Parents always warn; “Don’t
talk to strangers”. However, in the world of travel, strangers play a vital
role for discovering new adventures. If meeting a man on a mountain trail and
agreeing for him to join along on a multi-day hike alone in the Canadian
backcountry sounds like an irresponsible life choice, maybe don’t continue
reading.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Still reading? Cool, we are on the same page.
In a nutshell, yes. I met a guy while hiking in Leavenworth
and within our first normal encounter over beers in Seattle, I agreed for him
to venture into Canada with me to hike and explore for several nights. By the
end of our adventure, I can’t imagine having done the trip without his company.
Before the word vomit starts spewing, a few basic answers
for any readers curious about the Mt. Assiniboine Nublet Hike/Lodge/etc:
- -> Can you drive to the Mt. Assiniboine Lodge? NO –
the lodge is in the valley itself and only accessible from hiking or helicopter
- -> Are there many bears? YES – It is not uncommon
for the campground to get shutdown from aggressive Grizzly Bear activity. Bring
bear spray.
- -> How far is the lodge? From the Mt. Shark
Trailhead it was about 17 miles ONE WAY (6-8hrs)
- -> Is it the most beautiful hike created on this
beautiful green earth? You have no idea….
Those basic questions seemed insanely difficult to find
answers to on the Internet so I hope that provides some clarity for any curious
trekkers.
Time to give a more detailed description of my mountain man
and my own adventure.
We drove about 7hrs from Spokane, WA to Canmore. Along the
way, there is the Black Forest Schnitzel House that has an acoustic dome in the
ceiling and provides way to much entertainment for two adult individuals. Just
saying, check it out.
Anyways, we arrived in Canmore fairly late at night after
following our GPS to what we thought was the Mt. Assiniboine lodge itself.
Turns out the map actually lead to the Post Office since the Lodge only
provides a PO Box for contact info. Mistake number one on our part. Therefore,
our first night was spent sleeping in the back of my Jeep on a random Canmore
side street.
Waking up mildly refreshed but mostly excited to be in the
mountains, Jason (mountain man) and I walked a block to the Good Earth
Coffeehouse for our daily morning injection of caffeine and breakfast (awesome
coffee house with insanely nice service). We were given direction to the
visitor center from our barista and were hoping to gain some insight on the
days hike. At the visitor center itself, the worker knew nothing about the Nub
or Nublet hike except how to get to the trailhead. However, the center was
still a good resource for maps and we were able to ascertain directions to the
trail parking lot.
The trailhead parking lot is about an 1:15hr away from
Canmore via a scenic gravel road. There is also a topography map, brief
description and several pit toilets. Our mistake number two we did not discover
until later. The beginning of the hike was under the impression that the trail
was 17-miles in total. However, only upon returning to Canmore at the end of
the adventure did we discover that it was actually 17-miles EACH WAY. This made
for an interesting hike.
The only company encountered during the hike in was a
photographer and his gear mule. They highly encouraged doing the Wonder Pass
instead of Assiniboine Pass. The selling points were that Wonder was more
scenic, slightly longer, slightly steeper, golden larches and holds the yellow
brick road. Upon eye contact and a head node, Jason and I were sold and diverged
from our original route. In a brief, honest summary; we got our asses OWNED by
that trail. Wonder Pass was breathtaking, but literally… it took the air from
our lungs and entirely crushed our bodies and souls. (Maybe I’m being slightly
dramatic, but you get the idea). A positive note is that there were plenty of
streams for water filing points –Yay? However, Jason and I agree that although
we don’t know what the other pass was like, we are still happy that we
accomplished Wonder Pass and would recommend it to anyone hiking in.
Once at the lodge, it’s an understatement to say that we
were simply tired. The idea of walking 500m was soul wrecking. The photographer
previously mentioned had also informed us of some bear activity from the nights
he stayed in the area. It was with a strong conviction that he encouraged
renting a Naiset Hut for the night. Since our legs were shaking and neither of
us are particularly fond of the idea of a bear wrecking our tent, we agreed to
ask the lodge if there were any huts available. To our luck of being unplanned,
spontaneous individuals – there was no vacancy. Additionally, the campground was being closed due to the
aggressive grizzly bear activity in the area. There was somebody out hanging up
signs that the area was closed, yet we must’ve been ahead of the messengers
because we passed no notice. Therefore, there was no open campground, huts or
high end lodging options. Oops?
Rolling with the “fuck it” mentality, Jason and I set up
camp near the burn pile in the woods by the huts and had a true “squatter”
experience. Glorious.
Positives of squatting in a high grizzly bear activity area:
Free camping in a beautiful, scenic and isolated area
Negatives of squatting in a high grizzly bear activity area:
No sleep because every sound at night could be a grizzly bear coming to ripe
your tent and body apart piece by piece
Between our overly active imaginations combined with endless
natural sounds a below freezing temperature drop at night, neither of us got
much sleep.
Nonetheless, we awoke the next morning and hiked to the
picturesque viewpoint that was my prime motivation for this adventure: The
Nublet. Roughly a mile each way, the trail was insanely muddy so bring hiking
boots. However, at the top of the ridge the hiker is rewarded with an
astonishing view of three turquoise lakes scattered like gems amongst golden
larches all bowing to the might Mount Assiniboine. Talk about some nature magic. Words cannot express.
We combined the Nublet hike with our hike back to the
trailhead and in total did 19miles the second day. All in all, what a wonderful
adventure.
Over coffee and ice cream, Jason and I laughed at how
misfortunate some of the scenarios were and yet how much fun it made the
experience. We also compiled some things that we determined would’ve been a
good idea to know ahead of time. From one spontaneous unplanned adventurer to
another, here are a few tips and hints for hiking into Mt. Assiniboine and the
Nublet:
- -> Splurge and reserve the Naiset Huts instead of
camping. They are $25 per night and worth it even just to get the sleep without
having bear nightmares.
- -> There is a VERY nice kitchen facility for the
guests and camper use at the lodge area, equipped with pots and pans and all.
Also includes bear bins for free use.
- -> Try and plan to stay for at least two nights.
Hiking in is exhausting and the area is so beautiful that having a free day to
play and enjoy the scenery you worked so hard to reach would be highly
encouraged.
- -> Jason’s lesson: Bring waterproof shoes/boots –
that trail gets muddy!
- -> You can helicopter in/out gear for $2.25/per lb
- -> Don’t forget to bring your camera, this place is
unreal
- ->The lodge has the BEST hospitality ever
- -> There is “tea time” from 4-5pm. If you arrive
after and ask very nicely, they might sell you beer to go ;)
-
The lodge prepares meals but has limited space
so make reservations if you are not planning on bringing in food
Hopefully this provides some answers for any curious hikers
and travelers in the area. Although I’ve given some insight and guidelines, I
want to encourage the spirit of adventure in spontaneity and flexibility. Be
willing to diverge from your notes and explore a new path. You never know when
you might meet a random mountain man and have an adventure of a lifetime.
