The next three days chronicle our 3-day backcountry hike into the Fryatt Valley in Jasper National Park
July 21 -
We finished packing our backpacks with gear and food for 3 days and then drove to the trailhead. We had a stop at Athabasca Falls because it is so popular and was less than a minute from the trailhead. Lots of water and lots of tourists.
Our first day we decided to be ambitious and hike 18km with a 550m elevation gain. We also mistook where the trail actually started and ended up hiking an extra 2km that we could have driven, oh well. With all our canoe camping this spring (where you don’t have to carry things on your back except for portages), our packs were a bit heavy for such a long backpacking trip. But the scenery was amazing!
The first 12km or so of the trail were very flat, as we traveled south in the Athabasca valley, on the opposite side of the valley as the Icefields Parkway. We crossed lots of fridged mountain streams but there were rustic bridges for the most part. Josie was super-paranoid about meeting a grizzly bear but we made lots of noise as we traveled and had our newly acquired bear spray just in case. We didn’t end up seeing a bear. We paced ourselves because we knew that the last 6-8km were a steep climb as we climbed up into the Fryatt Valley, another glacial valley that fed the main Athabasca Valley glacier. Lots of wolf scat on the trail and some scattered ungulate bones. We also saw a species of moss that only grows on carnivore poop (...thanks to Harold we know what it looks like!).
We were pleased that the hike had gorgeous views, as this is not a popular hike in the park compared to some other well-trodden trails. This also meant we didn’t meet an overwhelming number of people.
The last 6km were exhausting as we gained more and more elevation, but the views kept getting better. And we heard a rock slide in the distance and saw a small avalanche higher up, above tree line. By the time we dragged our sorry butts in to camp we only had energy to cook the easiest supper we had on hand. We shared our campground with a French couple doing the exactly same trip as us and a Dutch fellow who was traveling around the Rockies. We had a pretty quite night and went to bed early after hanging our bags on the specifically built bear poles and hiding our hiking boots from a giant porcupine who had a reputation for chewing boots.
We are camped here for two nights so that we can do a day hike tomorrow.
July 21 -
We finished packing our backpacks with gear and food for 3 days and then drove to the trailhead. We had a stop at Athabasca Falls because it is so popular and was less than a minute from the trailhead. Lots of water and lots of tourists.
Our first day we decided to be ambitious and hike 18km with a 550m elevation gain. We also mistook where the trail actually started and ended up hiking an extra 2km that we could have driven, oh well. With all our canoe camping this spring (where you don’t have to carry things on your back except for portages), our packs were a bit heavy for such a long backpacking trip. But the scenery was amazing!
The first 12km or so of the trail were very flat, as we traveled south in the Athabasca valley, on the opposite side of the valley as the Icefields Parkway. We crossed lots of fridged mountain streams but there were rustic bridges for the most part. Josie was super-paranoid about meeting a grizzly bear but we made lots of noise as we traveled and had our newly acquired bear spray just in case. We didn’t end up seeing a bear. We paced ourselves because we knew that the last 6-8km were a steep climb as we climbed up into the Fryatt Valley, another glacial valley that fed the main Athabasca Valley glacier. Lots of wolf scat on the trail and some scattered ungulate bones. We also saw a species of moss that only grows on carnivore poop (...thanks to Harold we know what it looks like!).
We were pleased that the hike had gorgeous views, as this is not a popular hike in the park compared to some other well-trodden trails. This also meant we didn’t meet an overwhelming number of people.
The last 6km were exhausting as we gained more and more elevation, but the views kept getting better. And we heard a rock slide in the distance and saw a small avalanche higher up, above tree line. By the time we dragged our sorry butts in to camp we only had energy to cook the easiest supper we had on hand. We shared our campground with a French couple doing the exactly same trip as us and a Dutch fellow who was traveling around the Rockies. We had a pretty quite night and went to bed early after hanging our bags on the specifically built bear poles and hiding our hiking boots from a giant porcupine who had a reputation for chewing boots.
We are camped here for two nights so that we can do a day hike tomorrow.
Athabasca Falls
How much further do we have to go?
Rustic bridge and icy cold stream!
Looking up the Fryatt ValleyJuly 22 -
The Fryatt Valley is a narrow valley between Mount Fryatt and Brussels Peak, which culminates in the “headwall,” a large vertical drop, over which flows a good-sized waterfall from the alpine meadow above. At the base of the headwall is medium sized glacial lake and at the top of the headwall is a cabin built and maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada (the materials for which must have been dropped in by a helicopter).
On our second day of hiking, we made 5-6km day hike, up the headwall and into the alpine meadow above for a bit of exploring, gaining about 250m elevation, reaching a maximum elevation of about 2000m. We explored the alpine meadow, which was full of amazing flowers and ground squirrels - the perfect place to meet a grizzly.
The peaks towards the terminus of the valley and above the headwall had permanent snow on them, but we stopped just short of reaching a snow patch above the tree line...Scott was bummed out because he wanted to roll in the snow. But, we could see rain moving into the lower valley and we wanted to get back to the headwall and start the steep hike down before the rocks go too slippery.
About 45minutes later we were at the base of the headwall (much faster than the climb up!) and it started to rain. Made it just in time. By the time we made the 30-45 minute hike back to camp the rain had stopped and it was time for supper. Tonight we made pizza from scratch in the outback oven (dehydrated scratch that is). We went to bed before it got dark because we needed a good nights sleep for tomorrows 20km hike out to the car.
The Fryatt Valley is a narrow valley between Mount Fryatt and Brussels Peak, which culminates in the “headwall,” a large vertical drop, over which flows a good-sized waterfall from the alpine meadow above. At the base of the headwall is medium sized glacial lake and at the top of the headwall is a cabin built and maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada (the materials for which must have been dropped in by a helicopter).
On our second day of hiking, we made 5-6km day hike, up the headwall and into the alpine meadow above for a bit of exploring, gaining about 250m elevation, reaching a maximum elevation of about 2000m. We explored the alpine meadow, which was full of amazing flowers and ground squirrels - the perfect place to meet a grizzly.
The peaks towards the terminus of the valley and above the headwall had permanent snow on them, but we stopped just short of reaching a snow patch above the tree line...Scott was bummed out because he wanted to roll in the snow. But, we could see rain moving into the lower valley and we wanted to get back to the headwall and start the steep hike down before the rocks go too slippery.
About 45minutes later we were at the base of the headwall (much faster than the climb up!) and it started to rain. Made it just in time. By the time we made the 30-45 minute hike back to camp the rain had stopped and it was time for supper. Tonight we made pizza from scratch in the outback oven (dehydrated scratch that is). We went to bed before it got dark because we needed a good nights sleep for tomorrows 20km hike out to the car.
Montane wildflower - Paintbrush
Alpine wildflower
Alpine wildflower
At least someone swims in the glacial lake below the headwall
The view while climbing the headwall
Alpine wildflower
Alpine wildflower - Moss Pink
The alpine meadow above the headwall
Columbia Ground Squirrel in alpine meadow
Nifty
Above the headwall
View from the top of the headwallJuly 23 –
The weather changes fast in the mountains. By the time we got out of bed and started boiling water for breakfast, the weather had gone from clear and sunny, to foggy (couldn’t even tell you were in the mountains), back to sunny with a few cumulus clouds.
We packed our gear and got on the trail as soon as we could. Today we hiked back out the Fraytt Valley the way we came, just under 20km. Our packs were lighter and it was mostly downhill. We stopped for lunch at a really great viewpoint that looked south, up the Athabasca Valley. We left our packs at the actual trailhead and hiked the last 2km to the car, driving back up the road to pick up our packs (we came to really regret the mistake of adding 2km to an 18km hike). Josie likened walking without a pack to “walking on the moon”.
We got on the road towards Banff/ Lake Louise with finding a shower on our mind. We stopped at a hostel, thinking we were going to splurge but they didn’t have running water. Moved on to Saskatchewan Crossing, a touristy stop past the famous Athabasca Glacier, where we paid too much for a motel room with a shower...but it was a good shower. And we spread out all our wet gear to dry, dirtied all the towels and watched TV (a weird experience).
After eating a very late supper in a self-proclaimed pub, we tried to get to sleep but were restless being in a motel room and not sleeping on the ground enclosed by a tent...weird how you get used to something.
The weather changes fast in the mountains. By the time we got out of bed and started boiling water for breakfast, the weather had gone from clear and sunny, to foggy (couldn’t even tell you were in the mountains), back to sunny with a few cumulus clouds.
We packed our gear and got on the trail as soon as we could. Today we hiked back out the Fraytt Valley the way we came, just under 20km. Our packs were lighter and it was mostly downhill. We stopped for lunch at a really great viewpoint that looked south, up the Athabasca Valley. We left our packs at the actual trailhead and hiked the last 2km to the car, driving back up the road to pick up our packs (we came to really regret the mistake of adding 2km to an 18km hike). Josie likened walking without a pack to “walking on the moon”.
We got on the road towards Banff/ Lake Louise with finding a shower on our mind. We stopped at a hostel, thinking we were going to splurge but they didn’t have running water. Moved on to Saskatchewan Crossing, a touristy stop past the famous Athabasca Glacier, where we paid too much for a motel room with a shower...but it was a good shower. And we spread out all our wet gear to dry, dirtied all the towels and watched TV (a weird experience).
After eating a very late supper in a self-proclaimed pub, we tried to get to sleep but were restless being in a motel room and not sleeping on the ground enclosed by a tent...weird how you get used to something.
Looking south down the Athabasca Valley
The Fryatt Valley from the Icefields Parkway
1 comment:
I like the feathery flower! Nifty, indeed!
What an experience this must be, all those different views in Canada. I hope that I get to do it someday, though I think it's good to have a goal in the end, instead of just travelling for the sake of it.
Cheers, Christine
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