Thu, Aug 22 2013, Fri, Aug 23 2013, Sat, Aug 24 2013 - Northover Ridge (View Original Event Details)
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Northover Ridge has a lofty reputation: many call it the best backpacking trip not only in Kananaskis, but in all of the Canadian Rockies. The Copelands dub it as an “ecstatic sense of exploration … deep in the wilderness … on trail-less terrain … Surrounded by peaks grinding their teeth on passing clouds. Peering into deep, remote, bear-haven valleys… this thrill ride’s price of admission is competence born of backcountry experience.” Best of all, the three-day trip covering roughly 35km is a loop, so that one never has to retrace one’s steps. At the crux, a shoulder-width ledge is dubbed a tightrope across which one must walk. One wrong step, and you plunge either 1,200m down scree slopes into Joffre Creek in BC, or plunge to your death into a glacier in Alberta. This tightrope straddles the border between the two provinces. For competent hikers though, the rewards are immense, and indeed, we did find it to be a thrill ride with never-ending surprises around each corner.
Kananaskis only recently re-opened some trails after the big floods in June. There haven’t been many trail reports, but we were expecting to contend with more deadfall, water crossings, and the like. We began our first day covering the first few kilometres easily, for it was nothing more than a walk around Upper Kananaskis Lake. Getting around Hidden Lake was to be our first challenge, and reports that we had indicated that one must go through the forest with significant deadfall. We were lucky though. The water levels had dropped and we simply walked around the shore of the lake. It was a beautiful spot, much more than I had expected from it. If one is looking for a simple day hike and just lounge at a lakeshore, this could be a good pick.
The stretch between Hidden Lake and Aster Lake would see us gaining the day’s elevation. We’d be exposed on the scree of Mount Sarrail’s lower slopes in the afternoon sun. A nice breeze kept us cool though, and glacier-fed waterfalls provided great refreshment along the way. Everyone we ran into along this stretch told us about the ‘mess’ ahead. Finding a trail through to Aster Lake would be a challenge. We pushed on, followed the GemTrek map, and had no issues finding our way. It would be more confusing if one thinks they can hike the loop without a map and just follow a path. You will need to follow a map!
We arrived at Aster Lake in nice early evening light. Greens, yellows, and all shades inbetween. The meadows had a warm feel, but also a fall feel to them. We pitched our tents, cooked dinner, and called it a night. It was warm and we left our tent flap open, looking out at the starry sky and being awakened by the full moon.
Day two was the day we’ve all been waiting for as we’d be crossing Northover Ridge. The weather was cloudier, but comfortable. We were aware of the resident grizzly in this area, a group we ran into on our first day had seen him, and not surprisingly, we found fresh track right alongside Aster Lake, heading in the same direction we were going. He must have been there just before us, but we did not see him.
The meadows were beautiful and lush. Moss covered the water’s edge. We were expecting a water crossing – every guidebook and person we ran into told us about the water crossing – but had nothing. The barren landscape was completely dry, just as our little creek at Aster Lake campground had run dry by morning. The ground was cracked and we simply walked through what was apparently a swampy area just the day before. We weren’t sure if it was just due to the time of day or some other phenomenon, but it made the going easy for us. Beyond Aster Lake we would encounter today’s elevation gains, topping out on Northover Ridge beyond Northover Tarns.
Crossing into Height of the Rockies Provincial Park in BC (so far we had been in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park), we admired the tarns and made our way towards the ridge. A small snow patch lingered, but in the distance something else was brewing. We kept an eye on it, but it was no more than about half an hour of light drizzle. We re-assessed at the col, the sky lightened up, and we pressed on.
The ridge was a thrill. Every few steps provided a new grand vista. First we had Northover Glacier, then more impressive views of Northover Tarns and the falls below, Joffre Creek in BC, the ups-and-downs of the ridge, and Three Isle Lake, our destination, in the distance.
Crossing Northover Ridge was the definite highlight of the trip. The crux that we had anticipated for so long was finally in front of us. Thankfully the rock was dry, and we were amazed at how calm it was; there was barely a light breeze. We carefully crossed, one by one, and pressed on. Just as we passed the last bump on the ridge, there was out surprise: horizontal rain quickly approaching and wind so fierce that we had to lean on hiking poles to keep our balance. We were dropping elevation quickly and almost at the col, but treecover would still be a couple of kilometres away. Thankfully we found a windshelter below the ridge, so took a break and let the worst of it pass before pressing on.
Just as quickly as the rain storm arrived, it also disappeared. We left Northover Ridge behind with blue sky. Arriving at Three Isle, we set up our tents, cooked dinner, and were in bed by 9:30 as a shower hit. We were exhausted and over the next few hours would hear some howling winds. Thankfully we had chosen a very sheltered site and felt none of it, just saw the trees sway back and forth.
The sun woke us up on our last morning, we had a leisurely breakfast, and then continued on.
This was our easy day of walking and all we’d really have to do is cover the last 11km. We
stopped at The Forks and cooked dinner – ‘emergency’ soup, some of our last rations for we
all seemed to have been eating more than we planned. It was obvious that it was Saturday
now for we started to run into people – lots of people, and lots of day hikers. We witnessed
some of the devastation from the flood, encountered numerous areas where bridges were out,
and for good measure, also some more grizzly tracks. Seeing the dam at Upper Kananaskis
Lake came as a relief for we could now drop our big packs for good. This trip was a ride, a
natural high that bombarded us with so much eye candy that we could barely grasp that we
had only been gone for three days. And like people say, it definitely is one of the top
backpacking trips out there.