Having
only an ordinary weekend to get to such a difficult spot in the rugged
Victoria Cross Ranges northwest of Jasper townsite meant trying to figure
out the shortest approach possible, but as I found out this didn't mean
it would be in any way easy. The bushwhack up from near Saturday Night
Lake can be described as worthy fiasco material, huge areas of blowdown,
some trees piled up like ladders with no way between the rungs due to
dense willow growth and root tangles of other trees. So there were lots
of obstacles to go around or under, the benchlands above the lake being
a maze of gullies,hills and hidden patches of swampy ground.
I think it took over 5 hours of nearly nonstop slogging to finally make it to treeline and a nice level meadowlike area below Cairngorm. By then exhaustion had set in nicely and camp was made nearby. Refreshed and eager to push on, early next morning saw the ascent of the meadows soon to be replaced by gorgeous rocky expanses containing Upper Kerr Lake. It was situated in a sort of L shaped valley, a place which really funnelled the wind, but this was nothing compared to what was in store. Ptarmigan made this area their home and quite a few could be seen wandering the rockfields.
The
simply stunning Lower Kerr Lake came into view around the bend and camp
was made on a very exposed bench above it. I set up the tent and decided
to go for a little walk to the far side of the lake to see what lay beyond.
More untouched meadows and the abrupt descent to a tributary of the Snaring
River, a major wilderness corridor through the northern heart of Jasper
Park. I stayed high though, just taking in the view. The Victoria Cross
Ranges have peaks named after people who received the Victoria Cross during
one of the world wars.
On returning to camp the wind had risen dramatically and in the distance my tent was trembling and wobbling to and fro. Little waves began rolling in from the lake, the sound fading as I reached the tent in time to prevent it from literally being blown away. It hadn't been pegged in very well, mostly due to the grainy, rocky nature of the soil. Firstly it was facing a direction which made it easier for the wind to throttle around, and since most of the pegs had been ripped up anyway, I just held on and gave it a twist. Pegs were bashed in and as many large rocks as possible were piled atop each one.
I didn't need to be a meteorologist
to figure out that the weather, she was a changin'. Then the rain came,
but due to the increasing ferocity of the winds, the tent hardly got wet.
Oh, forgot to mention that my groundsheet had been blown from under the
tent before I got in. I'd go look for it the following morning and find
it in a wet crumpled heap under a distant boulder. 
The night would go down as one of the most frenzied sleepless ones ever spent in the Rockies. Blasts of wind, sounding like approaching freight trains roared off of distant cliffs before setting upon the tent hell bent. Legs braced the walls to prevent tent poles from being bent in but thankfully there were lulls between attacks. It was out there massing, building up resources, then to swoop down on the hapless tentbound schnook. Long, drawn out rolls of thunder echoed over the scene, which was incredibly loud here at an elevation of around 2400 m.
The
storm passed, but by morning the winds were nearly just as intense so
taking down my shelter proved a delicate matter. It was done quickly and
everything had to be sat on or secured by large rocks to prevent being
blown into somebody's face climbing up the ridge on Pyramid Mountain,
you know, kilometres away. All in all a very intense weekend trip, the
return journey following a more or less identical route towards Saturday
Night Lake and the Twenty Mile Loop Trail, which I missed by about 50
metres and had to deal with the inevitable consequences amidst a tangle
of triffid-like things and impending darkness. Finally found my way out
of a ravine and the trail back to Jasper via headlamp.
RELATED LINKS:
- High Country Helicopters Ltd. (Helicopter Tours Book Direct)
- Skyline Trail Rides Ltd. (Horseback, Backcountry Cabins)
- Rocky Mountain Fishing Adventures (Fishing Guide)
- Mountain Galleries(Art Gallery / shop)
- Alpine Art Eco-Tours ( Guided Eco Tours )
- Jasper Adventure Centre ( Guided Tours )
- Tonquin Valley Backcountry (Horseback, Backcountry Cabins)
- Tonquin Valley Adventures (Horseback, Backcountry Cabins)
- World Adventure Consultants (Specializing in unique travel)
- Bustin Trout (Fishing Guide)
- Blue Creek Outfitter (Fishing and Horse Guide)
- Edge Control (Ski & Outdoor Store)
- Freewheel ( Rental and Retail )
- Totem Ski Shop ( Rental and Retail )
- Jasper Source for Sports ( Rental and Retail )
- Snowfarmers ( Snowmobile Reports )
- Valemount Sled Talk ( Snowmobile Forum )
- Jasper's Whitewater Rafting Company (Rafting Tours)
- Rocky Mountain River Guides (Rafting Tours)
- Jasper Raft Tours (Rafting Tours)
- Mount Robson Inn (Package Feature)
- Andy's Bistro (Fine Dining)
|Chamber|Maps||About Us|Special Events|Dining|Accommodations |Jobs|Services|Sights|Activities/Recreation| Links |
