One of the things I love so much about trail running is it can take you to some beautiful places. Living so close to the Canadian Rockies, I have endless opportunities to explore and discover nature’s pristine beauty.
Most recently I ran the Assiniboine Pass (Wonder Pass loop) with my running buddy Erin. The 51-kilometre lollipop loop begins and ends at the Mt. Shark trail head in Spray Valley Provincial Park in Alberta but loops into B.C. to the world famous and UNESCO World Heritage Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park.
The heart of the park is the Assiniboine Lodge, North America’s first backcountry ski lodge. You can only reach the lodge by foot (skis in the winter) or by helicopter. There is no road access.
Maybe it’s because I am not from Western Canada but I have never heard about this lodge or this park until this year. (Don’t judge me, people.) Many people have this majestic park with its glorious alpine lakes, snow-capped mountains and alpine meadows bursting with wildflowers on their bucket lists. After ripping through the trails with Erin, I can see why you just want to slow down and just breathe.
We were lucky to see the helicopter bring in supplies to the lodge. It super cool. The lodge was closed so we weren’t able to buy $8 beers but after feeling loopy after my $8 Skoki beer, I was fine with no mid-run beer break.
I was a slightly worried about the distance because the day before I had one too many shots and my stomach was not feeling stellar. The trail was so runnable – meaning nice trail without too much elevation. We had a really good pace going until we tempted fate and took this equestrian trail that was rocky and completely overgrown. That killed our spirit for about 10 seconds but we knew it was only a short time in the grand scheme of this long run.
Sadly it was mostly an overcast day. But that meant we didn’t have to deal with the heat. A few times during the day when we felt the temperature spike. Overall generally perfect running conditions. I was so happy that Erin is a strong runner because she kept me honest when all I wanted to do was just hang out and stare at the mountains.
Yes it was challenging to keep running with these views especially after our long break at the lodge. Thankfully we managed to stay focused with one foot in front of the other. I lagged behind as usual because I like to take all the photos and video.
We had enough water and food for the majority of the run. There was one section where I ran out of water and I had to suffer to the next lake. I can’t imagine what it would be like on a hotter day.
We kept a close eye on the skies after leaving the lodge. They looked a little threatening. The last thing we wanted to do was to run through a thunder and lightning storm so we stayed light on our feet at a steady pace.
Although we were feeling generally good, the last three kilometres were brutal. There was a surprise (to us) elevation gain that took away some of my will to live. It also started to rain. A blast of lighting, just metres away, from us quicken our steps to the parking lot.
Thankfully we made it back to the parking lot unharmed and not electrocuted. I highly recommend this loop for running or even hiking. It was a long day but the views made the long drive from Calgary worth every moment. (More of my photos (and video) are on my Instagram feed.)
Have you crossed any bucket list items off your list lately? Where is the coolest place you have ever run? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.