Heading into the backcountry is always an interesting game we play. We are never 100% sure what the weather will bring, if the trail report is on point, and what the conditions on a chain headwall will actually be like. But like every good adventure, we suit up the dog, pack our bags and head out to see what the backcountry and the mountains have to offer.
We joked on this trip, how we love the preparation and excitement of picking a new hiking spot and new campground to explore. We love getting into the mountains, being amazed by the views and our surroundings, we enjoy our backcountry cooking that usually includes some type of easy to cook ramen noodles. I love getting to use my super warm and comfy sleeping bag, and seeing how Avery loves nature and all the smells it has to offer. What we could do without is the crazy kilometers we log, the headwalls that pose as a struggle when traveling with the canine, and the pain our feet and legs are dealing with at the end of 12km up hill hike to our campsite. But we know that we can’t enjoy nature, the mountains, and the night skies that only putting in that commitment of hiking those distances can give us.
This first backpacking trip up in Kananaskis Country was another one for the books with both good and not so good moments. As with any shoulder season hike, weather is always a concern. Compared to our first hike last season we were overwhelmed with the beautiful weather the skies decided to give us for the weekend.
A little back story of our last year hike, we set out to do the Twin Lakes loop in Waterton Lakes National Park. We ran into some SERIOUSLY alpine conditions heading into our campsite, lost the trail, and bushwhacked the last 4K on snow into the campground despite not having any crampons or ice axes (which were absolutely required equipment for the route at this time of year). We suspect a seriously out-of-date trail report is to blame for getting blindsided by the conditions. We knew something had to be off, all of the other camping permits had been purchased and yet there was not a soul in site when we arrived at the campsite.
So needless to say we were checking multiple reports, double checking the weather, and checking to see if other permits were administered to make sure we would have a much better experience than last year. The weather this year was absolutely beautiful, we could not have asked for more perfect weather. The sun was out and shining on both days, with a slight wind to help keep us cool and not sweating through everything we packed with us.
We started off on Saturday a little later then expected but had plenty of sunlight to keep us going. The first part of the hike was a decent gentle incline, which lead us up to the Ribbon Lake Falls Campground. We took our time, enjoyed the view and made sure to keep ourselves and Avery hydrated the best we could. Once reaching the campground, there was a heavy increase in elevation to get up to the falls which were absolutely breath taking and then further up to reach the headwall that separated the falls campground from the lake campground another 2km UP! Most of the hikes we have completed with Avery have not been any trouble, this headwall however was our first situation where chains were involved. Rod was prepared but I was scared being completely honest. I was scared for myself to climb up the walls not harnessed in, but also carrying a 30lb pack on my back. I was also scared for the fact that Rod was attaching miss Avery to himself, and carrying his 50lb pack and trying to scale this headwall all at the same time.
To be honest, I was working hard trying not to have a panic attack and then to focus on the dog making sure she was okay, even though the look on her face was priceless (sadly I was too worried about anything to take a photo of this situation, I leave it to your imagination as to how our poor dog look being strapped to Rods chest).
We did make it through everything the wall had to offer. 5 1/2 hours later from when we left the car we arrived at the campsite. There were many people already up there, enjoying the fire and their backcountry meals, we found the best site available that had the least amount of snow, set up camp and hopped into the hammock to give our feet a little rest. The rest of the evening involved cooking our own meal, taking some photos of the beautiful setting sun light over the mountains and resting up in the hammock.
After that long of a hike, we usually snuggle into our tent – Avery included in her own sleeping bag – at a decently early hour. We enjoy the quietness of the backcountry nights and the warmth of our very cozy sleeping bags.
The next morning is usually the same, sleep in until the dog can’t wait to get outside anymore, cook an easy to eat/clean up breakfast, pack up and hit the trail again. We had decided over our meals that going down the headwall was going to be just as difficult as going up, but that maybe we could try if a different way. We decided that I would climb down, pack free, and that Rod would then lower down our bags and the dog. The distance between where us was steep but short so it wasn’t too difficult. Rod had the ability to secure himself to the chain anchors so that just on the off chance of something happening, he could ditch the bag and not go over the cliff himself. Bags and things are replaceable, my dear Rodney is not!
After making our way slowly down the chains, person by person, bag by bag and dog by us, we made our back down the trail at a much fast pace thankfully as most of it was downhill at this point. As always we encountered many friendly people along the trail, a few people always wanting to know how much longer, and others making a comment about how cute Avery is with her backpack.
All in all this was a much better experience then our first overnight hike of last season. We may not have as many nights out in the backcountry this summer, as we spend the next couple of weeks preparing for our road trip to California and then being gone for the month of July. There is always August tho, so you never know where we might head out to!
Until Next Time…..