Smoke from the U.S. wildfires did not get in the way of our marathon day in Banff National Park.
Sue, Barry and I set out early Sunday morning to tackle the colourful Larch covered mountain passes and lake shores in Banff. One vehicle was left at Sunshine while we car pooled to the Redearth parking lot start.
We decided it would be fun to do a point-to-point as opposed to doubling back to the start. We would cover more ground this way. In all we clocked 42.8 kilometres and 1,500 metres of elevation gain.
I smelled the smoke before seeing it especially while we were climbing into the trees. As the day progressed, the mountains disappeared in a plume of smoke. Amazing how far the smoke travelled from the U.S. can reach us in Alberta. The smoke was really unexpected. I don’t think anyone had this top of mind when we set out Sunday morning.
We followed the wide, frequently-used trail from the Redearth parking lot. We ran in places and hiked up other spots. It was going to be a long day so we conserved our energy.
Shadow Lake was our first point of water along the trail. The imposing Mount Ball towered in the distance. We stood a small wooden bridge to take in our surroundings. The morning was chilly and we expected it to warm up later in the day.
The mountain views really began to open up as we headed south from Shadow Lake. Leading up to the lake, we didn’t see much of anything besides trees. Following the creek along the trail, we headed to Haiduk Lake.
Sue checked with her map a few times to ensure we were heading in the right direction. Other trails meandered off from the main trail so we wanted to double check.
At Haiduk Lake Barry decided to take a dip – the first of three that day. Had it been warmer and less hazy I might have dipped my feet into the lakes. Just before the lake, we passed a group of hikers with a growling dog. Up until that point, we hadn’t seen anyone on the trail. We expected to see more people as we got closer to the Egypt Lake lodges.
Shortly after the lake we reached Whistling Pass, which featured a boulder section. We imagined the views would have been fabulous had there not been layers of smoke impeding the views.
The colourful rocks in the boulder section were fun to look at. Sue and I spent a few minutes scouring the section for unique looking rocks while Barry waited patiently.
Throughout the day I gave Sue a few photography tips so we took a few test shots in the rock section. I love sharing my photography tips especially when people just need a little tweak. With today’s phones, it’s so easy to take a great shot, and if you know your stuff (and your phone’s camera) you can take an even better one.
The haze of smoke added a more dramatic effect to our photos but it got to a point where enough was enough. At Healy Pass (where we reached after Scarab Lake), I looked back at one point to see nothing but the outline or a silhouette of the mountains.
Disappointing, yes. But it was a such a great day to explore an area I have never been before in the park. Over the day, we came across more hikers and campers. At one point we passed a couple who had been staying at the Egypt Lake lodge. The woman’s backpack was unzipped and she unknowingly lost a few articles of clothing. So when we came across her clothes, I ran back to find them. I love being a hero. Later on we found another piece of her clothing but they were long gone so we dropped off at the lodge.
Oh the colours. Yellow. Red. Orange. Green. We felt like we were walking into an artist’s painting in the classic Healy Pass. This glorious golden alpine terrain did not disappoint.
Smoke aside, we picked a great day to meander around the lakes and mountain passes. No wildlife sighting save for a couple of chubby marmots laying claim to a rock. This was a great trail/route to escape the crowds and to appreciate nature’s glory.
Have you ever run or hiked a marathon in the mountains for fun? Mountain passes or peaks? Are you concerned about hiking or running in smoky conditions? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.