Bugaboo Adventure

Where to start. This is going to be a long post as I have so much to write about. About a year ago, my friend Glenda and I decided that we would hike the Bugaboos with our husbands (who have hiked them previously). We set a date, July 26 to 30, and we anxiously awaited the day we would begin our adventure. Of course, preparation for the adventure involved dropping some serious money at Mountain Equipment Coop (every penny spent was well worth it!).

We drove to Bugaboo Provincial Park on Monday and were met with a parking lot full of vehicles. I don't think any one of us was expecting it to be that busy. Fortunately there was enough space for all our vehicles and Glenda and Eric's tent trailer (which by the way was heaven in the wilderness). You have to wrap chicken wire around the bottom of your vehicles and secure it with posts and rocks to prevent porcupines from getting under your vehicle and snacking on the tires, brake lines etc. In the background you can see Hound's Tooth and by the end of the hike up the next day, we were looking down on that.

After a very restful sleep (tent trailers are becoming much more appealing..), we set off on our adventure. Also joining Glenda, Eric, Tim and myself was a former coworker of Tim's, Jim who is no stranger to the Bugaboos himself having hiked it numerous times in the past.

Pictured from left to right, Jim, Tim, myself, Glenda and Eric.









I thought I had an idea of what the hike would be like but never in my wildest dreams would I be able to fathom what it really is like. I can honestly say it was by far the most physically demanding thing I have done in my life. I had my trusty Garmin with me and total hiking time (up and down) was 10 hours and 7 minutes, total distance 10.72 km with an elevation gain of 1,027 meters. And to top it all off, I was carrying a pack that weighed approximately 25 pounds.

The hike up took us 5.5 hours and it was uphill the entire way. There may have been a couple of flatter sections and maybe even a slight downhill at times but believe me, all I noticed is that we just kept having to go up and up and even when I thought I could not take another step up, I had to go up some more. The first part of the hike was along the valley floor, with some boardwalks on the marshy parts and then a climb up the toe of two minor moraines before reaching a small boulder field. This picture was taken just before the small boulder field.

The climb begins here. The trail moves up through forest and then an avalanche slope. Rather than continuing up the avalanche path, the trail climbs some rock slabs where there are steps made out of rocks and in some places concrete, wire cables that supply a handhold for some very narrow ledges (with very steep drop offs on the side) and for me, one of the most memorable parts of the hike was a ladder that scaled a 8 meter high rock wall. Then there is more of the rock steps and wire cable before the trail returns to the more usual rock and dirt path.

We had our lunch at the Conrad Kain hut and cooled ourselves off in a extremely cold glacial stream. It was sunny and hot, which left me very sweaty and with sun burnt ears!) I also couldn't believe the mosquitoes which were out in full force.

The hike from the hut to Applebee Dome was brutal, probably the most grueling of the entire hike. It was 1 km in length and Jim, the numbers man figured out it was at a 27% grade over rocks and boulders and near the top, through snow. From the hut looking up, I seriously wondered if I was going to make it. However, quitting was not an option and I was bound and determined to make it to the top.

Notice the green roof of the Conrad Kain hut near the middle of the picture. Gives you some perspective on how high we had to climb (and I think we were just at the halfway point then.)

Almost at the top!

At the top, we were surrounded by four mountains and two glaciers - Snow Patch, Bugaboo, Crescent and East Spire Mountains and Bugaboo and Crescent Glaciers. It is truly the one of the most spectacular sites I've seen and the challenge of the climb was soon forgotten. It was very crowded with tents and hikers/climbers at the top but we were able to find an area large enough to fit out 3 tents. We had borrowed our friend Glen's tent and it was spacious for the two of us and it was nice in that each side had a zipper access so we didn't have to crawl over each other if we had to get out at night. I also had Glen's sleeping bag and even though it was quite cool up there, I was toasty warm (so thank you Glen!) I was also very glad I had my down booties, down pull over, Gortex jacket, merino wool turtleneck (all Mountain Equipment Coop purchases), hat and gloves.

Dinner that night was a feast. Glenda and Eric packed up crackers and hummus, wine and a bottle of coke (no wonder Glenda and Eric's packs were heavier than ours!) After the appetizers and drinks, we heated up our Indian dinners, rice and naan, followed by a cup of tea with honey. All that drinking made a trip to the outhouse a necessity and I made Tim come with me to navigate the steps to the outhouse perched on the side of the dome. With the number of people there, it was inevitable there was a line up.The view from the outhouse was spectacular. I can honestly say that is the first time I have sat on the toilet and said to myself, "Wow."


My night was not a restful one for a couple of reasons. One was that my thermarest was on a bit of an angle and my sleeping bag kept sliding down towards the end of the tent and the other is that my husband is quite the snorer. However, he did not grumble once when I woke him up and asked him to walk with me to the outhouse. I had visions of missing a step and plummeting over the edge.

In the morning, Eric, Tim and Jim went for a hike on Crescent glacier to Snowpatch Spire while

Glenda and I relaxed at the campsite. I would have loved to have gone with them but my knee was bothering me a bit from the hike up from the hut to the campground and I figured I was going to need everything I had to make it back down to the parking lot that afternoon. We left a little after noon with the plan of eating lunch at the hut.

Pictured left is Snowpatch Spire. Notice the 3 little men hiking in a line towards the spire.

Ladder on the way down!

It took us about 4.5 hours to get down to the parking lot (and the tent trailer/heaven) and by the end, my knee was extremely sore. I had such a feeling of accomplishment when I reached the parking lot, never in a million years did I imagine myself doing something like this. I'm especially grateful to Glenda because without her, I would not have even thought it possible.

The next day we had planned to hike the Cobalt Lake trail to the Black Forest Ridge and then head into Radium Hot Springs to Redstreak campgrounds and a soak in the hot springs. I was a little hesitant about this trail because there was a warning on the website about a grizzly bear in the area and that hiking wasn't recommended due to aggressive behaviour. However, we met the caretaker of the hut the day before and she said that the grizzly had not been seen since July 2 and that she would have no worries about hiking that trail.

Cobalt Lake Trailhead

For some reason, I had envisioned the Cobalt Lake trail to be a short, relatively easy hike and imagine my surprise when I read the sign at the trailhead saying the change in elevation was 900 meters and it was 6.5 km to the Ridge. It was an easier trail for sure, more like a path through the forest as opposed to climbing up rocks and boulders, but it still was a long way up.

When I reached the base of the ridge (picture above), I turned to my husband and said I didn't think I could take one more step. However, I didn't go all that way to stop at the bottom of the ridge knowing that I would be missing the amazing view from the top of the ridge so I dug a little deeper, put one foot in front of the other and next thing I knew, we were almost at the top. The view was incredible, we could look over and see where we had camped the night before.

In a way, I'm glad I didn't know what I was in for because if I had known, I probably would have opted not to do it for fear I wouldn't be able to do it. When we were done, I really felt like I had pushed myself beyond what I had thought I was capable of and was pretty darn proud of myself.

It was late afternoon when we headed off to Radium Hot Springs and the adventure continued for Eric and Glenda who had a flat tire on their trailer. By the time we all got the campsite, it was late and I think we were all too tired to even think about anything other than having a bite to eat, a shower and off to bed. Again, we slept in the tent trailer and I can know see why people haul those suckers around.

Thanks to both Glenda and Eric for the trip. Not only were they excellent company, they had great food (which they freely shared) and I can't forget the tent trailer. They were both so supportive and encouraging throughout the entire hike and many times it was Glenda's "Laurie you can do it" that kept me going. I hope we didn't impose too much on their hospitality and that another hike may be a possibility in the future.