Peeling back the layers of The Onion

Really it was a simple plan.

Follow the trail around the Bow River, run along the gravel flats, take the stairs and turn left onto the trail heading to the Bow Hut. Cross the river on the chockstone (a stone wedged in a vertical cleft) and follow the trail.

Simple. Easy.

But you know how things can go sideways with any well-thought out planned (or semi-spontaneous plan in my case). A friend had to work so she couldn’t do The Onion as planned. I still wanted to cross it off my list so I decided to go solo.

The drive to the trailhead was easy enough, if not long. I was camping near Canmore so it cut down on the drive. I had a late start – around 9:30 a.m. It was a little chilly so I was happy I remembered to pack small gloves.

The first four kilometres were around the lake and through this flat gravel area with several cairns marking the way. Completely runnable. Up the stairs I went to where the trail splits to the Bow Hut or to Bow Glacier Falls. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember if I was to go to the falls or the hut. I had written the route on my hand but it had already started to fade. I went along the Glacier Falls route for a moment when my gut told me I was going the wrong way.

At the chockstone, I chatted with three Bow Hut staffers who were carrying empty poop barrels up the hut. I followed closely behind them until at one point I became distracted when I saw this couple, part of a larger group, trying to awkwardly cross the river/creek.

I waited to make sure they were fine before I crossed the river too.

My mistake – the group was hiking up another mountain. I shouldn’t have crossed the river. After declining invitations to join their group, I backtracked and crossed the water again. (I always appreciate it when other groups invite me to join them because they are often worried that I am out in the mountains alone. Thank you, kind souls!)

Moving freestyle along the river, I approached one of several boulder fields to come. It was not exactly smooth sailing. Eventually I found a better defined trail. There were a few tricky spots where the trail ended but I managed to locate the trail. All along the way I was rewarded with gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains and alpine lakes in the distance.

I reached this spot (above) that completely blew my mind. It was like I was on another planet. The rock formations were surreal. Fascinated and distracted by the surroundings I lost the trail and needed a time out to gain my sense of direction.

I needed to reach the Bow Hut. But I didn’t see any sign of a hut or a trail leading to a hut. In the distance, I saw the faint markings of a cave. For a brief manic moment, I thought that perhaps I had to go through the cave to reach the hut. Then I wondered how the blue barrels could make it through the small opening of the cave.

I know! Crazy talk. EVENTUALLY I backtracked a few hundred metres (no I didn’t actually approach the cave) and found a clearly marked trail leading up to the Bow Hut.

To the top far right (above) you can see the Bow Hut. The whole scene was pretty freaky. The fact that the only people I had seen were earlier had made the trek even more surreal. Truly I felt like I was in another dimension.

Once I spotted the Bow Hut, I knew I was on the right track. I crossed another river and waterfalls in time to catch the three barrel people coming down from the hut. I explained I got off track a bit. They humoured me, and said it happens a lot.

Following a trail to the left of the hut, the views just kept getting better and better with the first glimpses of the tarns and the glacier.

As I stood at the base of the Onion, I couldn’t see a clear path forward. I skirted around the glacier, careful not to step on it, before I started climbing over a series of rocks that are often described as ribs.

Honestly I didn’t take the best scrambling route up to the summit. I should have stayed in the middle where there were larger rocks and less scree to navigate. Instead I took the idiot route to left around the big rock slab until I got fed up with sliding. I climbed over some boulders to a more manageable route.

Still it was still a little tricky finding the The Onion’s summit. But eventually I found the summit. Hoorah! And guess what there was an onion on the summit!

I took in the views of the magnificent Wapta Icefields (top left) and Iceberg Lake and Bow Lake at the summit. I ate a peanut butter and jam sandwich and counted my blessings. How fortunate am I to live in driving distance of such an amazing area.

This hike had everything – boulder fields, waterfalls, canyons, tarns, glaciers and awesome rock formations. Add The Onion to your list. My photos do not do it justice. Even if you don’t make it to the summit, you will still be awed by the amazing views near Bow Hut.