2022-08-27, Day 1
Looking across the thickly forested Miette River valley from the unmaintained route that leads to Elysium Pass, the slopes of the Continental Divide wring cold moisture from a late-summer storm, Jasper National Park, Canada.
When one leaves the vehicle, shoulders the pack, and heads into the forested mountains with everything required for the next 8 days on one's back, the beginning of what may come to pass feels like a bit of a relief. Before the beginning, there are decisions to make, judgements to render, such as how much pasta does a hungry person really need to eat for a hearty meal? One doesn't want to needlessly carry too much, and one also does not wish to be hungry after a long, arduous day. How many cups of tea might we reasonably want, and how much fuel is required to support that habit? What combination of layers will work best with the anticipated weather? It weighs needlessly on the body to carry clothes one doesn't ultimately need, but being too cold is no fun either.
Once the beginning is underway, these questions recede as there is no longer any point in asking them. One's purposes become solely to find what lies ahead, and to make good decisions to return home as safely as possible. I always hope that I have not stupidly forgotten anything too drastic. The anticipation that has built over the preceding weeks now races out into the landscape and dissipates amongst the talus, blueberries, and coniferous spires.
From the vehicles, we crossed Minaga Creek on the only bridge we would see for the next 8 days, and we began the 1,000 m (3,280 ft) climb over 14.5 km (9 miles) to Elysium Pass where we planned to camp. Here, you can see storm clouds delivering moisture to the higher elevations across the Miette River valley. This same system doused the slope we ascended earlier in the morning, and the clouds gifted every single leaf we brushed past with a singular drop of water to deliver to our chests, legs, and feet. It was not long before the shoes were soaked completely through with water. Though we did not know this as we climbed, the feet would stay cold and wet for the next 6 days, except for when we donned dry sleeping socks.
Tags: Alberta Bucephalus Peak Canada Canadian Rockies Elysium Pass Jasper Jasper National Park Landscape National Park Northern Rockies Rocky Mountains Victoria Cross Range alpine backcountry backpacking clouds forest high country high elevation mountains rain rain clouds storm clouds subalpine subalpine forest trees wilderness
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2022-08-27, Day 1
A strip of bright, green meadow rises in the middle-distance toward Elysium Pass, Victoria Cross Range, Jasper National Park, Alberta. Beyond the pass lies the trail-less wilderness and a hoped-for route past Monarch Mountain (9,111 ft; 2,777 m) and through Monarch Meadows, toward passes and forested valleys not yet comprehensible in their particulars at this point in the journey.
The Ancient Greeks developed the concept of Elysium, or the Elysium Fields. In earlier periods, the river Styx formed a barrier to Elysium past which only gods or heroes could pass. Later, the ticket for admission to Elysium was also bestowed upon the righteous. In Elysium, the blessed would remain after death, experiencing the enjoyment of what they most treasured in life. The word 'Elysium' derives from the Greek, "to be deeply stirred with joy," and may also be related to another word meaning "incorruptible". It is no wonder that Beethoven associated this word with his famous 9th Symphony.
We planned to camp at Elysium Pass at the end of the first day, and we read that a trail used to thread its way up and through the forest to the pass via a relatively broad and lush meadow. This trail hasn’t been maintained for many years, but it is still regularly if infrequently traveled by intrepid through-hikers on the Great Divide Trail who are seeking a bit more solitude and route-finding than the average person. As a result of some decades of no maintenance, the route has accumulated an ever-growing number of downed logs, which makes for interesting uphill travel when the pack is heaviest on the first day. Because the old route is no longer on the maps we could find, we assumed the way would ascend directly to the pass with the least amount of elevation gain required. We were surprised to discover this view, taken from somewhat higher up on the shoulder of Emigrant Mountain than we had thought the right-of-way would go. Indeed, we found that we climbed up to this vantage somewhat gratuitously before dropping back down to the pass and then bidding adieu to any sort of trail for the next four days to come. The trail disappeared as the forest gave way to the meadow, and both were wet from a weather system that continued to spit occasional rain throughout the afternoon and early evening. The vegetation was particularly adept at keeping the feet quite soaked.
Dinner consisted of split pea soup thickened with whole-grain rye crackers and paired with wild Sockeye that I brined and smoked some weeks previously, followed by chocolate and copious cups of herbal tea. I wanted to be sure that we did not carry the delicious fish oils any further than the first day, as I presume a grizzly bear would not be able to resist the utterly smoky, fatty goodness. Immediately after dinner, I made sure to incinerate the wax paper in which I had wrapped these morsels so that I would not have to worry about carrying any of the scent with me any further. As night fell, I reveled once more in the beauty of dry sleeping socks and a warm, down sleeping bag. It occurred to me before I fell asleep that should I have to pee before I woke up (from one of those cups of tea), I would have to put the cold, wet socks and shoes back on should I not want to make a barefoot egress and sortie. This was one of many details that did not occur to me during the planning stage. I am sure I must have experienced this problem at other times in my life, but apparently my solution to these experiences is to banish them from thought.
Tags: Alberta Canada Canadian Rockies Elysium Pass Jasper Jasper National Park Landscape Monarch Meadows Monarch Mountain National Park Northern Rockies Rocky Mountains Victoria Cross Range alpine backcountry backpacking clouds forest high country high elevation meadow mountains rain rain clouds storm clouds subalpine subalpine forest trees wilderness
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2022-08-28, Day 2
A bright, yellow field of late-season asters adorns a sub-alpine meadow and affords a view of a trail-less route below Emigrants Mountain (8,376 ft; 2,553 m) and Elysium Pass, Victoria Cross Range, Jasper National Park, Alberta.
From the vantage of our first night's camp at the top of Elysium Pass, we could see Monarch Meadows in the distance, which was our intended route. Separating us from the Meadows was a ridge-line that was thickly forested on the lower slopes, and braided with meadows higher up. We couldn't see whether short cliffs or difficult rocks were on the other side of the meadows, but we decided to chance the upper route because we abhorred the thought of navigating through the thick forest with its attendant downed logs. Should the upper route prove impassable, we would just descend and loop down around the shoulder of the ridge and follow the path representing the appropriate compromise between safety and expediency.
Leaving camp in the morning, we discovered that thick trees crowded us toward the edge of a small, steep gully that was not apparent on the map (100 foot contour intervals can hide important details), and we could hear a creek gathering strength in the rocks below us. At length, we found a way down, crossed the creek, and made our way up to the meadows you see here in the foreground. I marveled that we would spend the next four days threading passes and valleys with no trails, and I was apprehensive about staying on course and being able to make the 8 miles per day that would be required.
We continued upward, pushing through a tight band of Subalpine Fir, and we found ourselves above a small cirque that was too steep to descend safely to Monarch Meadows below. However, there was another route that stayed high for a while and then lead to a slope down that was steep and vegetated but navigable. From where we stood, it appeared that although it was densely forested in places, Monarch Meadows contained enough interwoven patches of grasses and flowers to constitute a strikingly fine walk through the wilderness. We also noticed that climbing up to take the high route proved an excellent decision, as the forest we avoided in the valley was very dense with logs both vertical and horizontal. If only the clouds would stop providing each petal, blade, and leaf with such bounteous drops of foot-soaking water.
Tags: Alberta Canada Canadian Rockies Elysium Pass Emigrants Mountain Jasper Jasper National Park Landscape National Park Northern Rockies Rocky Mountains Victoria Cross Range alpine backcountry backpacking clouds flowers forest high country high elevation meadow mountain mountains rain rain clouds storm clouds subalpine subalpine forest trees wilderness wildflower wildflowers
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To the left, the upper reaches of Monarch Mountain (9,111 ft; 2,777 m) are wrapped in low cloud as the mountain looms over the patchwork of forest and wet, open terrain comprising Monarch Meadows, Victoria Cross Range, Jasper National Park, Alberta.
There is no trail through these meadows. As such, we felt some measure of relief, standing where this photo was taken, to realize that it would be both possible and safe to descend and thread a relatively direct way through the open patches toward the distant, low pass and then into the next drainage to camp. Given the amount of water we encountered on the sides of the moderately steep slopes we negotiated to gain this vantage, it seemed likely that the areas without trees might be boggy.
We paused for lunch somewhere near the medium-sized, bright, green patch right in the center of the frame. It felt delightful to remove the shoes for a little while, wring out the socks and hang them on a branch to dry (futile), and drink some tea after our repast. The cloud ceiling lifted somewhat from where it was when I made this photo, and Monarch Glacier was revealed, sitting high upon its dais of stone. I kept expecting we might encounter wildlife, and I was not terribly excited about the idea of meeting with grizzly in such relatively close forest. However, to this point, we observed nothing but Ravens moving almost effortlessly above us. I can only speculate as to why we didn't see more of the four-leggeds, and I suspect that animals living this far off trail are not that accustomed to crossing paths with Homo turistico americanus and thus took pains to avoid our presence.
Tags: Alberta Canada Canadian Rockies Glacier Jasper Jasper National Park Landscape Monarch Meadows Monarch Mountain National Park Northern Rockies Rocky Mountains alpine backcountry backpacking clouds high country high elevation mountains off-trail rain rain clouds storm clouds wilderness
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2022-08-28, Day 2
The thinning sheet of ice that is Monarch Glacier sits in a basin of stone high up on the throne-like shoulders of Monarch Mountain (9,111 ft; 2,777 m), Victoria Cross Range, Jasper National Park, Alberta.
The ice combined with the cool, wet cloud to create an atmosphere that felt autumnal as we slowly ascended and wove our way through meadows, following the firmest, highest ground that we could. Due to the rain, the plentiful, dense, and healthy herbaceous vegetation, and the water table being very close to the surface, the feet stayed stubbornly saturated. All of this did little to dampen the magnificence of the place. I don't know when the last person walked this valley before we found our way through, but we encountered not a trace of humanity.
As I walked somewhat ahead of my friend, I found myself enveloped in quiet, my mind ruminating on whether we would encounter bears and where we might find a good place to pitch the tent where the ground would be dry. I also began to feel the isolation, both foreign compared to my typical town fare and also exhilarating. The clouds remained thick and dense, and it seemed likely it would rain periodically for the foreseeable future. I could hear my pack creaking quietly and rhythmically as the weight shifted on my back as I moved, and precious little else reached for the mind's attention. One of the beauties of walking with a friend with whom I have hiked for 30 years is we are able to drift into long periods of comfortable silence, absorbing the unadulterated wild with each step further into the fastness.
Tags: Alberta Canada Canadian Rockies Glacier Jasper Jasper National Park Landscape Monarch Meadows Monarch Mountain National Park Northern Rockies Rocky Mountains alpine backcountry backpacking clouds high country high elevation ice mountains off-trail rain rain clouds storm clouds wilderness
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