Skyline Trail 2004

This journal attempts to recount a hike of the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park I made along with my sister Sonia. It was to be a final hoorah for just the two of us before I moved to the other end of the country (from British Columbia to New Brunswick)[update: I'm back in BC as of April 2005]. We took the hike slowly, stretching it over 5 days and 4 nights, in order to enjoy the scenery and each other's company. It was my first multi-day hike that I hadn't done solo and I quite enjoyed it. I'd like to do the Skyline again in the future, but about a month earlier so I can catch the tundra in it's full beauty.

We did the hike in late September which meant we encountered some snow at the higher elevations, especially at the Notch and the ridge of Amber Mountain. The daytime temperature hovered between -2°C and 8°C (28°F to 46°F) with overnight lows going down to about -5°C (23°F).

We just caught the bus, arriving at the station at 6:20am, with the bus leaving at 6:30am. Our driver for the first leg of the trip (to Kamloops) was named Troy. He was almost over-the-top nice, going to great lengths to make everyone comfortable. He even put the movie audio over the intercom for those who didn't have headsets (for the record, the movie was "Man on Fire" with Denzel Washington.)

The trip was, for the most part, uneventful, with stops in Hope, Chilliwack, Kamloops, and points between. We arrived in Jasper around 6:30PM local time (MDT) and spent the next hour, or so, searching for accomodations. You take a risk waiting until arriving to find a place to stay but we found a private home accomodation (room) for fifty bucks.

We got a late start today, managing to sleep in until 8:30am after a fitful sleep. We'd both had two very short nights of sleep so sleeping in today was okay.

We did the typical tourist thing and got postcards from a tourist shop. A light breakfast was had at the "Jazz Cafe" on Patricia Street before catching a shuttle bus to Maligne lake and the trailhead.

The first leg of the trail, to Evelyn Creek, was a fairly gentle ascent for about 5km. A black bear had recently used the trail, evidenced by tracks left in the mud atop all other tracks. The only other animal we saw on this leg was an inquisitive red squirrel that came out to the end of a branch to investigate us.

The day started a wee bit chilly, with frost crystals covering the ground up to one inch (they made a weird crunching sound when walked on.) We had Quaker Instant Oats (Cinnamon and Spice) for breakfast. Sonia couldn't finish hers but I always have more room for food.

We finally headed off at about 10:30am (I know, we were practically dawdling but we have plenty of time). The trail started to get a bit muddy almost right away but turned snowy by the time we reached Little Shovel Pass. After about another kilometer it really began to get mucky, especially after the Snowbowl campground. The muck sucked at our boots, making the going difficult, not to mention the kilo of sludge that remained attached to each boot. A good sense of humour was required at this point and was provided.

We stopped for a coffee break (yes, we have plenty of time on our hands) on a flat rock alongside the trail and encountered the first humans on our hike. On passing us, they only grunted a cursory greeting with a German accent. I named them "Hans" and "Olga." They were fully outfitted in brand-new, skookum gear, down to the walking poles. We followed them at a distance of about one kilometer.

We slept in until 10:00am this morning (slackers, we are), although it was well-earned. Hans and Olga have already left for the Notch (such keeners, they are.)

As this is a day of relaxation, we took our time with breakfast (oatmeal and leftover burrito) and coffee.

We hiked up a rocky moraine that went up the side of the cliff and realized that we could ascend to the top of the cliff. We came back down to change into better footwear and get some water and the camera.

It took us about 45 minutes to get to the top of the cliff and we wandered around for a bit, taking pictures. The wind at the top was quite blustery but warmer than yesterday, with the sun shining down on us.

For those concerned about my propensity to tumble, I did not go to the edge of the cliff, even if the pictures seem to imply otherwise (although Sonia did sit at the edge to look down).

We searched for, and found, quartz crystals in the rocky meadow behind the cliff face. I kept heading up the slope until I reached the base of Curator Mountain and started encountering snow drifts. At this point, the wind was strong enough that I was able to climb up the slope without much effort.