Wed, Aug 25 2021 - Piper Pass (View Original Event Details)
| Event Coordinator(s): |  |
Peter Minarik
|
| Participants: | | Peter Minarik, Annie C, Siri M, Lorna J, Constantine C, Joyce S |
| |
Write Up:Our hike was blessed with excellent weather and a fit group of hikers willing to tackle enthusiastically any challenge we encountered.
We started on the popular Elbow Lake Trail and continued onto the plateau along the upper Elbow River, surrounded by mighty 3,000m+ mountains: Rae, Elpoca, Tombstone. Here we made a short detour to the scenic Edworthy Falls. Leaving the main track, we crossed the Elbow River and Piper Creek in quick succession. These fords were awkward because of steep banks and flood damage but fortunately the Piper Creek crossing could be done with boots on. After following the Piper Creek along a forest trail we ended up in the extensive meadows of the upper valley. Lorna said that it reminded her of hiking in the Italian Dolomite Alps.
A 25 minute climb up a scree slope brought us to the pass, which we reached in 4 hours and 20 minutes from the trailhead. During our 50 minute lunch, some explored the cliffs above the pass. It took us 8 hours and 40 minutes to complete the hike out and back.
There were some people and horses on the Elbow trail but we met only one guy with a dog in the Piper Creek Valley, as well as bighorn sheep, a family of marmots, and ground squirrels. Diggings around the ground squirrels’ burrows indicated that the area was patrolled by grizzlies.
Peter Minarik
