Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park

Backcountry camping trip

Here is the next blog about the adventure I spoke about at the end of my last blog. Super excited to start telling about this trip. A complete new experience for me. In this blog I will take you along on the five day backcountry camping trip.

What started out as just an idea turned out to become reality. First of all I never heard about Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park. Untill I got asked if I would like to go there for a few days. Didn’t even had to think about it. Right away I said, let’s do it! That will be such an unique experience. The only thing was that there weren’t many spots left. Only a couple more at the end of the official season. We already made reservations at the campground where spots were available and hoped for more cancellations in the mean time. The goal was going for five days. It was still very uncertain in the beginning. Then I started to read more about it, because I had no clue how this would all work. Since I am not experienced with camping I had to read a lot about it. We are talking about backcountry, which means no facilities at all. Literally camping in the middle of nowhere. I had to do some research for it, but luckily my amazing company is experienced and knows what he is doing. So I knew it was going to be great!

What do you have to arrange for a trip like this?

Since it’s backcountry you have to be prepared for basically any kind of weather. You will be outside all the time and won’t be able to warm up in the shower. Since I am the type who gets cold in a second I had to make that the first priority. Staying warm is essential to enjoy the trip as well. I definitely needed some extra gear. So what will you need? You have to think off a warm sleeping bag, comfortable sleeping pad and pillow. A bigger backpack and an insulated jacket to keep you warm. Luckily there is a shop downtown who rent out gear to people like me who can’t buy it all and take it home after.

Other things I bought were a warm hiking pants with fleece, sweater, merino wool gloves and really thick mountaineer socks. Luckily I had a lot of thermal layers still from the previous ski season. For dinner you use dried meals so I ended up buying pad thai for everyday since I had no other options. Practical things like a filtered waterbottle, jetboil and headlamp. The tent was already taken care off.

Where can you find Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park?

It’s located on the border with British Columbia and Alberta. It is only 48 kilometers from Banff. There are two ways to reach this area. The easiest way is to go by helicopter which takes you to the park in 8 minutes. Second option is hiking in. Our idea was to take the heli the first day so you can start the trip feeling fit. It gives you a full day to explore the area as well. On the last day we would hike back to Mt. Shark. Well, this plan went totally different. The heli was completely booked so we had no other choice then hike in and out. It will take a lot more physical energy but since it was the only way to do this trip we were determined to do it this way. There was one benefit with the heli. You can drop off the luggage and they take it to the Assiniboine lodge for you.

Let’s go!

On wednesday september 29th it was time for this big adventure. Fully packed we drove to the base in Canmore. Our friends brought us to Mt Shark. Unfortunately there was a road closure and we had to take a detour which took us two hours. To make it a bit better there was a beautiful sunrise and moose on the side of the road.

We arrived at the starting point of the hike around 8:00 am. It’s a special feeling knowing you will be completely isolated from everything. No signal, just nature and wildlife. We were both looking forward to that part though. We started walking with excitement and it went very smoothly. On the whole hike we only saw one couple and they had an interesting story about being chased by this male moose. This made me realise that this was something that could actually happen. But we knew these risks before we started. At one point there was this fence we had to go through and there were horses on the meadow at a barn. They had these bells around their necks. Pretty sure that was for warning the other wildlife. The trail went through the forest with narrow paths. In the mud you could see lots of animal prints, mostly bear prints and hooves. It’s pretty intense knowing they are around there but you just don’t see them because they don’t want to be seen. It’s grizzly territory after all and that makes it pretty exciting.

Around 2:30 pm we arrived at the lodge to pick up the luggage. We hiked there pretty fast in the end. There was this sign at the desk “gone hiking, back at 4 pm”. After this part we had to walk the last three kilometers to Lake Magog campground.

Exploring the campground

We made it to the campground. First important part is finding the perfect spot to set up the tent. We walked around and had a look for the closest facilities such as cooking area and bear lockers. We found a pretty good spot. Next step was figuring out where the water source was to cook a warm meal. The filter system we used was so handy. You could drink directly from the bottle while it was filtering. First time trying a dried meal and it was tasty. It gave energy for the cold night ahead.

Day two; first full day at lake Magog campground

We got up early morning to see Mt Assiniboine for sunrise. She tends to dissapear in the clouds but the goal was to see her in full shape. We went to a good spot for taking pictures. We already explored this area the day before to figure out the best spots. Assiniboine can be really shy and she likes to keep the top in the clouds. Some people never see her completely exposed during their stay. We decided to be patience and waited for a while. Everytime it seemed like the clouds were moving away and then they came back again. In the meantimethere was this red glow on the other side which looked amazing. But it was worth the wait, because she showed herself for a few seconds. Long enough to get some good shots. Also the glaciers are absolutely insane! Just huge!

After breakfast we explored the surroundings. We knew it was going to rain all day so we stayed closed to the campground. Around noon it started to get more cloudy and the rain started soon after. The only thing we could do was hide at the covered cooking area. Just grabbed a bunch of snacks and ate. There were a lot like minded people so we all sat there and talked. Pretty good vibes really. The rain didn’t stop a single second and the wind was pretty strong as well. The rain hit us even under the cover so it got pretty cold. At some point we decided to just run back to the tent and sleep. Hoping for better weather the next day.

Day three; let’s have a look around the rest of the area

Luckily the next morning the rain stopped and we walked around the area to explore the lakes. There are three lakes nearby, lake Sunburst, Cerulean Lake and Elizabeth lake. Again there was nobody except for us. Pure silence and calmth from the lakes and mountains. On the way there was this cabin where a Canadian-German lady used to live. An inspiration for many, a woman who lived and breathed Assiniboine. Admirable how she lived there many years ago within those extreme conditions. The last lake of the trail was named after her, because her name was Elizabeth von Rummel.

We chose a location for the next sunset. Perfect spot at Cerulean lake to return later that day. Since it was still early we checked out Elizabeth lake. It was sunny so perfect for sunbathing on the rocks. You also have to relax on intense trips like this.

Then it was time to return for sunset to do a photoshoot. The lighting is so much better early evening. I really enjoyed playing with my camera on manual. Seeing the improvements gives you motivation. The evening glow over the mountains is something you will never get enough of. It’s just a magical experience.

Once we returned to camp the sky was so clear. The stars were coming out and it looked beautiful. The temperature had dropped big time so the night sky was coming quickly. The stars were shining so bright all around us. We decided to take the night photos at lake Magog with Assiniboine right there. I even saw a shooting star a couple of times. I can still picture myself there completely in awe. So gratefull for being able to experience this. Luckily my great company had a tripod to take photos of the Milkyway. It looked stunning!

Day four; exploring a peak

In the morning we walked towards the lodge and then towards Lake Magog. It was pretty cold and windy. We had one more thing we wanted to do. Hike to a certain peak which gives you a beautiful view over the area. Not just during the day but for sunset. There was another group of people that arrived at the campground and one man had the same plans and asked if he could join us. So the three of us made our way to the peak late afternoon. Since we have explored the area a few times we knew where to go. First part you climb in the forest. Once we got into the open area, the fun started. The wind was extreme! I could barely hold on and almost blew away. Luckily I had someone to hold me. It was crazy but fun! There are three peaks you can reach called Niblet, Nublet and Nub Peak. The view from the second peak is the best so we focussed on that one. We could see the lakes, the lodge and the mountains. It was gorgeous and worth the effort to get there. It was great exploring that part on the last night at Assiniboine. These couple of days flew by. It was time to prepare and organise before we had to leave the next morning.

Day five; the last day

The last day we had to get up early to get everything packed. We had to bring our bags to the lodge before a certain time. They will bring our stuff luggage back to Canmore. Since it was still pretty early we stayed at the lodge for a bit longer to get one more glimpse of beautiful Assiniboine. Unfortunately she was very shy this morning and didn’t reveal herself. Then the journey back started going through Wonder Pass. A pass that’s easier on the way back because there is less climbing involved. It is a 30 kilometer hike that brings you back to Mt Shark. The weather looked very threatening, lots of dark clouds. Luckily it was dry all day and the sun even came out.

This Wonder Pass is a beautiful trail stretched with valleys, creeks and lakes but also parts that took you through the forest. Pretty flat trail and parts going down. During the trip we heard several people talking about a dead bear cub on the Wonder Pass. They gave us the exact location so we knew where to expect it. At some point during hiking you disappear in your own world and don’t always think about those things. Then I saw something big in the corner of my eye and it shocked me. I jumped up and then realised this was the bear cub. It looked abandoned and probably got sick. Predators left it untouched which is normally a strange thing. This one was still intact. Crazy experience really and this was right away the only “bear” we saw the whole trip.

We kept walking and it went pretty smoothly. Few stops on the way enjoying the sun. We arrived at the parking lot around 6:00 pm. The last 10 kilometers were pretty tough for me. My body was exhausted after those days. Being outside for 5 days in the cold takes a lot of energy especially because it was a first time thing.

This whole trip has impressed me in so many ways. It tought me new things about myself. It makes you realise how much you are capable of and that feels really good I must say. Also I have learned so many tips and tricks how to manage in nature. Things you have to think about which are essential to make this trip succeed. Developing those skills is so much fun and that is mostly because of the best company I was with. He tought me a lot and made me super excited about the whole camping experience. Sharing these moments together is the best, because only we know how incredible it was. Something you will never be able to fully explain into words. When you've done it once, it makes you want to do more of these epic trips!

This shows how a spontaneous “YES” can lead to such an adventure.

Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown

Thank you for reading my blog and showing interest!

I really appreciate it and it motivates me to keep writing and be creative.

For now this is my last big adventure to share, but who knows I might find inspiration to post more later on.

With love!