time to time, but the hikes I enjoy more are the ones where I walk among the clouds with expansive views.

The second consideration in narrowing down the list of potential hikes is whether it can fit in and be accomplished with all of the other hikes that are planned during the two weeks. There are many hikes that fit criteria number one, but due to trail length or driving distance, the addition of it meant the removal of another or several others.

When you begin planning a trip of this nature, I encourage you to start piecing together your trip months in advance. It is actually a necessity because of its popularity -- many campsites and hotels are booked full many months prior. Further, some of the trails require advanced planning for logistical and access purposes. One set of trails, for example, requires you to attempt to place a reservation exactly three months to the day in advance, and even then, it is virtually a lottery to land a spot. So start early.

As for trail info, you can find some great blogs out there with information from hikers who have done the trails you're interested in. Also, if some of your hikes are in the Canadian Rockies, you will want to purchase "Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies." This book basically offers what the title suggests.

Rainstorm and possibly even snowstorms will no doubt alter the following itinerary. For those occasions, I have back-up trails that are more suitable for those conditions. If everything goes perfectly, here's our game plan for 11 hiking days.

Day 1: First, hit Helen Lake Trailhead at around 6am and attempt to summit Cirque Peak and back by noon (9.9 miles roundtrip). Next, head north up Icefields Parkway to Parker Ridge Trailhead. Do an abbreviated (2.5 mile hike) to the ridge and back. Finally, continuing up the parkway, do (5-8 miles) of Wilcox Pass.

Day 2: First, helicopter out to Berg Lake in Mt. Robson Provincial Park. After touching down at the drop-off point, set up a campsite at Berg Lake to lighten the load. Next, do Snowbird Pass and back to Berg Lake (roundtrip 13.2 miles).

Day 3: From Berg Lake, hike to the trailhead, returning to rental car (13 miles).

Day 4: First, do a short very early morning walk at Mt. Edith Cavell to Angel Glacier (1.5 miles). Continue south on Icefields Parkway to Peyto Lake and do a brief hike there (1 mile). Finally, continuing south, do the Valley of 10 Peaks/Sentinel Pass hike (round trip 7.2 miles).

Day 5: Hike Citadel Pass, perhaps out to Fatigue Pass, and back (round trip is roughly 12 miles).

Day 6: Hit the trail by 6am and do the Plain of Six Glaciers hike at least as far as the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse (round trip 8.6 miles). Next, do the Iceline Trail (8 miles). Finally, make it to the shuttle on time that will transport us into the Lake O'Hara region.

Day 7: Hike Lake O'Hara Alpine Circuit (roughly 7 miles).

Day 8: Heading west, do an early morning hike in Glacier National Park (Canada version) to hike Glacier Crest Trail (6.5 rigorous miles).

Day 9: Now in Canada's Coastal Mountain region with the town of Whistler as our staging point, hit Wedgemount Lake trail (roundtrip 9 tough miles).

Day 10: Take the gondolas up, and then do the Musical Bumps and Singing Pass, hiking out to Russet Lake and back to town (roughly 18 miles).

Day 11: Hike Panorama Ridge (Garibaldi Provincial Park) (18 miles).

Preparing for Canada: Gear Check - the "Freedom Skirt"

As we gear up for hiking in the Canadian mountains, I thought it may be of some use to fellow hikers and wanderers of the world, to read about some of the gear and equipment that I found useful over the years and taking with me when we land in Calgary and start two intense weeks of tramping over tough terrain. In the previous entry, I touched on some items relating to footwear. Today, it is about the "freedom skirt."

A couple years ago I switched to wearing kilts exclusively while hiking, and wearing "leggings" underneath. If there is one change that I've made in my gear selection over the years, this one without question has had the most positive effect. No more pants. No more shorts. No more restriction. Total freedom of movement. That's what the kilt gives, fellow men -- freedom.

It is amazing the number of people that will comment and ask questions when they see a man wearing a kilt for no other purpose than to be free. It isn't about St. Patty's and fitting into a one-day celebration culture. When you wear the kilt as a normal piece of attire, you are in fact going against cultural norms. But you don't wear the kilt while hiking to fulfill some desire to be a rebel. It's about being comfortable - period.

When men see the kilt in action on the mountainside, you can see it in their eyes, a lightbulb has gone off. Their wheels are turning, setting in motion the inevitable decision that one day they too will don the "kilt." Sure, there is the occasional, "nice skirt man." But even these men, in jest, reveal their envy and desire.

Men must wear kilts. It goes back to the ancient days maybe, when we were tackling wooly mammoths with our bare hands, wearing nothing but skirts made from wooly mammoths we caught with our bare hands, I don't know. But I know that when you put on a kilt, and go about your adventuring, you understand that man and kilt are meant to be. When I made the switch, it wasn't because I had seen another hiker braving in his new world of freedom. No, in fact I can say I've never seen another man hiking in a kilt, sad to say. I never even bothered to research whether there are in fact other men around the world hiking in kilts (and now I know that there are many). It was simply, I acquired a kilt out of curiosity at, yes you know it, a St. Patty's festival, and literally the next hike, I decided I would use the kilt in replace of shorts or pants. That's the power of the kilt. It just makes sense. You put it on, move around, and then the computer in your head does its deductions, and outputs the answer, "yes, next time I am wearing the kilt." And then you do. And so I did.

Most of my kilt wearing hikes involved the use of a "traditional kilt," because that's all I had at the time. Traditional kilts look cool, but have the disadvantage of being a bit heavier than necessary, and in the summer months, warmer than necessary. Even accounting for this, however, the traditional kilt was better than wearing shorts or pants. In the past year I discovered that Mountain Hardware designed a version of the kilt made specifically for hikers, called the "Elkommando." The Elkommando is lighter than the traditional kilt, more breathable, dries faster, and has useful side pockets. The Elkommando is an awesome product. I will be taking two pairs with me to Canada. I applaud Mountain Hardware for having the balls - and displaying them to the world, literally - in making the decision to manufacture this product. Right now, it's one of a kind. Hopefully, other hiking manufacturers will take notice and come out with their own version of the "freedom skirt."

Under the kilt, I wear "leggings," even in the warm summer months. I use Under Armour ColdGear leggings, for instance, and I find that even in the summer months, I am kept at a comfortable temperature. And in the fall and winter months, leggings with a little more substance to them like ColdGear, provide ample warmth.

Most leggings don't have the support to keep the family jewels in place, so, while you can just go with leggings underneath and let your balls dangle and jangle, I find that wearing Calvin Klein hip briefs or Under Armour boxer briefs, under leggings is the best way to protect your balls over a long hike. It is important that whatever underwear you go with that the material is NOT made of cotton. It needs to be made of materials that dry quickly.

In the next blog entry, I will comment on what I am bringing to protect my upper body from the elements.