Red Deer Lakes
 |
| Oyster Lake - the source of the Red Deer River |
The
next morning I passed between Fossil and Skoki Mountains and into the drainage
of the vast Red Deer River system. I made camp when I reached the Red Deer
Lakes campsite and set about exploring the area.
At
this point the river is not much more than a small creek. I noticed that there
were small trout, probably introduced eastern brook trout in the crystal clear
waters. Nestled in the valley surrounded by the summits of Cyclone, Pipestone
and Skoki Mountains, and Oyster Peak, there are three Red Deer Lakes, two of
which appear to drain into the Red Deer River. The other (most easily
accessible) lake drains into Pipestone Creek.
One
thing that I noticed immediately about the upper valley was the swarms of
mosquitoes that plague the area.. I must have used half a bottle of deet that
first day. This may have been the worst epidemic of mosquitoes that I have ever
encountered in my Rocky Mountain travels. Usually the lack of insects is one of
the things I like most about the high mountains, but this spot and the entire
upper valley seem to team with the cursed parasites.
Despite
the mosquitoes, the Red Deer Lakes is a very pleasant area. There were mule
deer in this upper section of the valley and I found grizzly tracks and
diggings. Columbian ground squirrels abound. There were also plenty of song
sparrows and Oregon juncos in the region and a pair of solitary sandpipers at
one of the lakes. That lake also teamed with large fish that jumped out of the
water every so often, landing with mighty splashes. I wished that I had brought
my fishing rod.
When
I returned to camp there were some fellow hikers setting up tents and preparing
dinner. I cooked up my freeze dried supper - not quite up to Skoki Lodge
standards, but it was all right. Somehow I was hoping backpacking foods had
improved in the years since I last tried them, but they don’t seem to have
advanced much. Usually I don’t have to resort to freeze dried foods on short
trips, but I had a heavy load and a longer way to travel this time.
“The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.” - John Muir
The
first day was a good one. I passed the Cyclone Warden Cabin and headed eastward
down the Red Deer River Trail. I crossed the river and took a side trip up a
glacial creek to the Natural Bridge. The bridge of limestone frames the top of
a waterfall, which has cut through the valley’s headwall instead of just
flowing over it. I couldn’t resist standing on top of the bridge and looking
down into the icy waters beneath my feet. I gazed back down the valley and
across the Red Deer River to see part of the Drummond Glacier in the distance.
Later
that day, I passed the mouth of Drummond Creek, where the milky glacier melt
waters mixed with the clear waters of the upper Red Deer River, doubling the
flow of the river. The glacier, mountain and creek get their names from Thomas
Drummond(the first botanist to visit the Canadian Rockies). Many species of
plants bear the suffix “drummondii” to
their scientific name, in honor of
this Scotsman.
The
valley below the glacier and between Mounts Cyclone and Drummond is a
spectacular sight and I would have liked to explore its upper reaches. The
remains of pit houses(which are believed to have been built by prehistoric
hunters) have been found near the foot of the Drummond Glacier. I’m sure there
is probably still much game to be found in the area. Melt water cascaded down
spectacular cliffs to the valley bottom to form Drummond Creek. I waded across
its icy waters, picked up the trail on the eastern edge of the valley and
continued on.
That
night’s camp was across the river from Douglas Lake, near a quiet backwater. I
contemplated visiting Douglas Lake, but the river was high at this point and
crossing it alone didn’t seem like a smart idea.
The
following day was much like the day before, but I made more progress (as it was
without side trips). The Red Deer River trail is a surprisingly good one
considering its remoteness. The only place that I had to do any real thrashing
was near Skeleton Lake, where a good deal of deadfall blocked the trail and
forced me to detour through the trees. Luckily no one was around to hear my
cursing. At some point I lost my bear spray when it fell out of its holster.
The thought of encountering a grizzly was never too far from my mind and the
loss of my “security blanket” was a little unsettling.
Later
in the day I passed park warden Ivan Phillips who was traveling in the opposite
direction. He had a chainsaw and said he would clear that section of the trail
on his way back to the Cyclone Cabin. He is the only other person that I saw
during my entire trip down the Red Deer River Trail.
I
passed two sections where the force of the river has cut narrow gorges through
sections of limestone. At this point the river has gathered force and volume
due to the contribution of its various tributaries, entering from side valleys.
It was no longer the trickling creek that I first encountered near the Red Deer
Lakes. Now its mighty rumble could be heard throughout the valley. I spent some
time exploring the gorge and found some beautiful yellow mountain columbine
growing in the mist of its cataracts.
The
nature of the forest had changed by this section of the trail. I had lost some
altitude and descended from a thick subalpine forest to a sparser montane
environment. The feather mosses of the upper valley are replaced by
kinnick-kinnick and there are more Douglas fir and some lodgepole pine in this lower
section. I saw one area where a huge herd of ungulates had passed through
(probably elk). The damp ground was churned into mush by the feet of hundreds
of animals passing through this part of the valley, probably on their way to
higher ground.
I
crossed McConnell Creek just before I made camp that evening. It was beginning
to cloud over before I went to bed and the next morning I awoke to the sound of
rain on my tent. I lied in bed for an hour or so, hoping that it would let up
and sure enough it did. When I got out of my tent I could see snow on the
mountain slopes surrounding the valley. I later received an e-mail, from the
warden, saying that it had snowed at the Cyclone Warden Cabin in the upper
valley. I was glad that I had only received rain - wet snow would have made the
going much more difficult.
Soon
I was on my way again and even after my late start, I was determined to be out
of the park and into YaHaTinda by the end of the day. I crossed Divide Creek
after an hour or so and looked up this side valley toward its summit. The side
valley allows hikers to cross over into the Clearwater River valley and is
hemmed in by Mount Tyrrell on its eastern slope. Shortly after that, I hiked
out of the narrow path in the forest and onto the wider Cascade River Fire
Road. This road is closed to motor vehicles and continues to the south for about
60 kilometres and emerges on the road between the Banff townsite and Lake
Minnewanka. It allows those on foot or horseback to access the remote Banff
Park Front Ranges and a network of rugged hiking trails. I was at a turn in the
road where it headed east, following the Red Deer River valley to YaHaTinda. I
embarked on the road and over Tyrrell Creek, through a burned out forest toward
a growing gap in the mountains ahead of me. Soon I was out of Banff National
Park. I found a bleak, windy spot where I made a makeshift camp and retired for
the evening, hoping my tent wouldn’t blow away in the night.
Following
the upper Red Deer River through the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains while
carrying a heavy pack and video camera had certainly been an arduous task.
Traveling solo through the wildest area that I have ever visited was at once a
beautiful but haunting experience. My only regret was that there was little
time for side trips and to explore the surrounding valleys, lakes and ridges.
next time YaHaTinda
No comments:
Post a Comment