Steps of Foreign Soil: Al’s Adventure Trust

Before we get started, let me tell you the tragedy. Some amazing things happened this trip, but for some you will simply have to take my word for it. Midway through the trip my camera suffered from some technical difficulties… and by technical difficulties I mean it deleted all of my photos… Yeah, that sucked. With the use of some recovery software I was able to recover the Mineral King Mine trip, and part of this trip, but one day remains shrouded in mystery. So, I’ll tell you what happened, and you can decide whether to believe this fantastical tale… or not.

The scheduling didn’t work for some of the people on the last trip, but it worked better for some others. This resulted in us going in with six people, of varying familiarities with the Canadian Rockies. Adam had checked with the rangers beforehand, and evidently there were no major roadblocks to our going ahead with this trip. So we did.

Hoo Doos

Photo Op.

We started as usual by meeting up in Invermere, spending the night, and then heading out. We left relatively early, given that we had no idea where we were going, and headed south towards Kimberley. In general, you need to know that we were going to a very remote set of hot springs, and that these hot springs are said to be the hottest in British Columbia, with the water reaching the surface at 85 degrees Celsius. Hot right? Right. Hot enough to cook a steak at?

Definitely.

We all brought meat, but some got left in Calgary, then some got left in Invermere, but no matter, people kept buying more, and as we headed into the bush almost all of us had something to cook.

Starting off to Dewar Creek - Blocked In

Drivin' to the Dewar Creek Trailhead

The Road

The road takes us south of Kimberley and into the wilderness. It is a logging road of sorts and in a variety of interesting conditions. The road curves north as it lines up with Dewar Creek and higher into the mountains. We didn’t know where we were going, but we did have some pretty decent directions. Up, up, and up we went. The road was in acceptable condition, and for the two jeeps it was nothing. There were some washouts which were a bit more interesting to get over, but nothing the jeeps couldn’t handle… ask me about it in person sometime.

Trailhead (Photo by Adam)

We did have one false start, but eventually we did find the trailhead, and we signed into the registration book. The Purcell Wilderness Conservatory is a wonderful park, and we were at the very southern tip of it. In contrast, the Mineral King Mine is just outside its northern border.

We grabbed our gear, and headed out.

Life

Spirals

Spears

Lush

We first passed over a small bridge over a smallish, but raging, creek. After that we were in the woods. It is still the East Kootenays, but it’s a different East Kootenays than I know. The humidity is different, and the precipitation, and while Invermere is more akin to a desert, Dewar Creek has places that closer resemble a rain forest. There are ferns, and green leafy things, and zillions of frogs.

First Bridge on the Trail

Adam

Me on the Bridge (Photo by Oscar)

Hiking in the Glade

The Creek

Avalanche Path

The Path

Wet Trail

Standing Waves

Flooded Path

Dewar Creek Team

Flowers (Photo by Adam)

One comment I had read was that the trail is rather boring, because you are in the trees almost the whole time. Certainly, there is no grand view, but it was anything but boring. We were at the end of wet season, and while people skirted the streams running straight down the path, and plodded through in my Vibram Five Fingers. They served me well.

We did manage to get a few spectacular views of mountain glades with over hanging glaciers, but like we had heard, much was in the woods.

We were passed by a few day hikers toting a rifle for protection from bears, and a group of backpackers who were evidently in better shape than we were (plus they were only staying one night so their packs were much, much, lighter than ours… right?). We also passed a lot of bear and horse poo. Like… a lot. No worries, it wasn’t that fresh…

It took 8 km and 200 m. It took all day. It took infinity. It took longer than could have been possible, but without too much trouble we found the springs. They were pretty obvious, and I’m not talking about the sign, but the brightly coloured deposits on the rock that were left behind by the near boiling water spewing from the earth.

The hot springs are just fiveish minutes from the campsite, but with fill packs, and after a day of hiking, that fiveish minutes was more like… twenty. Still. We made it.

Adam's Tent (Photo by Adam)

The Gear (Photo by Adam)

Bugle Basin (Photo by Adam)

The campsite. Spectacular. My photos are gone, but fortunately Adam took a few. Just spectacular. It is an open basin with Dewar Creek running through it. There is a beautiful clearing with space for many campers, which worked well since the other group beat us there (the day hikers must have headed back, or stayed in the cabins nearby). The basin is well protected with tall mountains on all sides, and we were there at a time when snow still crested their mighty peaks (and could still be found in patches at the level of the campsite). We brought a water filter, but we never used it. The water was as clear and cold and clean as I have ever seen. It was glacial, and you could certainly tell as your burned your fingers when filling your bottle. Amazing. My words cannot do it justice, I hope that Adam’s pictures can give you at least some idea.

Lastly. The bathroom. Equally spectacular. It is a regular pit toilet, but they must have helicoptered in a nice blue plastic toiled. It was installed over the pit, but without any kind of shack or hut. As you sat down to go about your business, you were surrounded by nature. It was that same beautiful basin view, but you sat there in seclusion, and serenity. Quite frankly, I can’t think of a better place to take a shit.

Having just arrived, we set up camp and got ready to go. If you recall, we were carrying a variety of meat, and though the night was cold, we didn’t want to try to get it to last another day. We went to the springs.

It had been a cool day, but it was raining now. No matter, the hot springs wold warm us up. We headed down to the hot springs and were not disappointed. The pool is connected to a minor spring, so not the super-hot one, but more than hot enough at 66 degrees Celcius. The pool is made with a tarp as a barrier, and rock cover to hold it in place. The hot spring feeds the pool, as well as a small cold spring. You adjust the temperature as needed by throwing rocks in one or the other to divert the flow. I know the source was 66 degrees Celcius because I brought a meat thermometer with me (my best meat thermometer) to accurately cook my steak in a bag. I found a deep enough pool, dropped my steak in, and put some rocks on it to weight it down… I hoped that my three layer ziplock would be enough to keep out the sulphury spring water… I did also manage to drop my thermometer in the water, but despite having some water in the screen, it still worked. Other participants found equally effective places to cook their meat, and we made it down to the water.

Please note, that 66 C is not, and that Vibram Five Fingers have no insolation… be very careful where you step.

Just imagine it. Perfection. The hot springs sitting on the edge of the creek, with the spring steaming above, and the creek roaring below. The rain was chill, but sitting in the springs it was simply refreshment. We eased our sore and aching muscles as we soaked in the hot water. The best part, we didn’t even have to cook supper… the springs were doing it for us.

We checked on the meat from time to time, and made minor adjustments to the hot/cold mix of the pool, but mostly, we relaxed. It was a hard hike, but we made it.

It was fate. My water soaked thermometer read a perfect 126 F as I was getting my steak to the desired 130 F. The thermometer worked enough to cook our meals as a last hurrah, and then it died.

So imagine. Sitting in crystal clear steaming hot water, letting the raindrops cool my head, and eating a perfect rare ribsteak from a plastic bag.

Epic.

I didn’t eat all of the steak there, I ate about half. Part two of the experiment was searing it over the fire (yes, thus ruining my perfect rare), in an attempt to improve the flavour (if such a thing was even possible). We headed back to camp, leaving the hot springs to the other group of campers who appeared and boiled some eggs in the water while they relaxed.

The rain was sporadic, but we managed to get back, have a fire to cook the rest of our suppers, and enjoy. I don’t know if “better” is the right word, but the seared steak too was spectacular. We finished eating and then came the rain. It was a deluge. We retreated to tents, and slept off soreness.

We had big plans for the next day… possibly big plans… but yeah… we were tired. People slept in. We relaxed. The other group of campers left, leaving their fire going, which was hugely irresponsible, but then it was just us.

We gathered fire wood, got things ready for the night, and then hit the hot springs… for hours. It wasn’t raining; it was perfect.

The Pool

Dewar Creek Hot Spring

From the Pool to the Spring

Me at Dewar Creek (Photo by Oscar)

Adam and I going for a dip... (Photo by Oscar)

In the Springs (Photo by Oscar)

Exploring the Hot Springs (Photo by Oscar)

Oscar and Me (Photo by Oscar)

THE Hot Spring

Spring Growth

Spring

Dewar Creek

The Overhang

From the Centre of the Earth

Cliffside

Another Spring

Like Nothing You've Seen on Earth

Colour and Water

Hangin' On

Flower

Adam feat. Dewar Creek

Colours in the Muck

Growth

Tufa

Island

Islands

Delta

The Black Spring

85 C

More Islands

O'er Hill

Hot to Cool

Life at the Spring

The Edge

Desolate Colour

No much to say. We explored the hot springs, found the source, tried to find other pools, Adam found one, and relaxed. ‘Nuff said.

The Crew at Camp (Photo by Oscar)

It was a glorious campfire, and we at crappy dehydrated camping food that was “good” for camping, but “not-so-good” when compared to real food. We cracked out the s’mores and roasted marshmallows. We had some hikers that were new to Canada, and we showed them proper marshmallow roasting technique. It was a great night. In my usual style I finished it off with a cigar as the night rose, and we were immersed in darkness.

Getting Ready to Go (Photo by Oscar)

O'er the Hills... (Photo by Oscar)

We slept, we woke, we packed up, we headed down, wait… there, at the hot springs…

The Internet told me that the mineral deposits from the hot springs are used as salt licks by the animals, and that they come from all around to lick the salt deposits. I guess something on the internet is true. There, just 20 metres from us was a mommy mountain goat and her kid. They are rare enough as it, as I haven’t seen any in ages, but it was perfect. There they were.

In the Distance (Photo by Oscar)

Goats (Photo by Oscar)

Springs in the Morning

We didn’t quiet down as soon as we could have, and we spooked them. They took off, but not before I snapped a quick photo… not an artistic piece, but more of a, yep, they were there, kind of photo.

Amazing.

Adam's Frog

Adam's Frog (Photo by Adam)

We headed down. We lost a member of our group. Found the cabins. Found the group member. And continued down. It was long, but the constant flow of icy water over my feet helped to sooth my pour sole(s). We found more frogs, more views, more forest, and then, the jeeps. We made it.

Blurry Stove

Avalanche Proof?

Cabin

Relic Door

Luck

Cabin

Cabins

Inside the Cabins

Damp Trail (Photo by Oscar)

In the Glade (Photo by Oscar)

It was a quietish ride back down and out.

We weren’t going home right away, instead we decided to stop in Kimberley, since we had to go through anyways. We visited the Platzle, played a rather competitive came of ping pong, and then made our way to the Old Bauernhaus for supper (meeting my wife and her family there).

Chess in Kimberley

Competitive Ping Pong 1 (Video by Adam)

Competitive Ping Pong 2 (Video by Adam)

Building on the Platzle

Bauernhaus

Sign

Woodwork

Welcome

Vines

In the Bauernhaus (Photo by Oscar)

For those who weren’t there, the Old Bauernhaus provided the food for our wedding, and more than that, it is my favourite restaurant. I couldn’t think of a better way to end that kind of amazing trip. So we feasted.

Full. Relaxed. Tired. We drove back to Invermere and slept.

The next day most people headed back to Calgary right away, but for a few of us we went into town for the Canada Day parade. It was a nice relaxing end to a wonderful trip, and then we headed home…