Alberta Trip - Day 5 - Snowbird Pass Trail

 Reef Icefield, Mount Robson Provincial Park.

After enduring a rainy night we woke to blue skies. We would be spending two nights at the Rearguard campground, so we didn't need to pack our tents which was great.

Today we would be attempting the Snowbird Pass Trail. That is, if we were allowed on it. It's closed until July 1st because the caribou have their calves in the area that the trail goes through. Fortunately today was July 1st, Canada Day.

At the start of the trail we were met by a sign that said "Snowbird Pass Trail will be close until July 1st" and underneath on duct tape "The trail is open to toe of glacier (Robson Glacier), approx. 3 km from here". We headed out unsure of how far we'd get.

I can't really describe the hike other than it was long and the scenery along the way was incredible. We followed the river that flowed from Robson Lake behind Rearguard Mountain. It's fed by the magnificent Robson Glacier that comes off the back of Mount Robson. Thankfully, when we got there, the trail was still open. We continued on.

The trail is pretty much flat and level at the beginning. But near the glacier it goes up and through some narrow, loose rocky areas. You really have to be careful.

The views as you walk are wonderful. Besides the mountains and glacier you see small waterfalls and, if you're lucky, wildlife.

Of course there are a number of marmots along the way. We saw a few mountain goats in the distance on the side of a mountain. That was pretty neat.

We arrived at Reef Icefield some 12.5 kilometres away around 6 hours after starting. It's a huge 25 square kilometre glacier separating B.C. and Alberta. Very impressive.

Since the sun was starting to set we hurried back towards our campsite completing the journey in just over half the time it took us to trek out. A little less dawdling and stopping to take photos. And we were trying to keep up with Gabe who took off like a flash. Maybe he wanted to get back early to eat.

After dinner Peter and I headed out again. This time only as far as the Berg Lake campground. We wanted to take night shots with stars in the skies. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out.

One reason is that it stays light until really late out west. Another was because of the bright full moon. It lit the sky behind Mount Robson which was pretty neat looking. But it kept the skies fairly bright even past 1:00 in the morning when we finally decided to pack it in.

First Ride of the Season

Cervélo R3 similar to what my friend bought

I went for my first ride of the season last week. My friend, Jenny, called me up and asked if I wanted to go out. She had bought a new bike over the winter from Wheels of Bloor and was going to take it in for a bike fit. They were going to adjust it to fit her body and riding style.

I have to say I was quite jealous. Jenny had bought a Cervélo R3 road bike. It was beautiful. And she got a great deal to boot. Cervélo, a Canadian company, had a manufacturer's deal where if you bought two bikes from them you got $1000 off each! So she bought one and so did one of her friends. If I had only known...

The store is located near High Park. It was a lovely day as I rode down to meet her there. We've had some record-breaking temperatures in Toronto over the past week or so. It got to at least 26C this particular day when the normal daytime high is only supposed to be 5C.

On my way across Bloor I bumped into a former colleague of mine from Trader, Shawn Belzner. He left the company a few years ago to work in New Zealand where his ex had found a job. They lived out there for three or four years and he's been back for about the same amount of time. So it's probably been close to eight years since we last saw each other in person.

Shawn was heading across the street from his small office near Christie Pits to get a slice of pizza for lunch. We stood by the road for 15-20 minutes and caught up on the latest gossip.

Afterwards I continued over to the bike store. Surprisingly I beat Jenny there even after stopping to chat with Shawn. She left slightly before me and she had driven her car. But, she had parked at High Park and half walked/half rode to the store.

The guys there made a few adjustments and we went out for a ride.

We rode around High Park for a little while. Unfortunately it's not a very big place when you're on your bike. So we went south to the trail along the waterfront and rode a bit longer.

Since it was my first ride of the season and I still had to ride back I didn't want to stay out too long. So a short time later I cut the ride short and headed back.

There were two body parts I knew would hurt - my butt and toes. For some reason my shoes feel way too tight now. And my saddle seems to be hard as a rock. Either that or my skinny ol' rump has no padding.

Still it was great to get out again. It was an amazing day to ride. And it was nice meeting old friends again.