Rocky Mountain winter trails

Posted on January 15, 2011 by BarryH

Tuesday and my last full day in the Rockies.  Once again it was cloudless blue sky and very cold.  My knee was playing up after the Hoodoos Trail yesterday but I couldn’t just poodle around town.  I had to do a good walk

I headed to the Bow River again and again it was very cold, I mean very cold.  The wind was much stronger than on Monday and could be seen blowing plumes of snow off the peaks of Mount Rundle.

Snow plume blowing off Mount Rundle in the strong wind

Reaching the end of the main street of the town and crossing the bridge over the river the strength of the wind became more apparent.  This time I headed upstream towards the historic ‘Cave and Basin’ site, one of the early-discovered 9 hot springs at Banff.  Walking into the north wind soon showed I was underdressed for the extremity of the cold.  I should have worn my ski-jacket which is more windproof than my down jacket.

The Cave and Basin site, credited with being the birthplace of the Banff National Park, is currently being ‘revitalised’ and mostly closed so I continued along the Sundance Trail along the river.  Just down from hot spring the trail crosses a small stream still flowing through the snow and ice even in this intense cold.  I guess it remains unfrozen because the water is being constantly warmed by the spring.  The trees, shrubs and other vegetation close to the stream are blanketed in thick hoarfrost because of the higher humidity creating a strangely unreal effect almost like a fairyland grotto in deep shade but with what little light there is reflecting off every surface.

Water from hot spring continues to flow

Trees laden with hoarfrost around the warm stream

Hoarfrost on bushes

Eventually the trail emerges from the shade of the forest into patchy sunshine but the hoarfrost had now formed on my beard.

Hoarfrost on my beard

For a while the trail affords sweeping views across the broad expanse of frozen, snow-covered river to the mountain ranges beyond.  Even early in the afternoon the shadows are long as the sun as low in the sky.  In places there is a narrow channel of flowing water presumably kept open by warmer water from the hot springs.

Long shadows on frozen river

Narrow open channels in the river ice

Magnificent landscapes

I was heading for Sundance Canyon but time was running on and so I turn back before committing to the 2 kilometre loop.  Something for next time.  Instead I followed a trail loop which follows the river more closely.  Although still only mid afternoon the sun was dropping low. More of the river was now in shade but the snow covered mountains were still reflected in slow-flowing water from the warm springs.  It was getting a lot colder and the ice was thickening on my beard.

Sunlit mountains reflected in still-water pools.

Icing-up again

By the time that the jagged outline of Mountain Rundle came back into view most of the river was in the shadow of the mountains which were still gleaming white in the sun. And I was walking more briskly and stopping less often to try to keep warm.

Jagged edge of Mount Rundle

I was only out for about 3 hours but by the time I reached the apartment the icicles were so thick on my beard that they formed across my mouth like a Hannibal Lector mask.  No wonder people were looking at me strangely.  The thought struck me that it was not surprising I get dehydrated out here, it isn’t simply the altitude it’s the fact that I lose a lot of moisture just by breathing as evidenced by the extent of the icicles on my face.

By the time I got back to the apartment the icicles were right across my mouth

It was not as eventful a walk as yesterday but the conditions were very enjoyable, the views were dramatic and it was sad to reflect that I would be heading back to Grey Britain tomorrow.  I could happily spend all winter here.

It has been disappointing to not be able to continue skiing because of my knackered knee.  I had improved and had hopes of continuing to learn during the final week.  But the walks of the last two days have given a perspective on the Rockies which I wouldn’t have got from the ski slopes.  If I were to come back I would like to continue to work on my skiing but I would also like to spend more time exploring the winter trails.

 

Posted in Canada, Winter | Leave a comment

Banff and the Bow Valley: Wildlife on the doorstep, walking on the wild side ….. and getting it wrong!

Posted on January 13, 2011 by BarryH

I’m back home now (Thursday evening) but I’ll update the blog with the Canada trip.  The blog below failed to upload in Calgary airport where the WiFi connection cut me off.

First of all, apologies in advance if this is a longer than usual rambling blog.  But then that’s what I do.  Ramble on.  And on.

It was fascinating seeing the woodpecker on Sunday but it seems I identified it incorrectly.  Thanks to Mike for correctly identifying it as an American Three-Toed woodpecker.  One of the shots I took confirmed that it indeed had 3 toes all pointing forward.  Turns out it wasn’t the only thing I got wrong but that comes later.

However, major omission in the last blog which was uploaded in great haste very late at night (grovel, grovel!) The underlying intention behind the post was to make the point that wildlife abounds in Banff.  We’ve had lots of species of birds in our garden in Wales.  Lots of small birds plus herons, sparrow hawks, green and spotted woodpeckers, with ravens and buzzards flying overhead.  Very diverse bird life.  We’ve had snakes and lizards.  Mice and squirrels climbing the trees to get at the bird feeders.  Rats breaking into the shed to get at the hen food.  And the occasional mink (but we caught the little ***s because they were killing our chickens).  Even the odd sighting of a badger.

But it somehow doesn’t seem to compare with deer wandering around the car park outside the apartment or crossing the main street in front of the bus.  Or flocks of 10+ ravens which fly off when you open the curtains in the morning.  Or squirrels running around on the ground and up the trees. Or, indeed, furry looking woodpeckers only feet away.  And all at temperatures of -20oC and lower.    That’s the wildlife on the doorstep.

Monday and, because I was warned off skiing because of my knackered knee (I like the alliteration of silent ‘k’s), I went out to walk the Hoodoos Trail.  Amazing day!  Real wild life!!!!

It had been forecast to be sunny and cold and it was.  When I set out just after 10.00 it was between -25oC  and -30oC.  Before I got to the Bow River at the end of the main street there was ice on my beard.  The sky was brilliant blue, not a cloud in sight. Fresh snow on the ground.  Perfect conditions.

I walked up to the ‘Surprise Corner’ car park along the marked trail rising up the cliff above the mostly frozen river.  I find this section of river in particular fascinating and beautiful and with the bright sun directly on it was dazzling.  For the third time I took photos of it, suffering another attack of the Repetitive Photo Syndrome I get so often in Greece.

Looking upriver on the Bow

Freezing and unfreezing

Ice breaking up at the top of the falls

Gnarly tree, frozen river, Mount Rundle

In the Surprise View car park I strapped my new cleats onto my boots ready for the slippery path on the steep descent to Bow Falls and set off.  The cleats worked extremely well, very good grip on the compacted snow and not inconvenient as crampons would be on the rocks.  It was good to have the extra confidence, given that my knackered knee was playing up a bit.

Bit of a digression now. One thing which irritates me about wildlife ‘interpretation’ back home is the inclusion of things which you are most unlikely to see.  Information leaflets which tell you that on a particular footpath you might see badgers (which mostly only come out at night) or otters (which are very shy) or bats, or greater crested dimwit birds.  If you are visiting an area for a one-off walk the chances of seeing these creatures is minimal.  You would like to see them so you go quietly and try to keep your eyes open.  However, after not seeing anything for a while your attention wanders, your observation not very sharp. In any case, with the possible exception of wild boar in woodland in the South East of England, none of them is a threat so the mind is not focused.

It’s a bit different here.  The information boards and leaflets tell you about Grizzly and Black Bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars, lynx, elk, deer, big-horn sheep, any or all of which might do you damage.  In these temperatures bears are hibernating, hidden in their dens buried by snow.  Chances of coming across them pretty slim to nil.  Nevertheless the advice is to walk the trails announcing your presence by making noise so you don’t inadvertently startle the wild beasties which is apparently when they can be dangerous.  The theory is that they hear you coming and quietly slip out of the way into the forest.  That may be true of the vegetarians among them but what about the carnivores?  The cougars, lynx, wolves and coyotes?  Not a problem apparently.  The main diet of the lynx is the snowshoe hair and there is an abundance of other small mammals like squirrels, mink, ermine, muskrat etc available as well as deer and elk.  So no real threat to me.

Walking along the trail down by the river there was no need to think about making a noise. The snow, whether fresh or compacted, squeaks and crunches noisily at every step.  It’s amazing when you stop, complete, total silence.  Something you don’t get in the UK.  But walking is always to a loud distinctive, squeaking accompaniment.     No chance of sneaking up on any wildlife.  No possibility of startling anything with ears.

It was still very cold and because I kept taking my hands out of my gloves to take photos they were very cold.  It was too cold to use the SLR so I was only using the Canon S95, a compact but very flexible camera.  I kept it in my pocket but even so it was so cold that the battery kept losing power and I had to take out the spare I carried closer to the warmth of my body and change it.  About 20 minutes between changes.  Slow progress but it was all new and so it was fascinating.

There were old footprints along the trail but they looked like one person having walked through yesterday.  So I thought I was the only person in the valley until I heard a dog barking ahead.  There were no paw prints with the human prints so I assumed they were walking towards me. Just as I came around a bend in the trail with the frozen river straight ahead there was the chilling sound of howling and sitting in front of me about 200 yards away in the middle of the river was a wolf.  There were two of them, one howling with its head up to the sky, the other barking and skulking along the edge of the far bank.  I whipped out the Canon S95 and took a few long shots, I certainly didn’t want to get any closer.

The trail went up a small rocky outcrop which I was pleased to climb because it put vertical distance between me and possible trouble.  The wolves continued howling and barking at each other so I drew comfort from the thought that they were more interested in each other than in me.  Having read ‘Never Cry Wolf’ by Farley Mowatt (highly recommended reading) I was also comforted by the fact that wolves rarely seem to attack people.  Apparently lone wolves can be a problem when they get hungry but there were at least two of them.  Now if it had been a coyote I would have been more worried as, if I recall correctly, Mowatt warns about them.  And Pam, our guide on the Johnston Canyon walk had been chased by 3 of them.

Emboldened by this I got to the far side of the rocky outcrop, dropped back down to river level, and crept, or rather squeaked, through the trees and the deep snow to the edge of the river to take more photos.  Shame was my hands were too cold to unpack the SLR which would have given better quality resolution and zoomed in closer.  But hey, I got photos to prove I saw wolves.  The wolf continued to sit in the middle of the river and howl.  It took one long look at me hiding in my red jacket in the trees  …. and continued sitting and howling at the sky.

Sitting on the frozen river

Thankfully not interested in me

I can’t say I was worried by their presence but I continued along the trail with my senses more alert.  Even though I was happier that it was a wolf and not  a coyote it still sharpens the awareness, nostrils instinctively flared, ears pricked, eyes darting this way and that into the forest.

Problem was, it wasn’t a wolf.  When I got back to Banff I went into the Parks Canada Office to ask them to identify animal tracks I had photographed and casually mentioned that I had seen a wolf in the Bow Valley.  They took one look at the photos and instantly identified it as a coyote.  Gulp!  I wouldn’t have been so easy in my mind had I known that.

As it was, I continued along the trail in my ignorance, more alert than before and watching out more carefully for animal tracks.  On the trail itself I saw wolf prints, except that from the size they were later identified as coyote tracks, which got me slightly more on edge.  And lots of different tracks crossing the trail, some large prints from deer or elk, some small prints.  At one point there was a hole deep into the snow about 2-3cms across and tracks coming out of it.  The very helpful staff in the Parks Canada office identified it as probably made by an ermine.  Most of the prints could have been a made by any one of a number of animals, they look very similar in deep powder snow.  I could tell the difference between deer/elk size tracks and small mammal tracks but that was about it.   However, there were such a variety of tracks and so many of them that it was clear that there was lot of wildlife around and I just hoped none of it was too wild.

Coyote prints on the trail

Some of the many unidentified tracks

Ermine tracks emerging from hole in the snow

As the trail climbed higher the forest thinned and afforded great views of the surrounding peaks.  The trail eventually reached the road at the top of the ridge where the views were even better, including of Cascade Mountain and Mount Rundle.  Cloudless blue sky, rocky and dazzlingly white snow covered, fabulous.

The trail opens out

Deer/elk tracks lead through a clearing in the forest on the ridge, Cascade Mountain in the background

I followed the trail parallel with the road to the Hoodoos viewpoint, pillars of rock left by river and glacial action, now high above the current river level.

Hoodoos seen from the ridge against the background of the Bow Valley far below

Close up of the Hoodoos

There was a car park and boardwalk above the Hoodoos with a couple of benches to sit and admire the views down the Bow Valley.  I cleared the snow off and sat down to have my soup and sandwich.  Very cold but nice to sit in the sun.  Problem was that my breath had frozen on my beard and moustache and I had to pour the by now lukewarm soup through the icicles around my mouth.  It was great.

A proper walk.  Really wild wildlife and icicles on my beard.  Couldn’t get much better.

Icicles on the beard - it was very cold

Posted in Canada, Reflections, Uncategorized, Winter | 1 Comment

Banff: Wildlife on the doorstep

Posted on January 11, 2011 by BarryH

Sunday was a day-off skiing for Ruth and Tim, and for me too for that matter.  That means a day for chores including a visit to the launderette with big bags of laundry.  On the way back we heard a hammering noise as we crossed the hotel car park to get to the apartment and traced the noise to a woodpecker seemingly intent on ripping chunks out of a pine tree presumably to get at the aphids and other insects overwintering under the bark.

It was not at all put out by being watched and we managed to get quite close without scaring it off.  It looked to be covered in down or fur rather than sleek feathers and I certainly didn’t recognise it.  Looking it up on the internet it turns out it was a Hairy Woodpecker.  There are so many things on this planet that I haven’t heard of let alone seen.  But that’s one off the invisible list.

First sighting of Hairy Woodpecker

Russet patch on its head clearly visible

Hanging around

Ripping chunks out of the bark

Sunday was also noteworthy fort the fact that we also ate in two of Banff’s iconic eating places.  We had breakfast mid-morning in Melissa’s, apparently famous for breakfasts, timing our arrival perfectly and going straight to a table.  By the time we left there must have been 20-30 people in the queue waiting to be seated.  In the evening we ate in Bumpers Steak House at the edge of town, famous for steaks and with the slogan: “If you haven’t been to Bumpers you haven’t been to Banff” . Both meals very enjoyable.

And a walk back under clear, starlit skies and plummeting temperatures.  The planned walk for tomorrow should be good.

 

Posted in Canada, Winter | Leave a comment

Art, nature, pushing the limits, and knowing when to stop

Posted on January 10, 2011 by BarryH

Saturday didn’t begin well.  I had a appointment with the physio at 08.00, the only slot available.  The insurance company were still ‘reviewing’ my case (translation: still trying to find a way of wriggling out of paying for my treatment) so I had to pay the bill myself out of my dwindling bank account.  My knee was more swollen and very sore.  And I had to walk to the physio into the teeth of a bitingly cold wind and driving snow.

Unsurprisingly the physio said definitely no more skiing.  So at least that removed any uncertainty.  Or, to put it another way, removed any faint hope I still harboured.  Was I hacked off?  Yes.  Glum??  Yes.

But knowing that everything is for a purpose, no matter how obscure, or, as I said at the outset of my Greek trip, knowing that “a man’s mind plans his way but God directs his steps” I determined to do something positive about it.  Look for some worthwhile outcome.

After the physio, shopping and breakfast, in that order, I took my camera for another walk around the town and headed for ‘Central Park’.  Bit of a misnomer that, the park being anything but central.  Quite peripheral in fact.  Despite the seemingly inappropriate name it’s a great place.  Public works of art.  Band stand, or gazebo as it is labelled.  Rocky Mountain backdrop. Next to the frozen Bow River. Covered in fresh snow.  A guy was going around an oval shaped track on the frozen river with what seemed like a modified lawnmower clearing the snow for ice-skating.  Several people were skating on it including one girl being pulled along on her skates by a small dog.

'Thunderbird and Eagle', at the edge of town before crossing to Central Park

The gazebo

Buffalo, gazebo, mountain backdrop

View across the river and the skating track

Clearing the snow from the skating track

Mount Rundle framed by the gazebo

In the biting wind my hands got very cold and I was hungry so I went back to the apartment, warmed up, had lunch and made a radical decision.  I was going to walk back up to ‘Surprise Corner’, drop down the ‘trail’ to the Bow River Falls and suss out the start of the Hoodoos Trail.  Not quite what I think the physio had in mind but I was now determined to make the last few days here count for something and not just mope around the apartment and the shops.  If I couldn’t ski without further risk of longer term damage to my knee I would at least look at the place from a different perspective.

The views on the walk above the river on the way up to Surprise Corner was again different.  The river is not frozen across in this section because of the speed of flow of the rapids and the shapes it creates in the ice are fascinating constantly changing as the temperature rises and falls and as the ice moves, forms and reforms.  The same is true of the colours and patterns in dead trees.  I was in no hurry so I dawdled with the camera.  I find that there are often more attractive shapes and patterns in nature than in art galleries.

Fascinating shapes in the ice on the river rapids

..... all shapes and sizes

Colour and pattern in the stump of a gnarled, dead Douglas Fir

It was a steep, slippery scramble down to the river level by the Bow Falls and I was hesitant because of my knee.  I was OK sliding down right foot first but couldn’t risk going down leftward because of the weakened ligament.  So I didn’t go around the edge of the crag to the falls themselves.  Instead I turned downriver and linked up with the Hoodoos Trail.  By now the sky had turned grey and it was snowing very fine, light snow again.

It was a type of landscape I hadn’t experienced before: The broad frozen expanse of the Bow River below the falls, high, the frozen peak of Rundle Mountain against the grey sky, forest of Lodgepole Pine, Dougals Fir and the occasional Aspen.  Strange animal tracks through the snow-covered forest floor.

Looking across the river to Rundle Mountain with Aspens light against the coniferous forest

Walking through the forest not knowing what else is doing so

Across a bend at a narrow part of the braided river

Tensioned ice cleared of snow by the strong wind

At one point I left the trail to go to the river’s edge and came across a very random piece of funky art.  No explanation.  Just there, barely a foot from the river so I had to lean back on a tree to take a photo.

Heart-warmingly random art in the middle of nowhere

By now it was 15.00 and a trail-side sign showed I had covered about a third of its length.  My knee was playing up.  It would be getting dark in an hour or so.  The last section had been particularly slippery as the trail rose up and then dropped down a craggy outcrop.  Simple, instant clarity.  I was only on a reconnaissance, the light was not very good for photos.  Two clear decisions, time to turn back, and time to spend the money I had saved on not paying bus fares to the ski hill on a pair of cleats to better equip my wonky knee for a properly planned walk on Monday when it was forecast to be sunny.

 

Posted in Canada, Winter | 1 Comment

What do you do in a ski town when you’re not skiing?

Posted on January 8, 2011 by BarryH

The last time I went skiing before this Canada trip was in Verbier in Switzerland in 1991.  I know this because I happened to find the lift pass just before I came away.  It cost an arm and a leg.  Metaphorically. My skiing was abruptly cut short in the evening of the third or fourth day when we went curling on the local ice-rink and I got struck in the heels by a stone which imparted all its energy to me, Newton’s Cradle style with the result that my feet flew up and I fell in a horizontal position onto the handle of the stone fracturing my ribs.  Because curling is basically bowls on ice, that incident has ever since been a source of both incredulity and amusement to others.  Go on an extreme-sport holiday and get injured playing bowls!

So what do you do in a ski town when you can’t ski?  The next day in Switzerland I went paragliding. We had taken our ‘chutes and other equipment with us, that’s the advantage of travelling by car.  Temperature at take-off, the lift Mid-Station, was -26oC, it said so on the side.  No doubt about it, paragliding in -26oC with fractured ribs is not to be recommended.  Both the take-off and the landing hurt.  A lot.  That’s what decided me to go to the clinic where the x-ray showed the fracture and I was warned in the strongest terms by the doctor not to ski or paraglide again until it had healed up or risk a worse, potentially fatal, injury.

So the same issue now.  What do you do in a ski town when you can’t ski?  Now feel I have to expose waht I perceive as the unspoken snobbery which seems to underlie such towns.  There are two lots of people, the ‘action-men’ and the tourists.  Remember the ‘Eiger Sanction’?  The distinction drawn between the climbers and those who gather like vultures to see them fall off and get mangled.

In Winter the main reason for being in a place like Banff is to ski or snowboard.  It really is a great ski town. Those who do, no matter how badly, have the bragging rights.  You don’t even need to be carrying your skis or board, you clothing and the way you strut your stuff, head up, sets you apart.  Admittedly there are many subtle differences even within this ‘action-man’ group: ‘ski-bums’ here purely for the skiing and with little money;  top skiers with an aura of calm and superiority; those who can afford the top designer gear and are here for the show; locals for whom this is just part of the fabric of life.  But these differences are endogenous, internal to the group.

Those who are merely here for the scenery or the shopping are quite different, clearly identifiable.  They walk less purposefully about the town, gazing in shop windows, head slightly down, avoiding eye contact, sometimes draped head-to-toe in furs.  Well that’s my biased, head-up view.

And those who are not skiing because they are injured?  They come somewhere in between, classed as incompetents.  It helps to have a good limp or an arm in a large plaster-cast held out at right angles from your body by a supporting strut.  That way you avoid being lumped with those here for the shopping. Better to be classed as an incompetent action-man rather than a tourist!  But don’t hold your head too high, you might slip on the ice.

Believe me it is frustrating hanging about.  The physio prescribed a simple exercise regime to be carried out 4 times a day with short walks of up to 15 minutes on level surfaces, definitely no ‘trails’.

I just can’t be doing with sitting around inside.  One thing I like about Greece is that it is essentially outdoor living.  At home we have for many years eaten and sat outdoors whenever the weather has been sufficiently clement.  So it is here. The temperature might be down around -30oC but I like to be out in the fresh air as much as possible.  The controlling factor has been trying to keep my hands warm.

So, I have been doing my exercises and then walking to the far end of Downtown Banff.  Doing bits of shopping.  Having an espresso.  Walking back.  Doing exercises.  Walking …. A bit like Greece in the summer.  Walking to a secluded beach.  Having a swim to cool off.  Lying in the sun to dry.  Getting too hot.  Having a swim to cool off …… Same kind of pattern but the obverse.  I think I must conclude it’s because I’m not content to ‘be’, I’ve got to ‘do’.  That’s why I guess I’ll never be contented like Enfys was.

Friday and it really started to get to me.  My knee was far more uncomfortable than either of the last 2 days.  I did the exercises and iced it and went for walks but it seemed to ache and be on fire.  I concluded that the likelihood of my skiing again this trip was just about zero.

I can’t walk around aimlessly so I had set certain purposeful tasks.  Yesterday I had gone to research and buy a new pair of gloves.  On Monday when I finished skiing I had gone back to the locker, taken my gloves off and put them on the bench behind me while I operated the combination lock which took barely a minute and in that time someone had pinched them.  Today I researched (ie trawled around all the appropriate shops) and bought presents to take home.  Then I walked to a Greek Fast Food place for dinner (lunch to the middle classes), had spinach pie and tzatziki (πολύ νόστιμο) and chatted to the guy in Greek.

My knee was very uncomfortable.  I seemed to be getting worse not better.  So I thought “stuff it!  I’m going to take the camera for a proper walk”. The physio had explicitly said not to go up Tunnel Mountain again so I walked down by the river and then up to ‘Surprise Corner’ on the flank of Tunnel Mountain which, no surprise at all, gives a good view of the Gothic opulence of the Banff Springs Hotel.

Sometimes you get to feel that you are being watched.

A balmy -3 degrees and the ice begins to crack as the rapids continue to run underneath

It is so cold that the sap freezes as it seeps from a damaged tree

Gothic opulence of the Banff Springs Hotel

It took me about 1½  hours, so only slightly longer than prescribed by the physio, but I felt I had done something. I have to admit it hurt but I was feeling aggressive and walking accordingly.  What was more it was part of researching the start of a walk I am determined to do if I can’t ski again before I go home.  The Hoodoos Trail.  Now watch out for that one.

 

Posted in Canada, Grumpy Old Men, Reflections | Leave a comment

White-out, Wipe-out, Black Monday

Posted on January 6, 2011 by BarryH

It often irritates me when people talk about a ‘white-out’ whenever it snows. It’s part of the unfortunately growing habit of exaggerating everything for effect.  Some people never have a headache, only a migraine.  If you’ve had migraine you know the difference. Winter weather is becoming increasingly subject to such exaggeration.  Even the Met Office talks of ‘Severe Weather Warnings’ if 1-2 cms of snow is forecast.

A ‘white-out’ to those who have spent any amount of time in the mountains in winter conditions is when you can’t tell where the ground is.  The wind whips up the fallen snow and it becomes impossible to distinguish between that and the falling snow. The light is diffused and you don’t know whether your next step will be up, down or level.  Visibility is virtually nil.  It can be very dangerous particularly if you’re on a narrow ridge or close to the top of a cliff face or a cornice.

I have been in white-out conditions a number of times.  On Monday morning, back to skiing after the weekend off, and I found myself in close to but not quite white-out conditions on my warm-up run.  It was bright and sunny at the top of the run, the easiest Green run designated for beginners and those learning.  The view was fabulous. So was the skiing.

At the top of 'Wiwaxy', the training and warm-up run.

But towards the end of the piste, where the run drops steeply and is funnelled between a fenced drop-off to the left and another fenced run merging from the right the snow-blower was working overtime producing a dense cloud of snow blowing across the piste presumably to try to cover the icy sheet which usually forms there.  It was not a white-out but you couldn’t see the bottom from the ‘roll-over’ at the top and the visibility was so poor it was impossible to see the shape of the ground or distinguish the icy patches from the reasonable snow.  As is usual, people were in trouble across the narrowing piste and it was difficult to see and avoid them.  For whatever reason, lack of competence I guess, I became one of them.  I wiped-out.  No real problem, I didn’t come out of my skis, got back up fairly easily and carried on down to Easy Street and a run down to the Lodge to meet up with Ruth and Tim.

But my confidence had taken a hit.  We decided to go up above the poor visibility to the clear, bright sunshine at the Top of the World.  That is genuinely what it is called.  Even though there are two higher peaks.  It was very windy and very cold but it was beautiful.

The Green run from the top had been redesignated a Black because the conditions were so poor so we came down a Blue.  That was not fun.  The top section was very narrow, steep and very icy.  Apparently most people do a beginners snow-plough down it which makes it more icy and forms a ‘V’ shaped channel which is fine if you have the skill and competence to straight-line it but for nervous intermediates like me who want to control the speed it isn’t easy.

I survive it without any mishap and did more-or-less parallel turns all the way but without any real skill or style and it knocked my flagging confidence even more.  We stopped at the bottom of the steep bit of the blue and once again the views were amazing.  It was a joy and a privilege to be there.  And I could still feel my fingers enough to take photos.

Just below The Top of the World

Ruth and Tim looking comfortable and composed

.... and, apprehensive and grim-faced, I was there too

I coped well enough on the rest of the way down but I felt my skiing had gone backwards and my confidence was not overly improved.  We decide to finish skiing back to the Lodge on ’Juniper’, a Blue run which tended to get a lot of traffic and so was frequently icy and difficult.  But it was great!  Better condition than it had been anytime in the last 3 weeks. It gave my flagging confidence a boost.

We had lunch and then split up.  Ruth and Tim went to do runs more suited to their higher level of ability than the ones I do.  Ruth has her Level 2 Instructor assessment coming up soon and needs to concentrate on preparing for that.  Stopping only to take a photo from the terrace outside the Ski Lodge, I went back up the chair lift to do another run on ‘Juniper’ as it was so good, determined to concentrate on improving my technique and moving on to better things.

Trees blasted by the snow-cannon and, ironically, the Ski patrol and First Aid Post

After a sluggish start, getting going again after a lunch-stop is always a bit of a hurdle whatever the sport, I got quickly into my stride and came down the steep, difficult part of the run satisfyingly well.  I did short, smooth ‘S’ turns across the shallower slope swinging comfortably from side to side onto the last steep drop onto the top of Easy Street.  And blew it completely half way down.

I somersaulted over the tail of my right ski and yelped with pain as my knee twisted.  I came out of my skis in accordance with the  settings they were calibrated to, and managed to stop sliding only a few yards further downhill.  I collected the skis and hobbled out of the way of the oncoming traffic, a lot of good skiers and boarders come over the roll-over here very fast and I was grovelling in the middle of the piste, and got back into my skis.  My right knee was right sore but I managed to ski back down to the Lodge.

I went inside to warm up and feel sorry for myself and then decided though my knee was painful I would give it a shot and see if I could still ski on it.  My confidence had been so low I didn’t want to finish the day at 14.15 with no confidence at all.  So I went back up the chair lift and did another run on ‘Juniper’.  In some pain and not very stylishly but without incident.  So I went back up again and did a run on the Green run I had wiped-out on first thing in the morning determined to ski with better technique.  Not a bad run.  Still only 15.00 with a planned 15.30 finish so I went back up again.  I wanted to build my confidence so I could start Tuesday on a positive note.  Had a very good run.  Not stylish in the greater scheme of things but quite good for me.  I was in pain but I felt good.

But that was it. The end. As long as I kept it moving the knee was painful but manageable.  As soon as I stopped it became clear that I had a problem. A big problem.  I could hardly walk when I got off the bus outside the hotel.  Long story short.  I hardly slept that night.  I went to a physio in Banff on Tuesday morning and she confirmed I had a Grade 2 strain of the Medial Collateral Ligament.  Certainly no more skiing this week and probably no more before I go home next Wednesday.  I could barely walk let alone ski!!!

Bummer!  I had become a statistic!!  I hate being a statistic!!!!!

 

Posted in Canada, Grumpy Old Men, Winter | 3 Comments

Rocky Mountain Sunshine

Posted on January 5, 2011 by BarryH

We got back from the guided walk in Grotto Canyon about 12.30.  It was still clear blue sky and bright sunshine and so, having had something to eat I decided to go back up Tunnel Mountain.  The views had been dramatic on Saturday but my guess was that they would be more so in the sun.  Much of the time I have been here it has been sunny but apparently that is unusual and so I didn’t want to defer going back up the mountain in case the next day-off from skiing was again overcast.  I enjoy walking when it is snowing but it doesn’t make for good photos.

I thought that by the time I got to the top the valley floor would be in the shade but that the mountains would be in the sun and against a backcloth of blue sky. Which is as it turned out. So this blog is really just more photos of and from Tunnel Mountain.

Looking back down the trail in bright sunshine. Note the dying trees, the work of Pine Bark Beetle

..... and looking up the trail as the trees thin out.

Mount Rundle, the Bow River Valley and the mountains beyond

High mountains mean the sun sets mid-afternoon.

Some trees are deformed in sappling-hood by other trees falling across them and they retain the shapes throughout the rest of their lives

The top of the mountain can be a windy and gnarly place

Last glimpse of the setting sun through the trees

The sun picking out ridges on the mountain

Seen from the Tunnel Mountain, Cascade Mountain which is the backdrop at the end of Banff's main street

Altogether the walk took about 3 hours but that included a fair bit of time just enjoying being on top of the mountain in the sunshine.  I decided that if another day-off coincides with sunshine I would go up the mountain in the morning to catch the sun on the Bow River Valley. As it turns out, that may not be possible.  About which in the next blog.

 

Posted in Canada, Winter | Leave a comment

Another frozen Rocky Mountain Canyon

Posted on January 4, 2011 by BarryH

Sunday was our second day-off from skiing and the second part of Ruth and Tim’s Christmas present to me, a guided walk in Grotto Canyon near Canmore.  It meant an early morning start as, unlike last week’s afternoon amble, we were being picked up at 08.15 outside the hotel.  Once again it was clear blue sky, bright sunshine, and very cold but we are getting used to -20oC now.

Grotto Canyon is just outside the Banff National Park.  The National Park boundaries seem oddly defined. Immediately to the West of the Banff Park are the Kootenay National Park and the Yoho National Park and the boundaries of the three are contiguous.  The Banff Park is in Alberta and the latter two are in British Columbia.  But I can’t help wondering why they are not all one big National Park given that they are all regulated and managed by Parks Canada.  In the UK National Park boundaries ignore local authority areas and planning control is exercised by an independent National Park Authority.  However strange the definition of the parks, it certainly seems to be true that they are controlled very strictly and in the interests of the environment and the landscape.

It was impressive coming back into the Banff Park at the end of the morning.  The ‘Gateway’ is marked by large wooden signs and huts.  What is more impressive is that the Park boundary is marked on the forested mountainside by a straight line cut through the trees, etched in white by the snow and very visible.

But, as is so often the case, I digress.  The minibus parked in a snowy car park at the beginning of the trail where we strapped cleats on our boots and those who wanted them were issued with walking poles.  And we set off through the trees on a narrow but clear trail.  The cleats, a strap-on sole of sharp-edged studs, give very good grip on compacted snow and made walking considerably easier, even when we dropped down into a rocky gully and climbed out the other side.

In the Rockies even more than at home, in winter the morning is quite advanced before the sun clears the surrounding mountains and touches the valley floors, and then only for a short time.  As we followed the trail around we came to a clearing in the forest at the entrance to the canyon and spectacular views of surrounding peaks.  

Mid-morning sunshine on mountain peaks

Peak at the back of Grotto Canyon in the sun

Waling group reaches the clearing at the start of the canyon; bitterly cold wind and out of the sun

It was remarkably windy in the clearing as we were out of the shelter afforded by the trees so we didn’t linger but headed straight into the canyon.  That was a dramatically different environment and a whole different way of walking.    We stepped off the trail through the forest and onto sheet ice.    I mean 20 foot wide sheet ice, sloping upwards, rippling like the surface of a river but frozen solid as if in an instant.

Heading up the glassy, rippling surface of the frozen river into the canyon

The cleats are not as effective as crampons on bare ice but reasonable traction can be achieved by stomping like a petulant child.  The rest  of the walk is up the frozen river.  In places it is as smooth as glass.  Now and again the river, which is still flowing underneath the ice, pushes under pressure up to the surface and the ice has a slushy topping like a brand of ice-drink. In other places thin snow deposits give a better grip.

Smooth as glass and very blue.

The canyon is narrower than Johnston Canyon with vertical rock walls in places so close together that they could be touched on both sides at once.

Narrow gap between towering cliffs completely filled with sheet ice

It was completely protected from the strong wind but bitterly cold.  We stomped up the frozen river for about half an hour.

On the way we passed a vertical rock slab with Native American rock art, pictographs up to about 12 inches high depicting various figures in red ochre.  One depicts a hunchbacked flute player which is taken to be a mythical fertility figure called Kokopelli and indicating that the Hopi Indians from Arizona travelled this far north and into the canyon which was a significant routeway for converging tribes in the past.  The figures have probably survived because they are permanently out of the sun and Parks Canada has taken steps to protect them further by giving them a thin coating.  It would indeed be ironic if they survived for hundreds of years only to be finally eroded by inquisitive tourist fingers

One of the ochre-painted Hopi Indian pictographs

Eventually the canyon broadened slightly as we reached the towering vertical headwall of the canyon where 2 rivers converged. Frozen icefalls coming out of the cliff with ice-climbers playing on them.

Approaching the headwall of the canyon

Having hot chocolate at the confluence of the frozen rivers

Climbers playing on the icefall in the headwall of the canyon

After a stop for hot chocolate and maple cookies (biscuits), which the walk guide carried in a large rucksack together with emergency kit we set off back down the canyon.  By now the sun had cleared the mountains on the other side of the main valley and for a short time was shining directly into the Canyon.  It was very pleasant.  Not quite like basking in Greek sunshine, the temperature ’high’ of -15oC made sure of that, but very pleasant nonetheless.  Dark clothing certainly absorbed what little there was of the sun’s heat rather than reflecting it.  The walk back to the end of the canyon gave a quite different impression.

Walking into the sunlight

Emerging from the mouth of the canyon into the sunshine

We reached the open area at the mouth of the Canyon with the sun now on it.

The mouth of the canyon and the peak behind now both lit up with the sun at its zenith

I think it was the sunshine which gave this walk a warmer, friendlier feel than Johnston Canyon.  But that could just be down to the time of day.  We began the Johnston walk after the sun had passed its zenith and walked into the dim light of evening.  This walk we started early and had the pleasure of finishing with the sun at its height.  My vote would be for early morning walks, more of a trauma first thing, tottering out of bed blinking and shivering into the morning light and  -20oC but with a much more enjoyable finish and leaving the afternoon for other things.  More about which later.

 

Posted in Canada, Winter | Leave a comment

Banff and a Rocky Mountain Winter

Posted on January 2, 2011 by BarryH

Saturday and a day off skiing.  Early morning cloud and mist cleared to crystal blue sky.  So I took my camera for a walk.  Twice.

Towards the end of the morning I walked through ‘Downtown’, still buzzing with New Year celebrants, and then along the river bank, the opposite bank to previous walks so a different perspective and the light from a different angle. It seemed that the ice had thickened up again with the colder temperatures and the snowfall of earlier in the week had re-coated the surface and was blowing around in the strong wind.

The bridge over the Bow River at Banff

Snow sculpted by the wind on the frozen river

Remaining patches of water continue to freeze over as temperatures drop again

I hadn’t really dressed for how cold it was and I hadn’t told Ruth and Tim I was going further than the shops so I decided to head back around lunchtime.  I wanted to look for the start of another path so I ambled back along a road delighting in the name of Buffalo Street parallel with the river and leading direct to the main street of Downtown Banff.  About 200 metres from the junction I came across what apparently is a not uncommon sight in the town, a deer in the garden of a house.  Pretty short of food in winter I guess they do quite a lot of damage to gardens but this is a national park.

Deer sometimes just wander into the garden and eat it.

After lunch and a look at the map of the town I headed for the top of Tunnel Mountain.  Unlike what I found in Greece in the summer the trails marked on the map were there on the ground.  In this case there is a clearly marked trail, a broad footpath with signs and information boards and, in order to protect the fragile environment, exhortations not to take shortcuts.  The trail climbs up through the forest where it soon becomes clear that the Pine Bark Beetle is taking its toll with a significant number of dead and dying trees. Even so the forest, particularly close to the top of the mountain where the colder temperatures have kept trees coated white with snow and hoarfrost, is very attractive.

Broken stumps of dead trees add a splash of colour

On the top of the mountain some trees become gnarled

Dead tree at the edge of the trail

...... provides a home for a woodpecker

Snow laden trees, attractive even under the cloud

At 1,690 metres (5,543 feet) Tunnel Mountain is not as high as many of the neighbouring peaks but gives dramatic views of those other peaks, of the Bow River Valley and of Banff.  There was no sign of a tunnel which I supposed might be something to do with the mining of minerals in the area in the past.   The information board at the top offers congratulations and the information that one local lass walked up there 8000 times in 40 years, (that’s 4 times a week!!!) and that in 1939 a certain Elizabeth went up there with her daddy King George V, which isn’t quite as impressive.  All this in both English and French.  No word in either language about the Tunnel however.

It was both cold and windy on top of the mountain and ice formed on my beard again.  The shame was that it had also clouded over in the afternoon as snow moved in so the photos again lack contrast and colour but I was sufficiently enthused by the walk to determine to do it again when(if) it is sunny.  Nevertheless, in some small way they show a little of the drama and beauty of the Canadian Rockies in winter.

Mount Rundle and the floor of the Bow River Valley

Zooming in on the floor of the Bow River Valley ..... Haven't found out what this is yet

View of the impressive Mount Rundle through the trees near the top of Tunnel Mountain

Looking over Banff upriver

Zooming in on the town bridge and the frozen river

As is my wont, when I got back down to the start of the path I read the information board which had facts and advice about both the walk and Tunnel Mountain and a final flourish right at the bottom “PS There is no tunnel”.  It seems that there had been the intention to build a railway tunnel through the mountain but in the event the engineers decided to go around it instead.  It seems to me that if topographical features were named after intentions rather than completions the atlas would be full of unrecognisable names.

 

Posted in Canada, extreme gardening, Winter | 1 Comment

It’s cold outside

Posted on January 1, 2011 by BarryH

Happy New Year.  As those of you in the UK were celebrating  New Year, or having an early night as the case may be, we were on the bus coming back from skiing.  The concept of time and time zones is fascinating and occasionally a little odd.  The bus driver suggested that Canadians will always be younger than Brits, any year ending 7 hours later so Brits as a direct consequence being 7 hours older.  He was an unusual bus driver.

And apologies for being off the air for 4 days.  I can only blame it on lack of mental energy.  After having Monday off from skiing we than had 4 days skiing in very cold conditions and with very large crowds of people.

Temperatures have been so low that it was too cold to take hands out of gloves for photos.  Too cold for the camera and other electronic devices to work properly.  My watch/altimeter, which I carried in an outer pocket, lost power and went haywire as the battery got so cold it stopped working.  An electronic device Tim was carrying stopped working.  My hands got so cold I had to go into the Ski Lodge after every run to warm them up.  Ice formed on my beard so I invested in a neoprene face mask.  Ruth’s goggles got ice on the inside.  On New Year’s Eve the upper lifts were stopped because it was too cold, the wind chill taking the -34oC at the top of the mountain to dangerous levels.

Ice formed on my new neoprene face mask after just 45 minutes skiing.

And the crowds?  Banff seems to be a destination of choice for Christmas and the New Year for Brits, Canadians and other nationalities.  Until just before Christmas weekend there had been no queues for the lifts, suddenly there was anything up to 20 minutes wait.  The popular pistes were thronged with skiers and snowboarders, many of them on a once-a-year skiing-and-partying bash.  At the pinch points and steep icy bits there were prostrate bodies everywhere.  Fortunately my level of incompetence has been honed to a point where I managed to avoid them all.  I had a couple of near-misses with people, mainly snowboarders it must be said, zooming up behind me and getting too close for comfort.  One boarder cut across my path so close that the back of his board went under the tip of my ski.  Not everyone got away so lightly.  When I was on the chair lift I watched a snow boarder take out a young skier on one of the runs I do regularly.  The skiing is good here but if I came purely for the skiing I would not choose to come Christmas week if I could avoid it.

A brief respite on the piste

But it is clear that this is also about partying.  The restaurants in the Ski Lodge are packed.  My guess is that some people do one run, go to the restaurant, sit in the comfy chairs for the rest of the day swapping stories about their exploits and achievements, do one more run, and then go home.  In the evenings Banff is thronged.  Shops are open until 21.00 and many folk are obviously here for the up-market price-tags, the glitzy windows of many of the shops in the main street exuding opulence.  It reminded me of Verbier in Switzerland which has the same kind of feel.  I bought Enfys a watch there once in a shop with three branches, New York, Venice and Verbier.

New Year’s Eve and it was definitely party time.  The well-off in their furs were replaced by youngsters in virtually nothing.  One lad was walking along with his mates in only a thin white shirt though he was wearing a tie which might have helped, and he also wore trousers of course.  The temperature had dropped below -20oC by this time.  I don’t know how some of the girls survived.

But there was no hint of aggravation, hassle, violence, drunkenness.  No sign of the police patrolling the streets.  No bouncers at the entrance to the pubs, clubs and restaurants.  All a very stark contrast with Grey Britain where I suspect police leave is cancelled on New Year’s Eve and extra bouncers are recruited. This is not confined to the big cities as the small market towns, certainly in Wales and I suspect in England too, can be very problematic.  Britain is grey not just in terms of the weather but in terms of attitudes and behaviour.  Not that everything in Banff is perfect and idyllic.  I’m told that there will frozen alcohol-related deposits on the pavements this morning.

'Chocolate Mountain' corner Downtown Banff

New Year’s Day and the blue skies are again in evidence.  Still below -20oC.  Day off again today.  Not sure what we will do yet but a visit to the launderette is on the cards.  I know, we shouldn’t be so focused on enjoying ourselves.  I may take the camera for a walk.

 

Posted in Canada, Grey Britain, Winter | Leave a comment