The Tonquin Valley

This actually belongs towards the middle of the entire Canadian Hiking segment. Still, while its a mis-chronicled chronicle, it’s at least here.

tonquin valley

A random photo from the Tonquin Valley… we hiked a circuit in this valley which, from the looks of things, is rarely done. And I am here to tell the tale! Don’t do it! Find a better way!

Basically, we hiked a rarely used route which was sodden with mud and boulders, and filled with downed trees. So, if you weren’t slogging your way through mud, you were walking over small boulders with mud soaked boots, which provided a slippery surface, and took much care and concentration. Then, you had to duck and cover to the nth degree to fit your daypack under a downed tree.

It’s not worth it I tell you!

But the ending route is a beautiful walk with stunning vistas, looking at the Tonquin Valley, and Surprise Point. And that is well worth the visit, and even helped to make up for the horribly soggy route through which we trod all morning, on what proved to be the most difficult morning of our trek.

olamDSCN2711.JPG_0017

The thing is, it was a loop. So it made perfect sense to do it. (The fact that it is rarely used is not advertised as far as I know.)

But I had not slept a wink all night due to an air mattress deflation issue. And because Fr. Jimmy had offered me his air mattress, which was full length as opposed to my 3/4 length backpacking version, and I had taken it, I ended up unfairly attributing my uncomfortable lack of sleep to him, while he snored soundly on my delightful 3/4 length, and ultra light, sleeping pad which is more than fine for me! (He also had a full length cadillac-pad with him…)

This is a beautiful, pristine back lake.

olamDSCN2722.JPG_0028

One of the many beautiful views coming out of the dark, humid, and soggy back part of the (rarely used) loop.

The first part, as I mentioned, was below the tree line and was basically nothing but mud and boulders. I was miserable and cursing every moment and every step, and it took forever and a day for me to make my way through the mess.  We met a large group coming from the opposite direction, and they looked about as unenthusiastic as did I. Fr. Jimmy has only ever talked about this part of the hike as a wonderful time.

olamDSCN2732.JPG_0038

But we eventually reached Surprise Point, and then made our way across a large field, ending up on this bridge overlooking the river,  flowing from the lake through Tonquin Valley. The should call it Pleasant Surprise Point, but whoever named it obviously didn’t hike in from the back way.

The morning had gotten off to a lousy start. Sleepless, and freezing on the ice cold dirt which should have been my comfy mattress pad,  Fr. Jimmy stood outside the tent saying something along the lines of “I made breakfast and your oatmeal is on the table freezing right now.”

Now I’m only human, and some things hit me the wrong way, no matter who says them.  So I ended up being pretty miserable to be around for quite a few hours, as we slogged through mud for what seemed forever and a day.  And then crawled under trees which snagged our packs.  And then crossed small boulders with mud soaked boots.  It was such slow going I soon lost any hope of finishing the trail and reaching our campsite any time before darkness set in.  And in the twilight hours before then, as I would trod on in my weakened state of despair, I knew I would only make the perfect bear bait.  I was doomed.

olamDSCN2737.JPG_0041

But Surprise Point was a turning point, in many ways.  We dried our boots out after having lunch on the bridge, and then slogged through this marshy wilderness with mud up to our ankles.

This is not a marsh on the side of the trail; it’s actually the trail and you have to walk right through it as there’s no way around it. That didn’t really help, and only tied in more perfectly with the entire morning. But the going was seeming to be better.

olamDSCN2739.JPG_0043

The trail was a little difficult to follow through the Tonquin Valley campsite, still it’s not brain surgery.

olamDSCN2740.JPG_0044

And within 20 minutes or so of leaving the Valley behind, you’re on the trail out.  Which of course is the trail most sane people also hike in on.  The trail was dry, my spirits high, the going super easy, and the walking …’fast as lightening’, as Sr. Clarita would say.

olamDSCN2741.JPG_0045

Walking the rest of this trail was a piece of cake. Which is a good thing, since there were bout 8 miles left to go. The bridge we rested on is supposed to be visible in all of these pics, as I was quite conscious when I took them, to be able to see it. Still, I can’t see it in these pics for the life of me.

facebook

We made it back to the Astoria Campground in well enough time to watch the sunset with our camp neighbors, who were fixing S’mores for all, and to have lots of chuckles recalling the days highs and lows. And there were a lot of lows to get out of the system! Thing is, the highs totally mitigated the lows.

The Tonquin Valley is a must see. Still, I’d recommend taking the regular trail in, and not worrying over the loop, especially if it’s been raining.

The Big Finish

olamIMG_0204.JPG_0027

Did I mention that this is a fifteen mile day-hike, starting off with with the sudden and unending 1500 foot, 300 meter, 150 story or so, ascent up to The Notch and ending with a five mile slog down what is politely known as the “Fire Road”? I know that I did, but if you missed that, these pix cover a lot of territory.

olamIMG_0205.JPG_0028

So many scenes are left out. But the thing is, you need to go there and hike the route yourself if you can, to glorify God in the simplicity of walking through His creation.

That route through the valley down there, by the way, is the route the horses take when they bring provision up to The Lodge. It’s overall a 6,000 ft.ascent, with 3,000 of those feet being very sharp and demanding. Evidently they’ve stopped trying to bring tourists up through the trails as few can handle it. (And I’m fine with the hundreds of other fine trails in the area…)

olamIMG_0203.JPG_0026

Ten thirty in the morning, and me looking like a lobster head. My hat was on as soon as we were off the ridge, but the wind was blowing everything away faster than you could recite a Glory Be.

olamIMG_0206.JPG_0029

I’m pretty sure, tho could easily be wrong, that somewhere back there is the Tonquin Valley.

olamIMG_0207.JPG_0030

This site made my morning. My spirit rejoiced and I sang a song of joy to see this long, flat trail and mild ascent. An interesting point, is that The Notch is the highest point of the trip, and here we are about to hike uphill again. I just had to pretend I didn’t notice that, flatlander that I am. If you squint you can see Laura and Chuck ahead of us.

olamIMG_0210.JPG_0033

Walking on scree has its issues. Researching this trail one can’t help but note that it’s used by long distance runners who do long sections in a day. I think what this means is that I need to do more walking on scree to just get the hang of things.

olamIMG_0211.JPG_0034

This was one of my favorite parts of this hike.

olamIMG_0212.JPG_0035

Nothing can describe the strong, brisk wind here. The pic caught my walking sticks in the downswing.

olamIMG_0213.JPG_0036

You can also catch your first glimpse of the trail ahead. But first you go through an area that reminded me of every movie I’ve ever seen about Mars.

olamIMG_0214.JPG_0037

Fr. Jimmy (who took these pics, as my Nikon CoolPix P6000 was revolting against my compatible storage cards…) has a good eye for contrasts.

olamIMG_0215.JPG_0038

olamIMG_0216.JPG_0039

The mountains…

olamIMG_0219.JPG_0042

The valleys…

olamIMG_0220.JPG_0043

The city of Jasper!

olamIMG_0222.JPG_0045

The Athabasca River! The Icefield Parkway!

olamIMG_0223.JPG_0046

The scenery!

olamIMG_0224.JPG_0047

The Priests!

I’m fairly certain, tho correct me if I’m wrong, that Athabasca Falls is directly behind me.

olamIMG_0226.JPG_0049

The path ultimately wends down to the Valley…

olamIMG_0227.JPG_0050

… but not before one last intriguing jaunt through the mountaintop.

olamIMG_0228.JPG_0051

Amazingly spry. Notice all the rocks?

olamIMG_0229.JPG_0052

Suddenly it seemed as if we were on the moon. There were no views other than being surrounded by rocks and rock formations.

olamIMG_0230.JPG_0053

But in our amazement we took no photos… we just wandered on eventually to gaze again upon the valley below.

olamIMG_0232.JPG_0055

I know, God bless you. You’re thinking that this post goes on forever and a day.

But so does this hike!

Fr. Jimmy was determined to gather drinking water from this small glacier. We have different views on glacier water, as on most things. Still, we travel well together.

olamIMG_0233.JPG_0056

The trail spirals downward over a mile or more.

olamIMG_0234.JPG_0057

Fr. Jimmy, pretending to be me.

olamIMG_0235.JPG_0058

The glorious valley spreads before you, after forty-five minutes or so of sheer downward hiking in scree. But by this time you’ve adjusted your hiking boots and cinching things and are ready for lunch by one of the pretty lakes that lay ahead.

They only seem far away because they are.

olamIMG_0236.JPG_0059

After we passed this one we stopped for lunch next to the group of German tourists who were ahead of us, then made our way through the very pleasant and entirely lovely valley.

olamIMG_0237.JPG_0060

The Trail at Valley Level. Only ten miles to go from here!

olamIMG_0238.JPG_0061

Another lake.

olamIMG_0253.JPG_0076

A marmot, shortly before being noticed.

olamIMG_0255.JPG_0078

Yet another lake, which brings into mind the whole question of marshland type terrain in the mountains. It does if you’re me at least, being from South Louisiana and owning hundreds of acres of marshland.

olamIMG_0256.JPG_0079

Later in the day, you begin to look over into what’s known as Maligne Valley, which is another wonder entirely.

olamIMG_0257.JPG_0080

And of course you wander, off and on, off of the ridge and into woodlands where you see these type of… dead trees which hold such fascination for some photographers.

olamIMG_0258.JPG_0081

I don’t have the words to describe how beautiful the Skyline Trail is, let alone the part before the Fire Road. This doesn’t begin to do it justice, but it’s all we have.

olamIMG_0259.JPG_0082

Ultimately, you end up, after a valley and a few (long) mild up and downs, at what’s known as the Fire Road. By this time I had considered the hike to be over, and most people do. But the thing is, you still have to walk five miles down the Fire Road.

The flowers and scenes are unforgettable in my mind. They’re just not present in the end of this photo series.

olamIMG_0260.JPG_0083

The Fire Road is an old trail which used to be used as an access route by rangers on the way to a fire lookout. Way back when. These days it’s a trail, overgrown in the end of summer, with zero views other than immediate forest, and which more or less takes you downhill at a grade which would not encumber a ranger’s vehicle. It’s overgrown and pretty boring, and filled with berry bushes, and is five miles long. Although we walked it seemingly quickly, for close to two and a half hours, it seems in retrospect a blink of an eye.

olamIMG_0280.JPG_0103

We drove immediately to the Jasper Pub, and met fellow hikers for a beer. Just don’t have your meal there.

Just sayin…

Evening came, then the night. And everyone slept soundly after the long day’s trek into light.

Skyline III – To the Notch

olamIMG_0184.JPG_0007

After leaving the fantastic breakfast at the Lodge, we left for the days walk, which promised to be an all day affair. But first you’ll recall that one has to walk about 1500 feet uphill first thing. I’d liken this to being on a stairmaster for about an hour and a half. But thankfully the scenery is a so much better than being on a stairmaster.

olamIMG_0185.JPG_0008

It’s a fairly quick rise out of the valley.

olamIMG_0186.JPG_0009

Although every now and again it does seem the one will never stop rising!

olamIMG_0187.JPG_0010

At last upon the ridgeline again, the trail can be seen easily summiting that next pass, which is known as the Notch.

olamIMG_0188.JPG_0011

This easy summit is actually a fairly long walk uphill again. It never ceased to be fascinating.

olamIMG_0190.JPG_0013

You very…

olamIMG_0191.JPG_0014

…slowly…

olamIMG_0192.JPG_0015

…pass…

olamIMG_0193.JPG_0016

…the alpine lake…

olamIMG_0194.JPG_0017

…and suddenly you’re much farther above it than you ever imagined you would be.

olamIMG_0195.JPG_0018

And the trail is much steeper than you had ever imagined it might be. We were catching up a bit with Chuck and Laura at this point; I was actually the last one to leave camp (though the first to finish! But Im getting ahead of myself.) This section is very steep, with kind of jinky footing at times.

olamIMG_0196.JPG_0019

It would be easy to fall off of the trail anywhere along here; it’s slippery, rocky, shifty…steep.

olamIMG_0197.JPG_0020

Still, it’s not rocket science. An the view of the valley is amazing.

olamIMG_0198.JPG_0021

Life is good up here. The wind had picked up and it was pretty chilly, which was so nice, especially remembering that back home it was probably 96 degrees in the shade with 85% humidity.

olamIMG_0199.JPG_0022

Far away, in a different valley, you can see the Icefield Parkway.

olamIMG_0200.JPG_0023

Splendid views…

olamIMG_0201.JPG_0024

Life at the Notch. A great place to stop for a snack and catch up with your trail mates you haven’t seen since breakfast.

The Rev. Kenneth Allen