I can't remember when I first saw a photo of Mount Assiniboine but I do remember feeling a deep desire to see the place for myself someday. Fast forward a few years and here we are on a beautiful mid-September afternoon standing on an exposed ridge, miles and miles from any sign of civilization, breathing in the majesty of this impressive peak. The day before we had hiked 18 miles in rain and snow deep into grizzly country, arriving at Lake Magog to the mountains shrouded by clouds. The next morning, though, blue sky and sunshine greeted us, as did the snow-capped pyramidal peak of Assiniboine. Oh, what luck.
Mount Assiniboine is known as the Matterhorn of the Canadian Rockies. I won't try to describe it because the alpinist James Outram does a much better job.
“The peak is grandest from its northern side. It rises, like a monster tooth, from an entourage of dark cliff and gleaming glacier, 5,000 feet above the valley of approach; the magnificent triangular face, barred with horizontal belts of perpendicular cliff and glistening expanses of the purest snow and ice, which constitutes the chief glory of the mountain, soaring more than 3,000 feet directly from the glacier that sweeps its base. On the eastern and the southern sides the walls and buttresses are practically sheer precipices 5,000 to 6,000 feet in vertical height, but the contour and character of the grand northen face more than compensate for the less sheer and lofty precipices.”
The afternoon before our trek to Assiniboine we drive from the trailhead at Lake O'Hara towards Banff, stopping at Lake Louise and later Moraine Lake. My cold has settled in to stay so we pick up a bunch of cold medicine as well as gaiters, anticipating a wet hike into Assiniboine. We drive the Bow Valley Parkway to Banff and walk around the beautiful mountain tourist town. We arrive at our hostel in Castle Mountain in mid-afternoon. We hang our tent, tarp, and sleeping bags to dry them out from the previous day's rain and spend the remainder of the day preparing for our three-day, two-night trek.
At this point, everyone in the hostel is curious about what these two petite women are packing for but no one seems to have the courage to ask. The host expresses his doubts - 18 miles in? Could be snowing up there... oh, we are aware. We are prepared for rain and cold weather.
There are a few ways to get to Assiniboine. If you have a few hundred dollars to throw away, a 10 minute helicopter ride will drop you right near the Assiniboine Lodge. Or, you can walk. We opt to take the trail from Sunshine Village. We had read it was supposed to be more varied and beautiful than the other route and have less chance of interactions with grizzly bears. Other than the length, it's not a difficult hike - the elevation gain is not significant and the trail is in good condition.
We arrive at the shuttle bus early and find a number of day hikers and a few other backpackers. We meet Roland and Drew, two young guys with packs on heading into Assiniboine for the night. We strike up a conversation and I ask if we can stick together as a group - for as long as we can keep up. (I feel I have to say this because I think a lot of men may see two smaller women with packs on and wonder if they can keep up. Just you wait.)
The shuttle takes us four miles and 1,700 feet up the mountain. The views here at the Continental Divide are beautiful. We have a long day ahead of us so we begin walking at a quick pace. The trail here climbs gradually through a meadow and I wonder what the views would be like on a clear day. We enter some wooded areas and begin calling out. We see bear scat on the trail and I start shouting even louder.
About 3.5 miles into our hike we descend towards Howard Douglas Lake, where we take our first pack break for a snack. It's been snowing lightly, creating a beautiful scene.
Looking across Howard Douglas Lake.
Our break is short lived as we still have nearly 15 miles in front of us. The hike towards Citadel Pass is beautiful. The larch trees have not started turning golden, but I imagine they'll be glowing just a few weeks from now.
“The valley is bounded on either side by a succession of picturesque rocks, whose lofty summits, rising in the form of pyramids, lose themselves in the clouds.”
From Citadel Pass (7,743 feet) the trail descends steeply through a densely wooded area to Golden Valley. We take turns setting the pace and calling out to alert any bears in the area of our presence. The trail narrows as we walk across a steep slope with Golden Valley below. Encountering a grizzly here - or tripping - would not be ideal. Because of the weather and the pace we set I take only a few photos over the course of the day.
Around 11 miles in we break for lunch. A light rain starts to fall so we eat as fast as we can and continue hiking. We enter the Valley of the Rocks which is, by far, the most boring section of the hike. At this point, though, I am in a rhythm and focus solely on putting one foot in front of the other, calling out, and blowing my nose frequently.
We wind and roll through the Valley of the Rocks for what feels like forever. Miles later, the valley ends and we see Og Lake ahead of us. I am reminded of a conversation we had with a backpacker at Berg Lake - "Don't stay at Og Lake, the scenery is nothing compared to Magog." His words echo in my head and without even speaking Lindsay and I decide to push on to hike the final 4.5 miles toward Assiniboine.
After Og Lake, the landscape opens up. The next few miles pass quickly but the last 1.5 km to Lake Magog seem to last forever. The mountains are completely socked in and the sky darkens.
Right as we began pitching our tent, exhausted and defeated from the day's long trek, it starts to snow. We move quickly in silence and get into our sleeping bags as fast as we can. I am cold and sick and have a bit of a breakdown. Thankfully, Lindsay is the sweetest and calms me down. I sleep for a few hours. We eat dinner under the cooking shelter and I daydream about the warmth of the shelter at Berg Lake trying not to think about it too much.
We get in our tent as soon as we have cleaned up from dinner and within minutes I am fast asleep. For 12 hours.
The next day is truly a new day. Sun shines through our tent and all of the doubts I had yesterday disappear. We walk to the cooking shelter and I see Assiniboine's stunning peak for the first time. I say a few expletives and can't stop looking at it. I've never seen a peak so impressive.
“Its massive pyramid forms a conspicuous landmark from almost every considerable eminence for scores of miles around, towering fully 1,500 feet above its neighbors, and by its isolation no less than by its splendid outline commanding attention and admiration.”
After breakfast we hike to the Niblet/Nublet. The scenery is incredible - we both reflect on how lucky we are to be here on such a beautiful day. The trail climbs gradually to the ridge below the Nublet where we run into our friends Roland and Drew. We stand at the point above Sunburst Lake looking out at Sunburst Mountain as Assiniboine's peak hides behind the clouds.
We climb an exposed ridge up to the Niblet and the views become increasingly stunning. The peak emerges. We consider climbing to Nub Peak but the wind has picked up significantly. Instead, we take in the view from the Nublet. This view alone is absolutely worth the 18+ mile trek in.
We hike back to Lake Magog and walk to Assiniboine Lodge for tea. We welcome the hour or so to warm up indoors in a cozy lodge and the conversations with other hikers. Folks have come from all over - Texas, Colorado, California, Whistler, Germany.
We return to the campground and make dinner under the shelter. We are in bed early, knowing we have a long day in front of us tomorrow. The alarm rings at 5 am. We pack and tear down our tent in the dark. We walk to the shelter to make a quick cup of coffee before beginning the 18 mile walk. We set a brisk pace and arrive at Sunshine Village less than 8 hours later.
I am wiped from the day's trek and am humbled once again by nature, by the mountains. Increasingly now, when I am not walking a trail or soaking up sweeping views of a beautiful landscape, I find these images and experiences on my mind... all the time.
The mountains seem to have that affect on me.
