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With a forecast for cool morning temperatures rising to 26 degrees in the afternoon I decided to rise early and make the long trip round to the Smith Dorian/Spray Lakes Trail (Highway 742) To the large car park signed for Burstall Pass.
There are a large number of trails available from here not just the pass, there are also several fishing lakes accessible from here, so I was pleasantly surprised to find only one other car in the car park when I arrived at 9.15
it was very cool on arrival but the sun was well on the way and after the usual exploration/getting ready, I set off across Mud Lake dam at 09:30 really looking forward to this long hike.
The trail is easy to follow with hiking signs showing the route along an old logging road where a hint of early autumn colour brightens the forest floor.
I am covering the ground quickly on very good going and I'm soon well on the way looking back across the canyon that holds Burstall Creek to the lakeside mountains at the car park
the elevation gained is lost as the trail dips back down to a broad flat area where a short detour takes me to the shore of the middle one of 3 Burstall Lakes, I grab a few photos then retrace my steps to the main trail and press on.
After 3.5km I come across a bike rack beside the trail, knowing what I know now I think a bike/hike combination would have been a good idea here (and would have saved 7km of walking) If I ever decide to come this way again I'll bear it in mind. The next point of interest comes soon after the bike rack where the trail exits the forest into a wide glacial run off from the Robertson Glacier.
crossing the run off area was easier than expected as there was very little water in any of the myriad of streams criss-crossing the area. Much of the area is grown over with shrubs that are beginning to turn toward autumn shades.
A zoomed shot to the south-east shows the remains of the Robertson Glacier sitting between the pinnacle like Mt Robertson on the left and the broad mass of Mt Sir Douglas opposite. It is humbling to think that only 100 years ago, where I am currently standing would be a glacial mass hundreds of feet deep.
Looking to the east along the glacial path surrounded on all sides by mountains it is easy to imagine the glacier filling the space currently taken by shrubs and the occasional pine tree.
at the far side of the wash out I re-enter the trees and immediately begin a very steep ascent along a narrow twisting trail that undulates through the dense, dark forest.
The ascent through the forest is only briefly punctuated by occasional glimpses of mountains away to the north so it is pleasing to break out of there into the sunshine on the edge of an alpine meadow.
The trail is well worn and I would probably be able to make good time along here but I continually stop to look back at Mt Birdwood and take photos of the incredibly beautiful valley, littered with splashes of gold against the blue sky and slate grey rocks is is a wonderful sight.
looking ahead up another long glacial valley the majority of the trees are turning yellow and add a direct contrast to the colours of Whistling Rock Ridge behind them
I ascend to the first of several ridge lines and stop for a sit down on a large smooth rock, the oranges and swiss army knife are soon making an appearance and I enjoy 10 minutes rest whilst consuming my favourite fruit. The view back along the valley defies description, clearly I may have to re-think my favourite Canadian hike...........
the trail curves around and up to another higher ridge which is the high point of Burstall Pass, now I'm left with a choice of 'what now'. To the north is Snow Peak which looks like a good grunt from here, to the south is South Burstall Pass which doesn't look much easier....but it does lead to a glacier viewpoint.
The small unnamed glaciers are little to look at from here but I have a real fascination with glaciers and decide that is the direction for me today, I can always come back here at some point and tackle Snow Peak.
Instead of heading directly for the glaciers I head west up a grassy hill so I can get a better view of the area as a whole. Across the way is another green hill listed as 'Leman Lake viewpoint' in my guide book, as it appears to link nicely with a long ridge (again unnamed) I decide to head to the viewpoint first and then south (left) along the ridge.
There is a good size cairn to pose beside so I take the opportunity to do so before dropping down into the green valley and the short steep ascent to the viewpoint
I'm not sure this should be described as a viewpoint for a lake that is so damn far away, but it is a great spot all the same and affords a stunning view along the Spray river valley and to the mountains beyond.
to the south lies ridge 147230 (or so my book says) and on its northern flank a propeller shaped remnant of snow from last year, the mountain on the right of this shot is Mt Leman and to the left of that is Mt Queen Elizabeth
I wasted little time at the viewpoint and carried on along the ridge. I needed a bit of hands on scrambling at the start to get up a nub of rock between the viewpoint and the ridge then I began a steep ascent by circling around the propeller of ice clinging to the scree slope.
it is a steep climb and toward the summit is a feast of moving rock on a narrow broken pinnacle but already I can see the spectacular views opening up.
with some careful manoeuvring on the lose rocks I make it to the summit and I'm pleased to see a wider flat area and a good size cairn. The view to the south is as wonderful as the rest of the views on this new 'favourite Canadian hike'
To the north are so many pointed tops they would be impossible to count. To the west (left) the Spray river valley is a hidden wilderness with no vehicular access, a haven for wildlife tucked away between huge ranges out of sight to all but the most determined hikers. Finally, to the east is that wonderful valley along which I made my way here, its beautiful colours still shining against the grey mountains.
I set the camera on the cairn and make a dash for a small point overlooking Leman lake, the views are spectacular in every direction and I can see almost every north facing slope holding small pockets of snow.
I think this is my highest peak yet at 8550 feet and I'm surprised that is is still warm enough for just the fleece. I didn't stay long at this summit as I had a ridge walk to do which included some scrambling and a few up and downs along a fractured rock traverse, I didn't want to be rushing it.
from half way along the ridge I am already fully aware of the brittle nature of this traverse, the underfoot conditions are very poor but the views are incredible, maintaining focus is all that is required but it does need to be maintained all the way along the traverse.
I am happy when I reach the end of the ridge and look down upon the beautiful green valley and the two glacial remnants clinging to the north western flanks of Mt Sir Douglas. I know that just behind the mountain is the huge Haig Glacier which these two remnants, the Robertson glacier and several others were all part of at some point. I hope to get over to the Haig glacier one day but there is so much to see here it is difficult to remember all the ones on my wish list.
I make my descent down a scree ridge onto a grassy bank still walking south for a final close up view of the glaciers before I turn and begin the long road home.
from the grassy bank a small plateau gets me moving north east and down another long scree descent toward the karst on the western flanks of Whistling Rock Ridge.
once on the higher end of the valley floor I find myself blocked from crossing all the way to Whistling Rock Ridge by a large vertical drop off, I don't have time to go around it so skirt the edge in the hope of finding a descent route.
walking along the ridge on smooth rock is a blessing after all the scratching about on the ridge and the scree descent, this tree provided a beautiful foreground to another shot of Mt Birdwood
I still can't see a route down from the ridge so I carry on following it around toward the top of the pass where I first went 'off trail'. The view from the ridge top shows the scale of the alpine valley below
after a couple of km I'm almost back at the trail and take a last look back at that wonderful southern section of the valley, it's a shame I couldn't explore the karst system but I did find a few shafts that went down into it and a few that were blocked with rockfall
I soon pick up the trail and begin the long slow descent through the valley, I met 2 women hiking up and stopped for a chat about the usual stuff, I think they were pleased of a reason to stop for a while as it's a long pull up here out of the trees.
by the time I reached the top of the dark forest that leads down to Robertson glacial washout area I was tiring, it had been a long day and I'd only eaten 3 oranges and a handful of sweets, I could have done with some energy but didn't fancy my lunch so carried on down into the 'root heavy' path through the forest.
My fatigue led to a mistake on my part, I left it too long between 'YO BEAR' shouts and as I topped a small rise I saw a female Grizzly and 1 cub about 40 metres ahead on the trail. I stopped abruptly she was staring right at me. I started speaking to her softly as she looked directly at me. "easy bear, just walking, eeeeeeasy now" I reached for my pepper spray but the wind was toward me so it was no use, the bear was moving its head side to side trying to make out what I was, with the light behind me I was silhouetted, it was a perfect storm of bad timing. Suddenly she stood up on her hind legs sniffing the air trying to get a sense of what I was, I walked backwards slowly still reassuring her in soft tones. Once back over the hump in the trail I grabbed my hat from my waistband and pulled it onto my head hard, not much use but I think leather might be better than a bald head for protection. I unzipped the pouch on my belt and took out a bear banger and the launch tool, as I was screwing the banger onto the end of the tool she appeared on the hill top walking toward me, this time I shouted 'YO BEAR', she stopped and once again stood up on her hind legs sniffing, she wasn't threatening but was far too inquisitive for my liking. I continued shouting 'GO ON NOW - GIT' but she didn't, she dropped to all fours and started walking slowly toward me, I released the mechanism and a hissing whoooosh carried the banger toward her, that sound caused her to turn and before she got more than a step it exploded directly over her head and saw her off at full speed back to her cub then away crashing through the forest.
I let out a long breath and suddenly didn't feel tired any more. I fitted another banger to the mechanism and carried on walking down to the Robertson run off where the afternoon sun had caused melting that filled all of the little streams with water....I just waded on through, I didn't feel like hanging about much longer.
As I crossed the run off every movement was a grizzly, every shuddering bush wasn't caused by the breeze but by a passing bear...there were a lot of 'YO BEAR' shouts from here to the end of the walk.
The next 4km was a feast of checking behind me, looking into the forest in every direction and shouting 'YO BEAR' almost repeatedly... I was glad to see the open space leading to the car park where suddenly I felt very, very tired as the adrenalin finally stopped coursing though me.
I called the rangers to report the bear (as required) and after a long phone interview to get all of the details down the ranger assured me that my handling of the situation was correct, he confirmed it was a grizzly by the markings I gave him, the most obvious being that she had a grey patch on her chest when she stood up, they were aware of this particular bear. I felt really bad for giving her such a massive scare but her inquisitiveness could have become a real problem had I not done it.
This hike goes to the very top of the list as my new favourite Canadian hike, it is truly beautiful, there is a good trail for most of it and with hindsight could be shortened with a mountain bike. It has lakes, rivers, mountains, glaciers and alpine valleys. There are crumbling ridges and spectacular views, it is by any measure an exceptional hike.
Another hike to remember.....for more than one reason!!
