Training Log Archive: Funderstormin

Our mission today was to see if we could get up to Rockbound Lake, the trailhead for which was just a few hundred metres down the road from our cabin. We started with our microspikes and took big packs with our snowshoes and a lunch. The trail is 8.4km each way and we were fine with our microspikes for the first 6km or so where others had been on the trail recently, but once we got up onto a plateau heading towards Tower Lake, we were breaking trail in nice deep snow. Made it to Tower Lake and then started up towards Rockbound but could not find the route and we were sinking past our knees climbing up to it. Slice had warned us to be very careful with the avalanche risks in the area, so we cut our losses and headed back down to Tower Lake for lunch then back down the trail. Was a beautiful quiet day and we only saw one other group heading up the trail as we were heading back down.

Had dinner in Banff before going to the Banff Centre to see a couple of films that won awards in their category at the film festival this year - And Then We Swam and The Crash Reel.

En route to our cabin at Castle Junction Graham and I stopped at Johnston Canyon for a run just as the light was fading. We weren't sure what conditions were going to be like so put our microspikes on and they were definitely needed. We ended up 'rescuing' a group coming down on our way up who weren't wearing appropriate footwear and couldn't get down a hill safely. By the time we got to the upper falls, we were the only ones up there and spent a good bit of time playing around and taking pictures. Since it was all up on the way out, was a fun run back down to the car!

A friend of mine asked if I'd take her and two people who 'won' a snowshoeing experience with her in a work charity event out snowshoeing somewhere. The winners were in downtown TO so I suggested Hockley for an authentic experience that was about equidistant for both parties. There were lots of options around Milton that might have been more suitable for two people who had never been on snowshoes before, but they would have been less 'authentic,' and besides, I really kinda wanted to go to Hockley! My intention was to go up the main trail and then wind our way back along the side trails but it was a bit ambitious. We made it to the second side trail but then retraced our route back the main trail and took Tom East on the way back. They got the full Hockley experience however with a lunch stop at Black Birch afterwards. A bit chilly but a great day out!

C • Charity 5