We have wanted to do this hike since we hiked up to Paradise Mine last year. We were going to head up on the August long weekend but the park website said that one of the bridges had been washed out and we wouldn't be able to get in. The September long weekend was coming and I checked the website again. We had been planning on going to the Rockwall, but since the Lake of the Hanging Glacier was our priority if we could go there we would. I checked the park website again and did not see any indications about the bridge... this was a very popular trail, had they fixed it already? They must have!
Becky, Chloe, and I met up in Calgary in the afternoon on the Friday and then drove out to Bella Vista. We got in late and spent the rest of the night packing our backpacks. We went to sleep and then woke early the next morning to the smell of bacon and eggs. Dad wanted to make sure that we had a good meal in us before we headed into the mountains, and he surely succeeded.
Ready to Go
We loaded the packs into the Jeep, filled up on fuel, grabbed slurpees, and were on our way. We knew where we were going... mostly... so we set to it. We did get lost once, as we always do, but with the aid of Chloe's Dad's GPS (with backroad maps) we were back on route in no time.
It was a 50 kmish drive to the trailhead and it took us about an hour and a half. It is amazing what there is back on back roads, and we drove past incredible ranches, and though beautiful valleys. We found the trail head and were good to go. I will mention that we also drove past one sign on the way in... the sign said that the bridge was washed out...
We went to the check-in box and read the reports from other hikers. In every case they reported that the bridge was still usable. Excellent.
We threw on our packs and headed down the trail...
So tired... I mean excited!!!
En Route
En Route Again
10 seconds later we turned around. The trail was washed out and the enormous Horsethief Creek was running through it. We looked around, saw another trail that looked like a bypass and we headed up it. It was, and before long we were on an old overgrown road walking into the mountains. Road... road... road... then off the old road and into the trees. Up up up and then there was the rushing of water. We came across a fast moving creek shooting down the mountain. It was not deep, but if you fell it looked like you would get shot off the mountain like a cannonball from a cannon. There was a small bridge going over it in sketchy shape... Was this the bridge? Was this Horsethief Falls? It must have been!
Lean
On the Mountainside
Leaning Over the Creek
An Old Road
Up the Mountain
We crossed over without incident and then we kept on our way. We continued climbing and found that we needed to take frequent breaks. It turns out that we are not in the best shape for this kind of hiking. We had passed a couple already on our way up and we heard voices behind us. We stepped off of the trail to let them pass and as they came we marveled at their energy levels. They had hiking poles (which we were going to get but I was too broke from buying other stuff), and they were likely a generation up from us. They were asking if the bridge we crossed was "the bridge" and the gentleman explained that he didn't think so. The bridge was 3 km into the 8 km hike and he didn't think we had come that far. Crap.
False Horsethief Falls
Crossing
Down the Falls
Up the Falls
Trickle
We let them pass and then we continued. Up over the hills, then down, left at the horse trial, and then again... rushing water.
The Real Horsethief Creek
There was Horsethief Creek, and there was the bridge. It was in excellent shape!
Washed Out
Horsethief Creek
Across the Washed Out Bridge
Across the Bridge
Across the bridge and then up up up. The trail followed the creek, and then as the creek turned into the waterfall that must have been at least a zillion metres long the trail switched back and forth up the mountain. We had heard that there were thirteen switch backs, but we had an issue where we didn't know the definition of a switch back. Was that thirteen corners? Thirteen legs one way? Or thirteen legs both way? Ef.
We kept going. Up. Up. Up.
Glacier up the Valley
Natural Bonsais
Horsethief Falls 1
Tiny Trees on Horsethief Falls
The Haladies
Horsethief Falls 2
Two Falls
180 of the Wilderness
Eroded Roots
The Path
Glacier
8 km hike... something like 800 m vertical... our shape... soggy... yeah... crap. The hike was harder and longer than we had anticipated. We had wanted a challenge, but this was borderline too challenging for our current physical condition. For those of you who don't know I have bursitis and condromalacia patallae in my left knee, which translates to tendinitis and cartilage damage. I was carrying a tent, my gear, and a boat... evidently my injured knee didn't like this. I started favouring that leg, and then as my other side over compensated the tendons on that side also began to ache (I suspect I have tendinitis and/or cartilage damage in both knees). By the time we were getting to the top I was in severe... severe... pain. The girls took the boat as we tried to make it.
The hikers we had seen going up were on the way down and they tried to give us some hope... they said we
were close.
Tiny Creek
Beam Bridge
Nature
Our brains shut off and our legs kept going. We walked through gorgeous meadows covered in wild flowers, and through the spruce trees just below the treeline. We were all dead tired. When we saw the forest turn to larches we knew we were close. At Paradise Mine there were larches just below the treeline, and our destination was just below the treeline.
We didn't make it all the way to the lake, but we made it to the campsite. We saw the benches made of logs and the firepit made of stones. We dropped the gear and all collapsed. We were at the treeline. We could see up the rocks, and only a few hundred metres away we knew there was the lake.
Arrival at Lake of the Hanging Glacier
Where We Came From
After a brief pause we set up the camp. Another set of hikers appeared and headed up to camp directly on the lake's shore (which reviews on the internet said not to due because of the icy wind coming off of the glaciers).
Slightly recuperated we headed down to Horsethief Creek/Falls to get some water. The ladies filtered some water (I wanted to drink it straight but they didn't want beaver fever), while I iced my knees. This might seem a bit crazy to some, but the burning in my knees was severe and I was starting to get worried that I wouldn't be able to walk the next day (as was the case when I initially injured my knee). I threw on my swim trunks and slid into the water, dangling just my knees... At first I could only feel fire. The water coming straight out of the glaciers was so cold it burned, but then, then the fire subsided and I felt just the cool of swelling control. I would have stayed in there for ages but my toes were going numb and I was concerned about getting frostbite.
Getting Water
Icing Myself...
I dried off. Changed. Helped the ladies with the water. And then we all headed back to camp to sit around and to do nothing. We sat, we burned wood, enjoyed the fire, marveled at the snowflakes descending, ate s'mores, and then went to bed.
Camping at Lake of the Hanging Glacier
Dessert
It was a lazy morning as we cooked our poptarts on the fire. The campers from the lake came down and headed down the mountain. They reported howling winds on the lake shore which made us a little happier that we decided to camp down below. We threw on our warmest clothes, grabbed the boat, and made our way to the lake.
Our Tent
The Toilet
The Falls
Waterfall
Violet Flowers
The Path Back Down
Incredible. The mountains form a bowl (including the famous Jumbo), and along the rim rest many glaciers. The glaciers melt and that runoff forms the lake... the Lake of the Hanging Glaciers. We walked to the shore over a strange ground of rocks were the water was running below us, and then we inflated the boat.
360 at the Lake
Drainage
At the Lake of the Hanging Glacier
Balance
Enjoying the Lake
Some of the Many Glaciers
Crossing the Rocks
An Old Camp Site
Chloe and I were going to take the first ride. She got into the boat without issue, but as I got in my butt caught the edge. The air compressed (also somewhat compressed from the icy water) and the edge of the boat folded. Freezing water rushed in filling the bottom of the boat and perhaps soaking Chloe's bottom... The boat wouldn't sink. It can't, based on its inflatable dingy design, but the inhabitants can get a little wet. A little chilled, Chloe opted out of the boat ride.
I wanted to make a slurpee out of a glacier, as I had been told can be done. The issue was that given that it was the end of summer, the ice bergs in the lake had melted, and the glaciers were at their tiniest. I still wanted to try. The sides of the lake are too steep for an easy walk, so Becky and I hopped into the boat (I was more careful this time).
Boating on the Lake of the Hanging Glacier
Boating on the Lake of the Hanging Glacier 2
Boating on the Lake of the Hanging Glacier 3
We had some issue supporting locomotion, given the size of the boat and our lack of skills with paddles, but eventually we were on our way. We kept to the shore, just in case, and around a little outcropping of rock I could see a tiny glacier. We looked back to see Chloe disappear around the corner as we headed towards it. Our locomotion challenges made us overshoot a bit, but with some creative paddling we made it to shore. Becky stayed in the boat while I headed to the tiny glacier. I used my knife to fill my water bottle, and then I tried to get a little more ambitious. Chloe couldn't come to see the glacier, so I wanted to bring it to her. I carved off a piece of ice and then tied it to the boat. The water was cold, and I hoped that it wouldn't melt all the ice before we got it back to Chloe. Glaciers are made of snow, not ice, and their density at the top is still light. That meant that before we were even half way back my iceberg/glacier was almost melted. I grabbed the remainder and threw it in the boat with us.
My Own Personal Iceberg
Becky on the Boat
The Boat... and my Iceberg...
The Boat on the Lake
Back on Shore with my Iceberg
We did make it back to Chloe, and I gave her what was left (which wasn't much). We couldn't really make a slurpee of that piece, but we could enjoy chomping down on the snow that could have been 1 year old as easily as 100.
Shoreline
Glacier
Down to the Camp
Tired, we walked back to the camp. We did not have anything pressing to do that evening, we just sat and
enjoyed the surroundings.
I did make my slurpee... and it was incredible.
The Glacier Slurpee
Slurpee
The Camp
360 of the Camp
Glacier through the Trees
Up to the Lake
We sat in front of the fire for hours, had hot chocolate, some warm camping food (beef for Becky and I,
pasta for Chloe) and of course... more s'mores.
Dessert Round 2
The Food
After an amazing day we returned to tent.
Another group of campers had come that night to stay at the lake, and when we packed up to head down we hoped that they would not pass us. We knew that we were in bad shape, but it was one thing to know it, and one thing to have people a generation pass you on the trail like it is nothing.
We packed up our gear, bade the mountain farewell, and headed down. Through meadows, streams, forests, hills, mountains, valleys, sketchy bridges, and old roads. Down down down. We passed many people going up and enjoying the trail, and we kept going down down down. Down... down... down... serious... it like... never ended. We made it to the bridge, then the other bridge, then the road and we thought we were there... we kept going and going and going...
And going...
The Creek
Flowers
Back Through the Meadows
Flowers Everywhere
More Flowers
Over the Rocks
Through the Fields
Stone Path
Into the Valley
Eventually we did make it, and I have never been so happy to see the Jeep. We dropped our gear, I took some Advil for my knees, and pain killers for my back, and we were on our way back to Calgary.
This was one of our best adventures...
Ever!
Back at the Jeep
