Five years ago we did a helicopter hike with our family before we had any grandkids, and everyone was able to come including Tiffany and Deana. Well, Doug decided it was time to do it again this year. As it turned out only Lindsay, James, Mark and Jon were able to come. We started making plans, and Doug booked the helicopter tickets! We prepared our gear and equipment and even tried to walk to get in shape for the hike.
Lindsay and Doug decided that we needed to make our own beef jerkey, so that turned into a fun evening and into the next morning project! It turned out great and we enjoyed eating it on the trip.
The helicopter ride up took about ten minutes. We flew into Michelle Lakes, in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, just outside of Banff. The only way into these lakes is by helicopter.
It was so beautiful to see these mountains, lakes and waterfalls from the helicopter!
After we were dropped off, we started to explore. We hiked around one of the lakes to get to the waterfall...the panoramic view was breathtaking!
We felt like we were on top of the world!! We surveyed the area and did a little hike up to some flat ground and pitched our tents.
Munching on trail mix and beef jerkey, we hiked and explored around the lakes. We saw several families of grouse, with their babies, and the wild flowers were delightful. The lakes are a beautiful turquoise color. They are glacier fed, so the water is freezing !! We didn't swim, but we did cross several streams in our bare feet!
What we needed we brought with us in our backpacks...warm clothing, sleeping bags, tents, food, cooking pots, utinsels, water purifier and toiletries. It was quite a feeling to be so secluded and completely dependent on what we had brought with us.
By early evening we were hungry, so out came Doug's little stove made from an empty cat food can that had holes punched around the top, along with his little bottle of alcohol. That was our only stove, so we could boil one pot of water at a time. Dinner was a long process, but we all got enough and felt satisfied. The only thing we really missed was a camp fire, being so high in the mountains there were no trees of any kind for firewood!
We enjoyed the evening together, and we were in our tents and settled in fairly early as a storm had rolled in. During the night the winds were fierce, and it truly felt like we were going to be blown right off the mountain...that was about the time the pouring rain, thunder and lightening started. I really thought we were going to die up there, we were a perfect target for lightening!!! However, I have a very experienced "camper husband" who quieted me down, said a prayer and watched over our camp as I feel asleep.
The next morning, luckily the rain had stopped. We were a little wet and tired, but got up early and started our trek down. We had to hike up and over a mountain and onto a glacier, before hiking all the way out.
There wasn't a marked trail, we were told to follow 'Owen Creek' down the valley to the highway. It sounded good when we planned it, but in reality, it was CRAZY! It looks easy here, but we are just beginning ten miles of bushwhacking!
It was a steep hike out through bush, trees, mud, rocks, tons of fire burned dead logs...a true obstacle course! We saw bear and wolf tracks, and tried to make as much noise as we could coming out! When we stopped, we really did enjoy the beauty of the valley and surrounding scenery, but when hiking, we had to concentrate where to step.
The only way for us to quench our thirst was to use the creek, to purify the water, which was difficult most of the time! I loved it because it gave me a chance to rest, have a little trail mix and to take more pictures! (And get a good drink!)
We came close to falling in the 'creek' several times. it was so wet, with little water falls and creeks running down the mountain ino the water, we were constantly trying to use good foot work to stay upright. About 5 hours into the hike, I fell coming over a wet area! It was about here that I cried...and really wondered why we were doing this stupid adventure!
Well, after 8 hours of plodding through bush, we finally saw the highway!! We were all relieved, and could finally stop asking Doug..."how long before we get there??"
We were all pretty worn out and took a few minutes to gather any energy left to drive back into Banff. We stayed overnight there in a hotel, dried out our gear, went to church, then headed home. We asked each other if we would do it again and almost in unison answered "yes...in a few years!"
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