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We stayed in Canmore for 2 days. My ankle was going to take some time to heal. We posted updates on our social media to alert our friends and family. As it turned out, my friend Carly and her partner, Chuck, were spending a week at her parents’ cottage. They invited us to join them. How perfect! This seemed very therapeutic to me, hanging out with a good friend enjoying a few drinks on the deck… A shuttle took us back to Jasper to retrieve our car. We arrived at Carly’s family’s cottage. It was a beautiful home overlooking Windermere Lake. For the next 5 days, we were treated like royalty. I rested my ankle, and Simon went out hiking in the area. I managed to walk a bit every day.
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We decided that Simon would hike what he could in the next Sections while I shuttled him and recuperated. Every day, I mobilised my ankle, stretched my aching muscles, and attempted to walk more and more. It was progressing very slowly. I worried that I might not be able to resume the trek we had worked so hard to plan. I felt sad because Simon was doing so well. I didn’t want him to miss out on this bucket-list trek.
Burgess Ridge and Shale (UNESCO Site)
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We kept our reservations at the Truffle Pig Inn in Field. Simon went fast-packing on the GDT, and I walked the streets of this quaint town. I stopped and chatted with a local fellow, Sean, who was born in Ottawa but had moved to the mountains as a young man. He had lots of stories about his adventures, and I had a lot of free time. Perfect combo!
While at Carly’s cottage, I (Simon) went and scrambled up the Bugaboos, Julie and I had climbed there decades ago. After our stay near Windermere, we decided to head toward Field – the plan was for me to fastpack as many portions as possible while Julie recovered (positive vibes here). Skipping Section C for now, I decided to attack Section D – the Kiwetinok Alternate route.
The first day, I went up to Burgess Pass and across the Burgess Shale area, which was a UNESCO site. This site housed many unique fossils which were the oldest evidence of complex life on Earth. The main trail was accessible but any off-shoots up to Wapta Mountain were closed. The views of Emerald Lake and the many waterfalls were splendid. Yoho Lake camp was a beautiful spot and oddly only half full!
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My second day on this alternate route started with the Iceline Trail which I had done 40 years ago (ouch). It was a unique display of dome and hanging glaciers with emerald coloured silt lakes within spitting distance. I hiked up to the Kiwetinok Pass and returned through Little Yoho Valley and back to Takakkaw Falls where Julie was waiting for me. We would later come up the Howes River Plain to close the gap of Section D.
While I was hiking in Yoho National Park, Julie managed to walk 1 km the first day in Field and a bit further the next day. It was a slow progress but progress it was. We decided to camp a few days around Banff in order for Julie to support my fastpacking of the last few segments of Section C as she continued to walk a little everyday. We would have to forgo the hiking days in Peter Lougheed and Mount Assiniboine.
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The spectacular Iceline Trail
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Mt Ball at Ball Pass
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For Section C, I tackled the Bald Pass stretch. With little weight on my shoulders, I could successfully hike longer distances. Again, I was surprised to see very few hikers in the Egypt Lake and Ball Pass areas. Isabelle Peak and Mt. Ball were magnificent. The trail like in many other sections, was peppered with down trees and avalanche debris.
Entire mountain sides or valleys had been impacted by previous forest fires, but the area was showing incredible signs of regeneration. I was maintaining a 5 to 6 km an hour pace and loving it, even on the long steep hills! The second part of Section C was the Floe Lake/Numa Cr./Tumbling Cr. circuit. |
Julie was there to drop me off at the Floe Lake parking area and waited for me several kilometers up highway 93!
Floe Lake
This was a demanding segment but well worth doing. The uphill to Floe Lake was hard but manageable on the well-groomed trail. The Floe Lake area was gorgeous and very busy. I hadn’t seen this many people in one place since Canmore! There was a constant flow of hikers on Numa Pass, one of the most popular three-day hikes in the Rockies – The Rock Wall Trail. I was back at the parking area by late afternoon where Julie had patiently waited. At this point I felt as though I could jog some of these trails – well maybe the flat and downhill parts. Unfortunately, I was missing my hiking/life partner!
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That evening I suggested we take the tram up to Sunshine Village Resort (near Banff). If Julie was ready for a longer hike, we could tackle a segment of the GDT just south of Healy Creek. Hiking in the alpine meadows of Sunshine Village would be grand. The weather was perfect and there weren’t too many tourists early in the morning. We chose a loop which would provide a few mild challenges. The trail was 7 or 8 km long. By the time we got back to the tram, Julie’s ankle was throbbing. The post hike treatment was for a bit of rest and a beer. Julie felt better.
We extended our reservations at Saskatchewan Crossing Resort. |
Grizzly Lakes (Sunshine Meadows)
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Howes River Flood Plain
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Julie was ready and willing to push her ankle with longer/harder hikes. This would enable her to decide if she felt confident enough to resume the GDT in Section E. We hiked the last part of Section D the GDT - along the Howes River Flood Plain. Julie’s ankle was good! The next day, we hiked up to Mount Sarbach. It was a steep climb and descent for the better part the day. On the downhill we even jogged a bit, she was feeling good, and her cardio was back. Julie was ready to go!
The logistics of the GDT were somewhat complex. We needed to remain aligned with our reservations. We kept this important fact in mind as I hiked alone and in planning, when and where, our re-integration into the GDT could occur. As it turned out, we only had to drop a few reservation nights south of Banff, we were able to slip back into our original GDT itinerary and maintain all of our reservations in Section E.
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That evening, we were sitting on the deck at the resort and saw 3 GDTers coming in for the night. Skylar, Erin, and Carl had some stories to share about their own adventures on the trail. Skylar had sprained his ankle in Section B. They had met Dave, the volunteer from Memory Lake, who drove them out to get it looked after. Their group had resumed the trek, and again faced a possible delay due to a second sprain of Skylar’s ankle. Julie did what she does best, she showed him how to support his ankle with Kinesio tape. They headed out the next morning. We would cross paths with them again soon.
