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78 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2009 : 3:51 PM
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Hi All,
Attached is my inaugural trip report - a 4 day, 3 night adventure into the Ram Headwaters via the Kootenay Plains and Mud Lake. We didn't see a soul for all 3 days after crossing the North Saskatchewan River and the turn off to the popular Siffleur falls trail about a kilometre into the hike.
Whiterabbit Creek was shin deep and we crossed it easily. The horse trail along Whiterabbit Creek is easy to follow, but there has been some extreme blowdown this winter that involved some time consuming bushwhacking.
After a steep climb, we reached Mud Lake, about 16 km and at 2000m after about 5 hours. Mud Lake seems to get a bad rap, but its a pretty enough spot, though not a swimming lake by any means. There is a great outfitters camp at the south end of the lake.
The trail to Hummingbird Pass starts at the other end of the lake. Its a short, steep climb before you break into the alpine for a long gentle approach to the pass.
Peering down the other side into the Hummingbird Valley you can see evidence of a single quad track in the alpine. Quads were never allowed in the valley, but GOA never enforced or patrolled and you can see the old evidence of this. The valley is now zoned as non-motorized, and fortunately we saw no evidence of recent use. Hopefully the relatively new Bighorn Backcountry designation will result in better management, but it is amazing that this area is not a wildland park.
We camped the second night at another old outfitter camp amid sub-alpine fir. We spent the afternoon scrambling up the ridge above camp for an astonishing view of our surroundings. From the summit you can see waves of gentle, trailless alpine ridges you could spend weeks exploring.
We decided to try to loop back through the alpine on the eastern flank of the mountain we were on and bushwack down to to the North Ram, completing a loop back to Mud Lake the next day. The alpine portion was fun. We found a grizzly den on the side of an alpine drainage, which was cool. The hiking was all trailless, but easy, high hiking, but the bushwhack down the unnamed drainage was hard and took about 2 hours to travel about a kilometre and a half. Lots of willows and creek scrambling.
The North Ram trail is an old horse trail and based on the tracks, a highway for grizzly, moose and wolves. The North Ram river bed is huge but completely dry. After spending the night at Mud Lake again, we descended back to the Kootenay Plains, and took the scenic route out along the bluffs above the river.
All in all, the trip has just whetted my appetite for more exploration. The low valleys east of where were were are open to motorized use starting July 1, but there is a lot for hikers here - just don't expect trail maintenance, campsites or people!
Happy belated Canada Day!
View from Mud Lake campsite
Early Morning at Mud (Farley) Lake
Approaching Hummingbird Pass
Hummingbird Pass
Climbing ridge above day 2 camp
Looking east from ridge into Bighorn
Looking northeast from ridge showing day 3 route
Start of the bushwhack, dropping down into the North Ram valley
The (dry) North Ram River
Bluffs above the Siffleur River in the Kootenay Plains Ecological Reserve
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Penhold, Alberta
Canada
2009 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2009 : 6:20 PM
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| Great report there Caribou. I've been curious as to what that area held and looked like. The Bighorn area is vast and with the lack of ATV traffic in a large portion of it, it is very appealing. |
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877 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2009 : 7:23 PM
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| Great trip report and pictures! |
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Simpson quoting tree hunter and canyon rapping rockhound who longs for the return of his trapped Toyota
Salt Lake City, UT
USA
2268 Posts |
Posted - 07/02/2009 : 8:14 PM
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| Another cool and unusual area. A fine first TR! |
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High River, (just south of Calgary eh!), Alberta
Canada
1701 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2009 : 05:40 AM
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| Great first report. You seem very knowledgeable about that area, thanks for sharing. |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3787 Posts |
Posted - 07/03/2009 : 06:27 AM
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| Wow, that's beautiful! I love the shots of the high rolling alpinelands. |
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Lacombe, Alberta
Canada
8 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2010 : 07:47 AM
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cool stuff. the trail is still in terrible condition, i went up there this past weekend. it's okay if you have the determination to pound through it, although i met one other group on the way back because the trail became too vague. farley lake (mud lake) is a nice spot, however, don't bother taking your fishing rod.
my photos are here:
http://touristiko.com/2010/06/28/farley-lake/ |
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877 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2010 : 09:39 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by touristiko
cool stuff. the trail is still in terrible condition, i went up there this past weekend. it's okay if you have the determination to pound through it, although i met one other group on the way back because the trail became too vague. farley lake (mud lake) is a nice spot, however, don't bother taking your fishing rod.
my photos are here:
http://touristiko.com/2010/06/28/farley-lake/
Appreciate the update, nice pics from up Hummingbird Pass. |
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Lacombe, Alberta
Canada
8 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2010 : 10:51 AM
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| yeah, beautiful spot if they can keep the quads out! |
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red deer, alberta
Canada
168 Posts |
Posted - 06/28/2010 : 12:50 PM
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great shots and story.
I read that Mud lake from the north ram was David Thompson's first and failed attempt at crossing over the rockies and the continental divide.
Little bit of history as well on the trail you were on.
quote:
yeah, beautiful spot if they can keep the quads out!
90% of wilderness is that. |
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Lacombe, Alberta
Canada
8 Posts |
Posted - 06/29/2010 : 6:53 PM
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Wow, he chose a tough route to initiate the crossing - but it might have looked easier on foot that way than by canoe up the North Saskatchewan prior to Abraham Lake. He was one heck of a guy. There's a good book by D'Arcy Jenish called "Epic Wanderer" that outlines his life very well.
with a toothless regulatory body, quads are hard to control. especially in our province. |
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Hummingbird Pass and Ram Headwaters
