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After sunning myself in Florida over Christmas it was nice to be back in the cold clear air of Canada. I had been keeping my eye on the weather here whilst I was away and noted a good number of -30 days, this meant that grotto creek would be frozen and I could go explore an ice trail I had read about online and hopefully see some pictographs drawn by indigenous people over 1000 years ago.
Grotto creek was something I found online some months ago but had to wait for the winter to take hold, though now I've been I think it would make a nice summer afternoon hike too. Parking for the hike is at the Grotto Pond day use parking area on the north side of highway 1A just 3.5 km west of Exshaw, Alberta.
Once again I find myself alone in the car park, it seemed to take an age getting sorted out but the chill morning air felt wonderful. I finally got sorted and decided to leave the snow shoes in the truck, taking both crampons and micros because I couldn't make up my mind on one or the other, I finally set off toward the trailhead at the western end of the car park, looking back to the truck I think it may need washing, though I can still see out of the windows so maybe not yet.
The trailhead is impossible to miss as it has one of those large Kananaskis information boards at the opening to the early forested section.
the first km or so is a well signposted wide pathway that meanders along gaining height very gently, there are a couple of washed out sections that have steep slippery descent and re-ascent slopes to navigate but they are taken in good stride so early in the hike.
soon I am standing on top of a bank overlooking Grotto Creek which at this end is dry and rocky. My route is to drop down here into the creek bed and follow it upstream (right) through the narrowing canyon. I took a moment to look over the Bow Valley and breathed in the scene....it was good to be back in the hills.
after a short hike along the rocky creek bed and the ascent of a small dry waterfall I found the frozen section I was seeking, looking back over the route so far it's difficult to make out the downstream path through the forest.
as soon as I hit the ice proper I decide on the micros as the surface is very even and crampons would be overkill. My route continues from the right in the shot below to the left around the meandering ice flow. It is so easy going that I don't feel I'm working at all and I stride along with a smile on my face.
There followed a wonderful twisting, turning hike over the frozen creek with just the sound of my micros biting into the ice for company. In places where the ice is clearer I can see that it is around a foot thick, no wonder it feels so solid underfoot.
At times the walls were steep and the creek narrowed to just a few feet with large rocky outcrops looming overhead
at times it was wide and I could see a reasonable distance along the frozen mass, some areas had recent melt water running over the top of the ice which seemed a bit strange at first, but I got used to it quickly.
I confess that I have worked and worked at this image to try and get the pictograph more visible, on the left side of the canyon just above head height and significantly faded they are difficult to spot but I suppose 1000 years of wear and tear will have that affect. Apparently there are a number of them in a couple of locations, all I will say is good luck in finding them!
As I approach the 'Y' junction in the creek (that represents the end of the trail for most people who come here) the walls close in again and rise up on both sides.
just a short distance through the almost vertical walls brings me to the junction. The falls are surprisingly small which may go some way to explaining the lack of people here today, these are usually the target for local ice climbers. To the right is a small frozen fall then a dead end, to the left the canyon continues.
I made a little dash across the ice to provide some scale beside the falls, though I missed the pose it still provides the intended purpose. I arrived here from the left of the shot below and will continue my hike upstream past the ice falls.
Further upstream a sharp horseshoe allows me to capture the falls on the right and the continued creek on the left. There is no ice here just trodden snow and rocks.
After another stretch of steep sided canyon I break out to a more open valley and see the sunshine over the mountain tops ahead.
Along the valley the going is still pretty easy and there is a nice compacted trail that leads to a large hoodoo which has an impressive cave in it's southern flank
I keep on heading upstream long after the trail has ended, just exploring really. I like the look of the mountains on my left which appear to have a good flat ridge line, perhaps one I will try to find information on....excursions north of the 'Trans Canada' are rare from me as my maps and guide books are all focussed on the much larger southern Kananaskis area, time to spread my wings perhaps.
As the snow gets deeper and deeper I keep disappearing as I step into 'holes' between boulders on the dry creek bed, it's pretty funny but bloody hard work, eventually as the trees close in around the creek bed I turn around and call it a day.
As I made my way back to the ice falls I stopped and had lunch close to the hoodoos before returning to the easy going frozen creek. I came across a guy from Sheffield who was all geared up for ice climbing with his girlfriend, they only had 1 week of their holiday left and were very disappointed with the ice conditions. Nick was a nice guy and in training to be a GP, we walked back to the car park together as he reminded me how lucky I am, and said as soon as he qualifies he is leaving the UK and coming to Canada...I guess this place has that effect on people.
This was a nice gentle return to the hills after the cushy beach life of Florida, and a little bit of something different. Now perhaps that ridge to Grotto Mountain should be explored further.
