It’s Time to Disconnect.
Back in early May, when Alberta started to announce their phased reopening during COVID, they said campsites in the provincial parks would be open for reservation to Alberta residents only. This was literally music to my ears! James and I have been waiting for what’s felt like FOREVER to spend more than a couple hours in the mountains, and our time had come! Not without 45 minutes spent on the Alberta Parks website and only able to get a site during the week, but little did I know that the days we’d get would be perfect.
We both have been crazy busy at work and we were ready to disconnect. Our campsite was at Boulton Creek in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. We were about an hour and a half from our house but it truly felt like we were a world away. We took a van out to sleep in because we were staying in prime grizzly territory, and honestly, James and I don’t have the best luck weather wise when it comes to camping. The sites were spread pretty far away from each other so we were surrounded by tall pines, had our own picnic table and fire pit. Unfortunately the showers were not open (ugh, COVID) so packing the four of us into this van every night came not without its share of smells…
Our Campsite
Like I said, we were living the van life on this camping adventure. Honestly, if it’s just you and a partner, friend, or dog, sleeping in a mini van is kind of perfect. It’s cheap to rent and the stow-and-go allows you to put the seats all the way down so you can sleep and store your food and gear. It’s really important to remember to bring in your food, trash, coolers, etc. so you don’t draw in bears. Parks here are pretty strict about those rules—as they should be—and it can result in a fine. We slept on our REI Trekker Self-Inflating sleeping pads, and I was pretty cozy in my REI Joule 21 sleeping bag—I seriously love that thing. We also put up a hammock that I took full advantage of after both of our hikes. I never realized how easy it is to sleep when you’re wrapped up in a cocoon. I was in camping heaven, other than the mosquito bite on my eye lid.
We wish we would have had a tarp or canopy of some sort to put over the picnic table. Friday afternoon it started to sprinkle and then we got a little more rain that night. It definitely didn’t stop us from having some drinks by the fire, but it would have been nice to keep dry. Luckily, I just invested in a new rain jacket that has been my best friend on the last few hikes. I also think the dogs slept way better than we did every night, because I woke up multiple times to one of them sleeping on half my sleeping pad or using my pillow.
Our Hiking
The biggest reason I chose to camp where we stayed was because I wanted us to revisit this trail we checked out a couple months ago when it was still basically the middle of winter in the mountains. Upper Kananaskis Lake did not disappoint! We started our hike around 9am and climbed 2000’ in 2.5 miles to Rawson Lake. We had the whole trail to ourselves and the lake to ourselves for a few minutes before other hikers descended on it. It blew my mind that such a beautiful green lake was hidden in the mountains like that. The pine trees reminded me of the UP in Michigan and made me miss home.
We headed back down to Upper Kananaskis Lake for lunch and since we got there so early we were able to park right by the lake. A picnic table was open so we just sat in the sun, listening to the water and watching hikers and kayakers around the lake. It was so damn peaceful. I could have stayed there all day.
Friday, we took on a bigger challenge. James wasn’t exactly thrilled I chose a hike that would make us climb almost 2000’ in like a mile (yikes) because Copper is still learning and Ella is old, but the views were definitely worth it!! We didn’t make it all the way to the summit, because I had to coax Ella up the last stretch with treats. A little over 5 miles of hiking each day is way more than she’s used to, and I was so proud of how well she did overall. At the end of the hike on the second day, we got down the mountain and had a little further to go on this flat trail to the car. James and I switched dogs and Copper dragged me along so I turned around and these two cuties were just taking their sweet time. Adorbs.
Im very thankful we were able to get away, even for just a couple days. We had so much fun and I’m blown away by these mountains every time we head out there. The hiking trails are endless and there’s just something therapeutic about tackling a mountain. There are so many obstacles along the way but when you reach the top, the views are just breathtaking!!
For all my hiking ladies out there, I thought I’d share with you some of my essentials for mountain climbing in grizzly country:
Backpack: Osprey Tempest 20
Boots: Vasque Ultra Dry < These aren’t exactly the same pair that I have but pretty close.
Rain Jacket: Helly Hansen W Vima 3L Shell Jacket
Hiking Pants: Columbia Women’s Back Beauty II Slim Pant
Hiking Poles: Black Diamond
Best Hiking App: All Trails (download your map!)
Always have in your pack: First aid kit, Emergency Blanket, Lighter, Head Lamp, Hand Sanitizer, Chapstick, Sunscreen, Bug Spray, Bear Spray (easily accessible), Knife, Water, Protein, ID, Rain Jacket, TP or Wet Wipes, Extra Rope.
If you ever have questions about hiking necessities, don’t hesitate to ask!
Stay safe and enjoy your hike!
xo, Stef
