itinerary: Tumbling Creek to Helmet Falls
trail: 11.6 kms, total altitude gain 1,148', total descent 1,558'
weather: low to mid teens, mostly cloudy, rain off and on during afternoon and evening
Looking back at Tumbling Pass and Tumbling Glacier, where we stopped for lunch the day before. In between, the valley with Tumbling Creek and the campground.As spectacular as Floe Lake was on day one, this was my favorite day of the trip. It was cloudy, and rainy at times, but, as I mentioned before, I love rambling above the tree line, and we got to do a lot of that this day. It was cloudy, and moody, and slightly foreboding, which put me into a great head space. Ever since I was a little shaver, I found some level of satisfaction in pitting myself against the elements. I used to bundle up and head out into blizzards, just because it felt cool to be able to survive in moderately difficult conditions. It somehow seems appropriate for it to be overcast when you are up there.
The Rockwall Pass itself is quite long, at several kms, unlike the others which are more of a ridge. At it's high point of 7,349' there is a 500m metre westward diversion to Wolverine Pass at 7,250'. This is a dramatic pass, as it is right on the park boundary, and flanked by the two sentinel peaks of Mount Gray on the south side (9,843') and Mount Drysdale on the north sid (9,620'). In clear conditions, the westward view reveals clear-cutting in the distance, but we had a much more inspiring view of a lake of clouds over the valley. It reminded me somewhat of one of my favorite paintings . click here
Mount Gray at Wolverine Pass
Mount Drysdale at Wolverine Pass, with the Rockwall leading away from it to the north.We managed to flush out some grouse or ptarmigan, or whatever they were (maybe Daniel can elucidate me), which gave me a sudden craving for Swiss Chalet. But we let them be.
The awe-inspiring Rockwall that I was looking forward to seeing in person. It feels like that, if it were in the mood, it could reach down and squish you like a bug.
I am not sure why Luke is walking in that direction. The trail led us north, which put the Rockwall over our left shoulder. Oh well, maybe he was posing or something.
As we began to descend out of the pass, we came across this bizarre tree. I think it may be a Larch, which the area is known for, but am not 100% certain because it is so strange looking. Larch are a coniferous tree, but they lose they needles in the winter like deciduous trees do.
When we got to the campground at Helmet Falls, we quickly set up our tent, then took off for another 30 minute walk and climb to get to the base of the falls. These falls are one of the highest in the Canadian Rockies, at 1154 feet high with two drops. They are quite spectacular and powerful, and especially rewarding to view since you only hikers can see them. No lazy vehicle bound tourists out here.
The campground was nearly deserted except for one other group, but we never actually saw them because they were a long ways off from us. This sense of isolation was a great way to round off the day, as it really felt like we had disappeared into the wild at that point. To top it off, since it was raining off and on, and rather cool out, we chose to cook and hang out in the "living room" which was right next our tent. 
It was a natural figure-8 hollow in amongst the trees which provided shelter from the wind and the rain if it was light, thus we could stay dry and comfortable without living in the tent (even though we still spent a considerable amount of time in the tent....long enough for me to read the "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London in only two rainy evenings). Plus, it has right next to a creek, so getting water for cooking was much easier. It felt like we were really roughin-it, which, again, I enjoyed on some ethereal level which I hope I am succeeding in conveying.
I am not sure why Luke is walking in that direction. The trail led us north, which put the Rockwall over our left shoulder. Oh well, maybe he was posing or something.
As we began to descend out of the pass, we came across this bizarre tree. I think it may be a Larch, which the area is known for, but am not 100% certain because it is so strange looking. Larch are a coniferous tree, but they lose they needles in the winter like deciduous trees do.
When we got to the campground at Helmet Falls, we quickly set up our tent, then took off for another 30 minute walk and climb to get to the base of the falls. These falls are one of the highest in the Canadian Rockies, at 1154 feet high with two drops. They are quite spectacular and powerful, and especially rewarding to view since you only hikers can see them. No lazy vehicle bound tourists out here.
The campground was nearly deserted except for one other group, but we never actually saw them because they were a long ways off from us. This sense of isolation was a great way to round off the day, as it really felt like we had disappeared into the wild at that point. To top it off, since it was raining off and on, and rather cool out, we chose to cook and hang out in the "living room" which was right next our tent. 
It was a natural figure-8 hollow in amongst the trees which provided shelter from the wind and the rain if it was light, thus we could stay dry and comfortable without living in the tent (even though we still spent a considerable amount of time in the tent....long enough for me to read the "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London in only two rainy evenings). Plus, it has right next to a creek, so getting water for cooking was much easier. It felt like we were really roughin-it, which, again, I enjoyed on some ethereal level which I hope I am succeeding in conveying.
2 comments:
Whats for supper?
Minestrone with pita bread for dipping. A couple of pieces of beer-stick pepperoni. Chocolate pudding for dessert. Chai tea for a warm up before bed..but not too much so you don't have to pee in the middle of the night.
Actually, that usually wasn't an issue because dehydration was always more of a threat, due to high exertion levels.
Despite eating high calorie foods, I still lost a fair bit of weight in only the few days we were out there.
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