Nick and the Grizzly Bear

The Grizzly Bear is on the left hand side in the space between trees with Nick on the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park

We just returned from a trip in the Canadian Rockies.  Our first and longest hike was on the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park.  We did this as an overnight and were able to stay at a back-country lodge at about the halfway point. We started in the smoke, nearly had to turn back due to blizzard conditions, and missed much of the views that this hike is famous for due to an incoming low pressure system.  But who cares, because we saw a Grizzly!

Official warning.

Grizzly scat, during berry season

Unofficial warning. Berry season...

Moose tracks...

Climbing little shovel pass, about 4 miles into the hike

The haze is smoke from a wildfire hundreds of miles away in Oregon , it smelled slightly like campfire. Normally, the air in the Canadian Rockies is suggested the cleanest in the world. 

This area is called Snowbowl

Climbing Big Shovel Pass

Big Shovel Pass

The area below the pass was calm. At the pass, gale wind.  In hindsight, this was the beginning of a coldfront which would bring amazingly cold weather to the rest of our late August/Early September trip. 

Marmot foraging in the forground, just beyond Big Shovel Pass.  The marmots in the Canadian Rockies are larger than those in the Sierra Nevada and the Tetons.  They had a thicker coat, more fat, and were more grey in color. This guy was as big as a very large domestic cat. 

Us, descending Big Shovel Pass.

View from Watchtower pass, a side trip we took. The wind here was so strong that it threatened to blow our loaded packs down the pass, requiring us to hold onto them.

Watchtower Pass

Watchtower Pass.

Grey Marmot, I wonder if he is old...

Shovel Pass Lodge, Skyline Trail, Japser

Shovel Pass Lodge. The rain and temperature fell on the last mile of our descent. We were greeted with pastries, tea, coffee, a warm bed, and a delicious dinner. We made friends with the other guests. Nick and Jess, from England, Bert and Cheri, from Portland, and Pete and Jessica, who were Canadian. We enjoyed the company with like minded people. The friendships we formed turned out to be advantageous for all of us the following day.

The temperature dropped and the wind violently smashed the trees together that night. I was happy I chose the cushy cabin over the backpacking option on this one...

We saw bighorn sheep in this meadow below the lodge. 

our room at Shovel Pass Lodge

Propane lighting and heat.  15 miles from any road.



Day 2:

The snow began to fall as we made our way up to the highest stretch of the trail.  At first, this was amusing and novel. By the time we reached the pass, it became an actual threat.

Jess and Nick ascending the Notch on the Skyline Trail 

By the time we approached a saddle called the Notch, the trail was totally gone. Cloud and blowing snow limited visibility to about 20-50 feet, and the wind chill brought the temperature down to unbelievably could.  I would estimate the temperature to be 20 F at the pass, 0-5 F with wind chill.

At the notch, we could see nothing.  No trail, no landmarks, nothing further away than 10 feet or so. The gale wind blew snow sideways. I could not feel my fingers, and struggled to open the zipper of my pack to get layers out. The wind would instantly blow anything away not held onto. We regrouped with our new friends from the night before. Nick was had a compass. I had a printed trail map. Pete and Jessica were Canadian, so were probably less terrified.  Still they seemed cold and a little shaken.  Bert and Cheri suggested we head back down to the lodge if the route could not be identified, for safety; not a bad idea.  We had to make decisions quickly, because it was too cold to not move. After one trip down a dead end, we finally found the trail again. It was definitely a group effort, and I think we all felt safer in numbers. 

Just past the Notch on the Skyline Trail

Once past the Notch, the trail became more visible. It was no less cold, but definitely less wet further down the trail. 

I read out loud from my trail guide to the group that this section of the trail is "the definitive Skyline"  over three miles of panoramic views revealing layers of peaks and valleys in all directions. We did get 20 seconds or so of a brief limited window as the low clouds whizzed through at 60 miles an hour or so.

Mount Tekarra, in the Tekarra Valley, on the Skyline Trail

Lori and I stopped for lunch here, after losing about 1500 feet elevation or so.  This was a beautiful valley full of pika an marmot. Once we dropped elevation, the weather improved, but was still frigid.

Further along our descent.

Grizzly Bear on Skyline Trail

We were about a hundred yards behind the group when Lori noted an animal on the bluff above the trail, just at the timberline. Apparently, this guy was roaming the area grazing on wild berries.  As we came closer, lead members of the group were gesturing to retreat. He didn't seem to know we were there, or he didn't care.  We were downwind and relatively far away, and it was still quite windy.  I snapped a few photos of the grizzly before we made a wide arc below the trail to avoid him.  Once again the safety in numbers proved beneficial for all of us.  It was great to be in a group of 8, all toting bear spray, rather than isolated. We purchased two cans of bear spray, only to leave them behind one week later due to airline restrictions. What seemed frivolous two days prior turned out to be the best $60 I ever spent at that moment.

 It is hard to see him from this uncropped photo, but it does demonstrate our distance from him and his proximity to the trail.  If there was ever a perfect scenario to run into a Grizzly in the backcountry, this was it.

Nick and the Grizzly, Nick is on the right, the Grizzly is on the left, in the gap between trees.

Steve, Lori, Jessica, Cheri, Bert, Jess, Nick, Pete, on the Skyline trail.