Abbot Pass Hike
I’ve always considered myself somewhat of an experienced hiker until I hiked up to the Abbot Pass Hut, the second highest permanent structure in Canada.
Two years ago I went on my first trekking trip on the Juan de Fuca trail located on the west coast of Vancouver Island with a group of 8 ladies. To follow that up, last fall one of the ladies suggested hiking in the Rockies. Plans had to be made early as we needed to make reservations which included a lottery bid to stay at a few nights at the popular Elizabeth Parker Hut in Lake O’Hara in Yoho National Park. Late November we were excited to hear we were booked for one night at the EP Hut and there was space at the Abbot Pass Hut, which we could hike to from the EP Hut (no problem!). The rest of the accommodations were booked in Lake Louise.
We had the necessary gear from our previous trek (packs, poles, lightweight sleeping bags, etc.) and we were fortunate that one of the ladies’ brother hiked extensively in the Rockies and was willing to escort us. With so many parks and trails to choose from, getting recommendations saved us a lot of time researching. Come July we were ready for our trip.
For day 2 we narrowed our choice to the Valley of the Ten Peaks and Sentinel Pass to Paradise Valley and decided on the latter based on local advise as it had views of the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Unfortunately the overcast weather restricted the views and we had a short-lived wind and rainstorm, but this was made up for by a rainbow over Paradise Valley when we reached the top of the pass. We continued over the pass making our way down the large rocks with the aid of occasional stone trail markers. The wild flowers were just starting to bloom in the valley with the beautiful backdrop of Mount Lefroy and Mt Aberdeen. The Giant Steps was a worthwhile extension to walk on the flat rocks of Paradise Creek waterfalls.
The next day we made our way to Lake O’Hara, which has limited access via a pre-booked shuttle bus into the park. The Elizabeth Parker Hut was a short hike from Lake O’Hara and is a self-maintained hut managed by the Alpine Club of Canada. The hut has a well-equipped kitchen (without refrigeration and running water) and sleeps 24 in tight rows on an upper and lower bunk. Once organized, we headed out for a hike following the al
Our packs were as light as possible, about 15 lbs., carrying just a sleeping bag, water, dinner and breakfast. With poles in hand, we started off to Lake Oesa before facing the 1,500 vertical feet of loose scree. It was now time to put on our helmets! The first section after the lake was okay but proved challenging about 1/3 of the way up the scree with more rocks coming down than progress being made. At the same time, a huge rock fall came down with a gush of water on the mountain next to us. Our guide suggesting zigzagging up on the larger rocks and with the advice of the fellow from the cabin I was now making progress and being careful not push rocks down on to my friend not far below. I finally spotted the cabin and the trail was easier to navigate at the top and I finally made it to the hut in about 4 hours. While waiting with my friend for the rest of group we saw two more snow avalanches on the next mountain over and appreciated our safety and the dangers of mountaineering.
This was definitely the most exhilarating hike I’ve done and the most rewarding! I couldn’t have done it without my Urban Poles which stood up to the challenging terrain of the Rockies.
Jocelyn