Rocky Mountains - 2 day hikes - set 2

Sept. 14-15, 2024 -- David Thompson Hwy

A group from our club started this trip a few days after we left. We arrived there, armed with Maryann Dykshoorn's intinerary. Having left the Tumbler Ridge area on Sept.13th, we then drove to Hwy 11 which branches off of the middle of the Icefield Parkway Hwy. By 5:30pm we arrived at the David Thompson Resort. This campsite has a restaurant (best cell reception there), gas & deisel and a small store.

On the way to our destination, we drove through Jasper. I was surprised to see that most of the main street that runs along the railway tracks is virtually untouched. Then abruptly on the west side of the strip, utter devastation. About 1/3 of the town burnt down.

Evening sun on the Rockies.

The Columbian Icefields.

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Sept. 14 - Waterfall hikes

Since the weather was cloudy & wet, we decided to stick to waterfall walks and check out the two towns: Nordegg & Rocky Mt. House.

Bighorn Canyon Lookout (on the way to Crescent Falls):

We hopped back in the van and drove to Crescent Falls (6 km from Hwy).

We spent about half an hour on this short trail and checked out the three viewpoints by the falls.

View from the highest viewpoint.

View from the lower viewpoint.

It was disappointing to hear when we got to Rocky Mt. House, that the museum was closed on Saturdays. So we did the Downtown Walk of History where 21 bronze plaques on the sides of the stores told the story of their town.

David Thompson was only 14 years old when he immigrated from England. Eventually he married 14-year old Charlotte Small, Cree daughter of a Northwest Company fur trader. (monuments in the canoe in this photo) David single-handedly explored and mapped most of western Canada. He spent 28 years in the fur trade and travelled over 55,000 miles. And yet his death in 1957 did not get much recognition. He and Charlotte were together for 57 years and had 5 children, having suffered terrible hardships, including near starvation. She died only 3 months after he did, at the age of 71. Theirs became known as the great Canadian love story.

A family of deer just passing through. In 1793 Rocky Mountain House was established by the Northwest Co and by the competing Hudsons Bay Co. In 1927, 90% of the business sector was demolished by a tornado. In 1958 construction of the David Thompson Hwy began.

The David Thompson Hwy runs along the shore of Abraham Lake & the Saskatchewan River. In the upper right corner of the map is the tiny town of Nordegg. Their discovery center is open: Mon.-Tues. 1-4:00pm, Wed.4-7:00pm, Thurs.12-3:00pm, Fri.-Sat. is closed, Sun.11:00-2:00pm. Their cafe sells delicious homemade pies and sandwiches.

In 1906 Martin Nordegg came from Germany to Canada and by 1911 he owned and operated Brazeau Collieries. It's headquarters were in Nordegg and supply center in Rocky Mountain House. But when WW1 hit, he became an enemy alien and left for America. His former company went on to become the largest briquette producer in Canada. In 1950 it was destroyed by a fire. It took them 2 years to rebuild but they closed it down in 1955 due to low coal prices.

Next we drove all the way to the west end of Abraham Lake, to the Siffleur Falls trail -- 7 km, return.

The Saskatchewan River which originates from the Saskatchewan Glacier in the Columbian Icefields, flows in and out of it. It flows all the way (1200 km) to Winnepeg Lake in the prairies.

The sun had come out and it was 4:00pm. This area is in the Kootenay Plains Ecological Reserve, which is in a wide valley and in the rain shadow of the surrounding mountains. Therefore the climate is relatively dry and warm, making for an ideal habitat for elk, deer, grizzly bears and wolves.

east

Stiffleur Falls -- wow!

The sun was just tucking behind the mountain when we arrived.

We weren't far from the trailhead when Charlotte tripped on a rock. Her right foot got caught between the rock and a root just as her left foot flew forward. She sprained her ankle!

Driving back to our campsite, Abraham's Slabs stood out in the evening sun.

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Hike # 2 -- Allstone Peak

Stats: 10 km / 835m gain / 2090m high / 3 hours MT

Charlotte encouraged us to do this hike without her. It allowed us to see the vast terrain in this region.

It was a short drive north to the trailhead. Early morning clouds hung low over the lake.

We parked here.

After reading the reviews on the AllTrails App, we decided to go for the peak from which you could see the lake.

Rock Buckwheat

Abraham Lake

Allstone Lake from Allstone peak -- west.

west

Nordegg in the distance and Big Horn dam to the right. It was completed in 1972 and formed Abraham Lake, Alberta's largest man-made lake.

east

Back at the parking lot where Charlotte was basking in the warm sun. The clouds have now cleared.

Preacher's Point along the highway.

Since we got back from the hike at 1:00pm, we decided get some driving time in and ended up spending the night in Revelstoke. This black bear was digging for grubs along the Icefield Parkway highway.

We stopped to check out Howse Pass viewpoint along the Icefield Parkway Hwy. This was a traditional travel and trade route for the Aboriginal people for thousands of years. In 1807 David Thompson led an expedition from Rocky Mountain House, through this pass and down the Columbia River in an effort to expand fur trading to the west of the Rockies. Three years later the Piikani First Nation blocked this pass to the fur trade and he was forced to find a new route west.

This pass was named after Joseph Howes who was a fur trader for the Hudsons Bay Co. and crossed this pass in 1809. Howes Pass is one of the lowest undeveloped passes along the continental divide.

At the Peyto Lake lookout, 2078m high. Rock flour is created by the grinding of the glacier. It's does not sink in the water. Hence the color: the sun relecting off of the rock flour. Bill Peyto moved to Canada in 1887 and became a trapper and guide in Banff. Later he became one it's first park wardens.