Elk Lakes Cabin - Hut #1

It seems that getting these books into the huts is the easy part - taking the time to blog about it takes forever!  Despite the fact that I am desperately behind in all of my other duties/jobs/pursuits, I've decided to take the time to get started on this.  On July 1st of this year, my family and some friends embarked on the first of many journeys to come, and set out to deliver the first copy of Freedom of the Hills.  This is the first of 35 copies to be delivered to all of the ACC huts, cabins and structures in an effort to provide current information on mountaineering practices.

The hike itself is simple enough - it starts at the Lower Kananaskis Lake at the trailhead marked 'Elk Pass' and travels south for about 9 km, crosses into B.C. and ends up at a large, beautiful cabin.  Although I had pictured this as a huge undertaking (I have five children and I am starting a new Guiding business), in the end all worked out.  We left the parking lot around 11:30 a.m. and made pretty good time hiking through a swampy, snowy trail (this has been the theme throughout most of the hikes I have done so far this year!). All five children carried their own sleeping bags, water and changes of clothes, while my wife and I carried everything else.  Spirits seemed to remain high for the hike, until the questions got started. "Dad, how much farther?",  "Are we there yet?", and most of the other types of questions you might expect children to ask.  In their defense, some of my children remained positive throughout the hike, which actually helped some of the doubters feel less concerned.

We arrived before supper and once we had settled in, wet clothes were hung, a fire was started in the stove, and children were playing in the sleeping area.  After a few short naps, I joined in with helping prepare for supper, and we began eating our food together. Several jealous hikers poked their noses into the cabin widows, but with 9 of us having reserved spots, there was no room. I took a short hike with Lisa and my oldest daughter up to the lower Elk Lake, and we were treated to a beautiful hike along the Elk River/Creek, which was quite high.

The insert on the inside cover.

The next morning we arose somewhat early and began preparing to leave. Making sure we left a copy of 'Freedom of the Hills' (that's why we went, right?), we set out to return via a different trail. Having scouted out the lake the night before, we decided we would hike back along a longer, albeit more scenic route along the edge of Fox Mountain, which would take us past the lower lake and to the outlet at the NE end of the Upper Elk Lake.
As we crossed the scree slope heading N, my youngest, who is normally up for a challenge, decided that it was scary and did not want to continue.  He was quickly coerced into thinking otherwise (!) and once we were in the trees, all was well.  Again we ran into copious amounts of snow on the trail home, but the most interesting part of the trip (from my perspective, anyway) was seeing an alpine meadow that had been turned upside down by a hungry Grizzly.  I've always heard about these, but this was the first time I had actually seen one.


So there you have it.  Hut #1 is in the bag.  Huts 2, 3, 4 & 5 are all together, as they are all on the Wapta Traverse in Banff and Yoho National Parks.  And no, my kids won't be joining me on those trips!