Cougar Creek to Exshaw

What a treat we had! How often can one say they literally walked out their front door and started an adventure? That is exactly what fellow guide and friend, Nathan Dhal, and I did. Committed to working Saturday morning at Ascent Physical Therapy I headed to Nathan’s place as soon as I was done. We made the final adjustments to our packs, threw in 2.5 days’ worth of food, and started walking. Neither one of us had hiked this route before, with no trail to follow, we set off with the mentality of, we will walk until we were tired. 6-7 hours later our grumbling stomachs and trembling legs told us it was time to stop. We hiked ~15 km and ~1100m of elevation from Cougar Creek past the Canadian Forks, up a drainage to Cougar and Carrot Creek Col, along a most spectacular Ridgeline, and descended to our campsite for the night. 

​All I have to say is WOW! What a beautiful day. We found ourselves camping next to a gorgeous alpine lake. No one else in sight, a light breeze, blue skies, and great conversation; I couldn’t have asked for a better place to lay my head for the night. Getting there was absolutely beautiful; vast alpine meadows, waterfalls, and blazing fall colours. Nothing helps bring out the sensation of freedom like wandering through the mountain side, no trail insight, and choosing your own path! There is so much out there to discover!!

​Where Alberta was having such a dry season, we were a touch nervous about accessing water; however, we were able to find a flowing stream at a horse camp at GR192 676. This however, was our last water source until we reached the lake. 

​The next day we left our campsite, ensuring there was no evidence of us left behind, and headed down the drainage. Originally sticking to skiers right we soon realized this was not the right route, before us was a massive drop off. The views were great however for scouting the upcoming section. Backtracking, and gaining skiers left side of the drainage we were able to follow a small game trail until it crossed another drainage. Here the trail disappeared. Deciding to go with gravity we headed downwards, hoping to find the game trail again. Sadly, this resulted in an hour detour as we had to regain the lost elevation and head up another 300m. As a word of advice, once you cross over the drainage, suck it up and just head up!! Working up a sweat, we coaxed our bodies up the hill. Our efforts were rewarded, we found a well-established horse trail, wahoo!!!!!

​The horse trail was in amazing condition! We skipped along at a rocket pace, soon finding ourselves at a small horse camp. Some concern started to rise as we had yet to find water since leaving the lake. We had expected to find water soon, but we were disappointed. Recognizing we had yet to reach the main horse camp, we followed the dry river bed looking for Guinn’s Camp GR227 727. Luck was on our side and the South Ghost River had WATER!!! Feeling the heat of the day, I took full advantage, rinsing the salt from my face. Refreshed and our water bottles filled to the brim Nathan and I continued our plod. 

The question was raised, could we make it out today? Nathan might not have known it, but I already had my answer!!
 
Prior to leaving we were told there would be another well-established horse trail showing us the way to Exshaw Col. There was certainly a trail, well-established…well…. I’ll leave that one up to you to decide. Wandering through the mountains we finally came to the drainage leading down from Exshaw Col. It was a little intimidating looking up at the slope. It seemed like a lot of elevation to gain. Satisfied that we were in the right spot, we started up. The terrain was too steep on either side of the drainage so we elected to head straight up it! A late lunch was enjoyed as we sat at the top of the Col admiring Exshaw off in the distance (~15km away). 

​Luck was on our side and we were able to find another animal trail leading us away from the Col towards the valley bottom. A bit of gymnastics was required as we worked our way through the mayhem of deadfall. Finally, we reached the point where the river widened and now we were faced with a 10km hike along a dry riverbed.

As the day continued I was reminded that I we had not crossed any water since leaving the horse camp. Would we find any? Or would we be forced to hike out tonight? As I eluded to earlier…I already knew what I wanted. With the sun beaming down on us and limited water grumpy Jenna started to make her debut. Wisely we chose shelter in the shade and a most delicious Nutella and peanut butter bagel was consumed. 

We were both relieved to reach the junction with Fable creek and find out that the information we gathered before the trip was indeed correct. Just a short distance past the creek we found running water! Oh, how delicious fresh mountain water is!! Taking advantage of the freshness, we sat here for quite a while. The decision needed to be made, continue or stay put? We had been hiking for 8 hours by this point, but the idea of a fresh meal and a warm shower spoke to us like the sirens. Tying up our laces and putting our packs back on, we were up and on our way. 

​After many pointless jokes, and silly stories, it seemed like an eternity went by, finally we reached the damn and knew HWY 1a was just around the corner. Having arranged for a ride to pick us up the following evening we stood alongside the HWY and stuck out our thumbs. Not 10min later we were happily climbing into a vehicle that would shuttle us back to Canmore.

This trip was absolutely spectacular, amazingly beautiful scenery, awesome route finding, simplicity of just walking out ones’ front door, and great company. I can’t wait to get out and explore this area again!

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you pressed the S.O.S button?

I found myself pondering this very question while exploring the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Sure, help comes, but how? Who tells them where I am? Will someone call my emergency contact? How do my emergency contacts factor into my rescue?

Trying to find an answer I stumbled upon an article that pretty much sums everything up and even provides some tips for your best chance of survival! 

You can find it here. Be ready for a rescue....hopefully it is never needed!

Environment Canada was against us for the August long weekend. Looking at the weather forecast we did not hold high hopes. Heads held toward the sky we set out on Geraldine Lakes 
Trail in Jasper National Park towards our destination, Mount Fryatt. Mother nature took pity on us for the day and delivered beautiful sunshine allowing us to easily navigate the lichen covered boulders. 

Arriving earlier than expected to the base of the west ridge of Mount Fryatt we lazed around soaking up the sun and imagining shapes in the fluffy clouds that were forming. Rainbows formed around the sun foreshadowing the changes to come. 

That night the rain started. Waking at 3:30am the rock remained wet and we decided to sleep another hour to give the mountain a chance to dry off. 5am we set out and started up the west ridge. Our fitness made easy work of the scrambling. 2hrs into the "day" we climbed ~600m of the ~1000m needed to reach our goal only to be reminded of our mortal existence and chased off the mountain by bad weather. Retreating in the rain we returned to our camp, dismantled it and headed for the car. If we weren't wet before, we were certainly soaked now. Bushwhacking through willows left our rain gear looking like invisible objects, proving fruitless against the rain drops. Once back to the car we headed to the overflow campground (yes, we are cheap) to dry everything out. Our gear scattered everywhere we became a source of entertainment for the other campers. 

I guess I will have to wait until next year