THE FORECAST was for rain and wet snow. Ugh. We’d planned this late
beaten a track down from the pass. They’d
followed our trail the entire way after sinking
winter, two-night getaway more than a month earlier and the weather
out of sight as soon as they ventured off
was not cooperating. Skiing into the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) cabin
course. Evening was spent relaxing by the
at Elk Lakes provincial park, just over the British Columbia/Alberta border
fire, swapping stories, slowly melting snow
and filtering water for drinking and dishes.
from peter Lougheed provincial park, was going to be ugly. That’s when
Morning dawned bright and clear and we
my daughter suggested snowshoes: no messing around with sticky wax,
geared up for a stroll up to Lower Elk Lake
no six-inch build-up of snow beneath skis – the idea had merit.
and an unnamed bump for views of Mount
Fox, Mount McCuaig and Mount Aosta.
To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of the hill we found the Elk Lakes provincial Avalanches roared in the distance. The
snowshoeing – the idea of walking downhill park sign (opposite the remains of the Baher second night’s group arrived early in the
instead of zipping down on skis just seems Cabin – built in 1943 as a hunting refuge by
wrong. But as we found our pace trekking up guide Mike Baher). Turning west (to the
the hill away from the parking lot, striding right), we followed a trail that tucked into
past skiers who were scraping their skis the trees at the edge of the meadow a short
and shooting envious looks and comments 200 metres, leading us right to the cabin. It
our way, I have to admit I quickly became took us about three and a half hours to get
a convert. from trailhead to cabin.
The route in to Elk Lakes follows the Built in 1992 as a park ranger
park’s cross-country ski trails for five headquarters, the solid log cabin has been
kilometres to Elk pass. We had considered available through the ACC for public stays
taking the West Elk pass Trail (following since 2004. It was empty on our arrival and
Elkan Creek) down to the cabin, but the after finding the lock combination buried
untracked trail and bottomless snowpack in one of the backpacks, we scooped the
nixed that plan. At the summit of Elk pass, two bedrooms on the main floor (rather
wet snow settled in and the uphill charm of than the open loft quarters), started a fire
snowshoes became a slow downhill slog as in the wood stove, and unloaded our stash
we followed the powerline cut for just over of food.
four kilometres. Another group of seven arrived on skis
Crossing the meadow at the bottom of just before nightfall, thankful that we’d
6 CALGARY >> WINTER 2008/2009 www.CalgaryOutdoors.ca
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48