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Crossing Assiniboine

No roads penetrate the vast wilderness that is Assiniboine Provincial Park
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As the icy grip of winter fades into memory and long dark nights mellow into refreshingly cool and sunny evenings, many will mourn the passing of another ski season. There are those, however, whose thoughts are turning to other pursuits. These are the folks who are digging out their hiking boots and dusting off that big old backpack, rummaging around for that long unused tent and wondering where they may have stored their trusty little portable camp stove. It is also the time of year when thoughts turn to the re-awakening wildlife that calls our backyard home.  More specifically, the emergence of the bears!

As we stepped from the shuttle bus that had taken us from Banff to the top of the gondola at Sunshine Village Ski Area, we shouldered our packs and headed for the trail that would take us, for 30 kilometres, into the heart of Assiniboine Provincial Park.  I was heavily armed, of that there was no doubt. In an easily accessible side pocket of my overstuffed backpack was an airhorn capable of reaching decibels of alarming intensity, and in the other side, a fresh can of bear spray. In the unlikely event of a battle with a local bruin, these are essential components! 

There is something refreshing about a park into which one cannot simply drive.

Tucked neatly between Banff and Kootenay National Parks, no roads penetrate Assiniboine. This high alpine provincial park is home to what is known as Canada's Matterhorn. Mount Assiniboine's distinctive, triangular peak has been luring climbers for over a century.

But it's a long walk to get there! Or, a short flight in a helicopter to the cozy, full service lodge nestled beneath its towering peak. But more on that later.

The trail meandered easily through the high alpine meadows. Although it was still summertime, a light dusting of snow had fallen overnight, reminding hikers that in the Rockies, when it comes to the weather, anything goes! We were within clear sight of a number of other hikers, and I was well within my "bear comfort zone". For a while.

Beginning in Banff National Park, the trail to Assiniboine crosses the provincial border from Alberta to B.C. where the landscape changes considerably.  A weak sun was trying to penetrate an ethereal early morning fog that hung like a cool blanket over the stunted trees and resilient, weather-beaten alpine flora. Jagged peaks and wide open spaces were the main features up here.

We walked briskly breathing in the crisp, mountain air. We had to cover 15 kilometres that day before reaching the small, wilderness campsite called Porcupine where we would set up for the night. 

Before too long we had crossed a windy plateau and reached a small weather-beaten sign that indicated we were passing from Banff National Park into Assiniboine Provincial Park and thus from Alberta into B.C. Shortly after the trail began to descend into a thick forest, leaving the high alpine behind. The narrow footpath cut steeply through the dense evergreens.

All the other hikers seemed to have disappeared and I wondered what might be watching us as we ventured deeper into the shady forest. The park is home to many species including coyote, wolf, elk, moose, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, black bear, and, the grand-daddy of all North American mammals, the grizzly bear. 

Part of me hoped that Porcupine Wilderness Camp would be bustling with fellow hikers, cooking dinner, hanging wet clothes out to dry and trading stories around a smoky campfire. This would, at least, assuage my unease regarding the park's grizzly bear population. But the place was deserted when we arrived. A few empty tent pads damp with a week's worth of rain were tucked into the forest next to a cold fire pit and what appeared to be a bulletproof food cache. Easing his heavy pack off his broad shoulders, my partner headed into the foliage to gather wood, leaving me alone to set up our cozy little tent with my eyes darting nervously about. Clearly, it was going to take a little effort to make Porcupine Wilderness Camp feel like home for the night.

Next morning, after ascending out of the deep basin in which we had camped, we reached the aptly named and pleasingly sun-soaked Valley of Rocks. We slept well. Porcupine had filled up after all, becoming a bustling little haven of hikers bivouacking on the shady forest floor. Two Belgian girls had turned up; then a sodden father-son pair who had spent the last few days hiking through a merciless drizzle. Soon after that, a pair of couples on a weekend adventure and a boisterous group of bell wearing French Canadians bearing hiking sticks and high spirits. By dinnertime, the camp was full to capacity, cheerfully hued tents were bright splashes of colour among the somber old evergreens, and a cornucopia of different camp stoves were boiling water for hot tea, instant noodles and other outdoor delicacies.

Robed in sparkling glaciers and pleasingly triangular in shape, Mount Assiniboine creates the image of the picture-perfect mountain. At her foot, Lake Magog shimmers quietly, a brilliant shade of turquoise. The peak itself was named for the Assiniboine First Nations who once called this area home.

The word means "stone boiler" deriving from the aboriginal practice of putting hot rocks in water in order to boil food. This sounded like a practical idea, but we decided to pack our camp stove anyway!

Trails meander through the hardy stunted evergreen trees and colourful wildflowers blanket the forest floor. It was in this spectacular setting that Assiniboine Lodge was built. With no road access and about a 30 kilometre hike from any direction, this cozy, full-service lodge is a bit of luxury in a remote wilderness setting. Built in 1928 by CP Rail and now owned by B.C. Parks, the lodge has been managed by Sepp and Barb Renner since 1983. 

Long hiking trails radiate from its doorstep, attracting all sorts. There are the middle class outdoorsmen with a taste for luxury and a thirst for adventure who are flown in by chopper with their families and a considerable load of suitcases; civilized hikers who require hot showers and wine with dinner after a day tramping through the woods. And then there are the serious mountain climbers who hike in laden with camping gear, ropes, crampons and a week's supply of food ready to conquer the local peaks in all manner of weather, and look as though they are ready to take on any and all wildlife that may stand in their way.

Of these two opposite ends of the spectrum, we belonged to neither.  The lodge was out of our modest price range but we had never donned crampons. And so we headed for the large camping area on the shores of Lake Magog. After passing through the Valley of Rocks where large boulders were scattered about the rocky terrain like pebbles and hillsides of loose rock in the distance threatened to come tumbling down, we found ourselves crossing a broad, high alpine meadow with Mount Assiniboine's lofty peak peering at us in the distance. We were almost there! 

Mount Assiniboine's classic triangular shape made it a great prize among early mountaineers after it was first ascended in 1901. The Alpine Club of Canada pushed for the area's preservation and in 1922 B.C.'s seventh provincial park was born. Since then, the park has increased in size sevenfold to protect 39,050 hectares of land today.

Geologically's it located in an elevated area called the Continental Divide, which denotes the separation of watersheds - everything to the west of the divide drains to the Pacific, and everything east drains into the Atlantic, including the Gulf of Mexico. The Continental Divide follows a range of high peaks from Alaska to Mexico.

Mt. Assiniboine is tall, the highest peak in the Southern Continental Range of the Canadian Rockies at 3,618 metres (11,870 feet).

Peppered with rustic little huts, some of which require mountaineering experience to reach, lodging options in this wilderness park seem endless. The most accessible shelters are the Naiset Huts, the original buildings constructed in the park. Built by A.O. Wheeler of the Alpine Club of Canada in 1925, these five rustic one room cabins are only a short walk from the lodge, and can accommodate up to eight people each.

One of several backcountry properties built by the Canadian Pacific Railway, the lodge itself was part of a string of 'bungalow camps' intended to promote tourism in the Rockies.  It was originally intended as a ski lodge, and is still used in the winter today. Wealthy guests staying at other CP properties such as the Banff Springs and Chateau Lake Louise would be taken on guided cross country ski tours into the fledgling park for a night at Assiniboine Lodge and a taste of the vast wilderness that B.C. and the Rocky Mountains have to offer.

After our night at Porcupine, the campsite at Lake Magog seemed an oasis of civilization complete with a cooking shelter, taps, freshly painted outhouses and 29 little tent pads tucked among the trees. Shedding our heavy burdens, we immediately collapsed for a quick doze before erecting our modest shelter. Beyond, the lake sparkled invitingly and Mount Assiniboine towered above, somberly watching over things as it has for millennia.

Next morning, bear spray all but forgotten, we stood among a group of fellow hikers, piles of colourful baggage and camping gear flanking the well-worn trail. Above, a helicopter buzzed noisily about and nearby the lodge was receiving a new batch of guests. Barb Renner, donning an apron, was helping out in the kitchen and Sepp, between jovial banter with guests, was busy weighing luggage to be loaded into the chopper. A small wooden viewing platform was constructed beside the helicopter landing pad which was set picturesquely among the stunted, weather-beaten fir trees and alpine wildflowers. 

Before long, we were herded into the small, noisy machine. We were off! It had taken us two days to get here but in a helicopter Canmore was less than 10 minutes away!

As we lifted easily into the sky, broad meadows and shimmering lakes flanked by jagged peaks unfolded below. On a narrow walking trail meandering easily through the park, a small train of ant-like hikers were crossing a high alpine meadow. They were headed for the lodge, a tiny oasis of civilization in an unspoiled wilderness, whose bright red roof was a brilliant splash of colour at the centre of it all.  

For information about Assiniboine Provincial Park, including hut reservations, lodging options or booking a helicopter flight, visit www.assiniboinelodge.com



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