It's hard
for me to believe that it has been ten years since I began my journey down
Alberta's Red Deer River, but on June 27, 2003 two friends of mine dropped me
at the trailhead near the Lake Louise ski hill. I have told the story of my
preparations and that first day many times as a prelude to presenting my film
"Red Deer River Journey' to various groups. Let's just say things didn't
begin as planned. Between an injured back, forgetting my hiking boots and an
overweight backpack there were challenges right from the start and it almost
didn't happen at all.
A lot has
happened since that time. In 2005, the river flooded changing its character and
its course for ever. In the spring and summers since, the river has run higher
than it did in the preceding years. The June goldeye fishing (that I
traditionally did every year) isn't possible most years. I doubt that a journey
like the one I took ten years ago would be possible at all (on many of the
years since). Even as I write this, the river has flooded its banks again. The
Bow and Elbow Rivers have flooded my hometown of Calgary and created an almost
unimaginable disaster for the people of Southern Alberta. My beloved Highwood River
has overflowed its banks yet again. This time the Town of High River has been
totally engulfed and its residents have been evacuated.
In June of
2012, a pipeline burst just downstream of Sundre - dumping 3000 barrels of sour
crude oil into an otherwise pristine section of the Red Deer River, threatening
Glennifer Lake reservoir and the water supply for the City of Red Deer. Perhaps
this year's flooding will help to wash the remaining oil from the banks and
side channels.
With all of
these reminders of how powerful the forces of rivers can be and how they affect
all of our lives, I thought I might revisit a story that I wrote about my
adventures on the Red Deer River. It's a long story, but I will post each
section one-at-a-time with some italicized updates. I hope you will enjoy it.
 |
| Iconic view of the Red Deer River at Dry Island Buffalo Jump Provincial Park |
Red Deer River Journey
“To hear is to forget. To
see is to remember. To do is to understand” - Chinese proverb
I
have lived in Alberta for most of my life and the Red Deer River has always
fascinated me. As a boy, I dreamed about canoe trips along its waters. Its
badlands captured my imagination and viewing the fossils found along its banks
inspired visions of becoming a paleontologist. As an adult I visited the Dry
Island Buffalo Jump, Midland and Dinosaur Provincial Parks. I explored the Hand
Hills and YaHaTinda. I fished the “West Country” for trout and whitefish and
the river’s middle section for goldeye and walleye. I found myself living near
the Red Deer River and working in the city that bears its name. I have seen the
river valley in its many different states and in every season of the year. I
have learned even more about the river’s nature by my association with the Red
Deer River Naturalists.
I’m
not sure where the idea of traveling the Red Deer River’s entire length came
from, or when I first thought of making the journey. I became inspired to
finally make the trip when I was in the Wells Gray area of central British
Columbia. I discussed the idea with a member of the Kamloops Hiking Club, while
I was visiting the Trophy’s Lodge. He urged me to make the journey “before it
was too late”. I am middle aged and the days of my being able to complete a
voyage like traveling the entire Red Deer River, were certainly numbered (as I
was to find out when I attempted the trek).
Much planning and research were needed before I
would be ready. The decision to record the entire trip and perhaps make it into
a film made things even more difficult, but by the end of June 2003 I was ready
to begin my journey.
The Mountains
Skoki Lodge
“A journey of a thousand miles
must begin with a single step.” - Chinese proverb
It
was June 27, 2003. After work, two of my friends drove me up to Lake Louise,
where we stayed for the night. After planning everything for months and
organizing my equipment into groups for the different legs of my trip, I
realized that I had left my hiking boots at home. I was a little apprehensive at this point and this
caused me to worry out of all proportion to the size of problem. What else had
I neglected to do?
We
got up early the next morning, had breakfast and waited for the local sporting
goods store to open. Luckily they had some very decent light weight boots for
sale. In the old days, new boots would have been a problem on a long backpack
trip, but modern methods and materials used in the manufacturing process create
boots that require very little breaking in.
We
met up with the Skoki Lodge/ Lake Louise Ski Hill bus at the Fish Creek parking
lot. I lifted my heavy backpack up to the young and athletic young driver atop
of the van and my friends wished me luck before I climbed aboard for the drive
up the access road to Temple lodge. We passed a grizzly sow and her two cubs
along the way and picked up two frightened hikers. I hoped that I wouldn’t be
encountering any more bears once I was on foot.
The
bus left me and several other hikers at the end of the access road and I began
a slow ascent, through subalpine forest to aptly named Boulder Pass. At the
summit of the pass I found myself on the western shore of Ptarmigan Lake( where
I stopped for lunch). I gazed back across the Bow Valley toward Mount Temple. I
could hear the “eeeeeeep” of the Pikas who scrambled about the scree slopes of
the pass area. They were busy going about their daily routine of gathering
vegetation for their various stashes, hidden among the rocks. As I prepared to
continue on, I noticed a Clark’s Nutcracker gliding down to the pass from the
summit of Ptarmigan Peak to my left. These gray and white birds with black
wings like the high alpine environs and are usually associated with the
white barked pines that grow at high altitudes. They are named for the famous
American explorer, William Clark.
I
continued hiking around the north shore of Ptarmigan Lake and through a
thoroughly alpine landscape. There were still patches of snow to be negotiated
at this time of year. At one point, while crossing a patch, I put my foot
through the crusty surface and found myself with one leg in wet snow up to my
crotch. This was made more difficult by my heavy backpack and video camera and
I was afraid that I had hyper-extended my knee. I managed to struggle out of
this awkward position and continue on with no injury.
In this part of the mountains, it was early in
the hiking season and there was a possibility that your way could be blocked by
snow at the high passes. I was happy that this was not the case on this
occasion, as I veered northward and began my ascent to Deception Pass. I threw
down my heavy burden when I reached the summit and looked back down the
Ptarmigan Valley, past Boulder Pass and towards the Main Range summits near
Lake Louise. The view ranked high with some of the best that I had experienced
in the Canadian Rockies, and I paused for a while to rest and take it all in.
There is plenty of room for further exploration and I plan on revisiting this
region again one day, with a lighter pack and more time.
 |
| View from Deception Pass |
 |
| Hoary marmot |
While
I was planning out my trip, I noticed Skoki Lodge on the backcountry maps. One
of the proprietors of my local outdoor shops suggested, that( if I stayed at
the lodge) I would be eligible for the
bus ride up the initial access road to Temple Lodge. This alone sold me. I
found Skoki Lodge to be a pretty good deal. Factoring in the comfortable
surroundings and a soft bed, along with breakfast, supper and a bag lunch, this
little bit of luxury at the beginning of my journey was well worth the extra
expense and I was glad that I had booked myself a room. It was the best night’s
sleep that I would have for a few days…
next time Red Deer Lakes
I never realized until I read this post how descriptive your writing is. Good to see you post again.
ReplyDelete