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Highline Magazine @HighlineMag
ESSENTIALS Letter from the Editors
4
Wild Sex: Letters to Mating Animals
7
What’s on your Fork?
24
GUIDEBOOK How the Prairie Crocus got its Fur Coat
19
Choose Your Adventure
20
Big Backyard
26
EXPOSURE The Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse
8
Know Your Neighbour
11
Word Up
29
CHATTER Woolly Whaaa?!
18
Small Muscles + Big Results
23
Legacy Trail Etiquette
25
MTB Corner
28
STILL LIFE Photo Spread
12
SNAPSHOT
30
O Highline! It’s hard to believe you will turn three this year. It seems like just yesterday we were spending sunny days, late evenings and sleepless nights perched in front of our computers planning the Fall 2008 issue. You’ve come so far in that time: published hundreds of photos and countless articles, gained recognition from local organizations and devoted advertisers and most importantly, have a loyal following of the world’s best folks—Bow Valley locals. You’ve helped celebrate the unique culture of this valley we call home, teaming with adventurists and artists, talented writers and photographers. You’ve shone a spotlight into the little-known nooks and crevices of the valley: fall-out shelters and Two Brothers and cottage nuts. And now, after much consideration and deliberation—I bid you adieu, fair Highline. But fear not, you are in the most capable of hands. Kristy Davison remains at the helm, guiding you towards a bright and bold future. I pass the editorial torch to Banff local, writer and adventurer Meghan Ward who will bring a wealth of local knowledge and experience to the editorial role. So with that…I’m out! Thank you, dear reader, for your support, encouragement and kind words over the past seven issues. See you on the trails and in the cafés.
Erin Cipollone, Editor
Photo by Dan Rafla.
It was love at first sight. As I finished up my shift at The Bison, I noticed a good-looking magazine staring at me from where it had been left at the bar. As it turns out, it was the first issue of Highline and we were seriously attracted to each other. The next day, I wrote to the crew at Highline and introduced myself as a local writer. We’ve been going out ever since. Kristy and Erin have given the Bow Valley an incredible gift. Their hard work has produced not just a magazine, but also a new sense of connectivity amongst mountain lovers. So, it is with a sense of gratitude and honour that I come on board as the next Editor. I have always appreciated the rich lineage of literature and photography that has come out of the Canadian Rockies. Explorers, then and now, have managed to capture the grandeur and mystery of the lofty landscape and the unique spirit of the people that dwell in these hills. I like to think that Highline is contributing to that legacy. Here’s to many adventures to come!
Meghan J. Ward, Associate Editor
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FOUNDING PUBLISHER
Kristy Davison | kristy@highlineonline.ca | 403.688.5103
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CM
EDITOR
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Erin Cipollone | erin@highlineonline.ca | 403.688.5000
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
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CMY
Meghan J. Ward | meghan@highlineonline.ca
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COPY EDITOR Paul Davison
ART DIRECTION + DESIGN
Angie Castaldi | angie@clichedesign.com www.clichedesign.com
CONTRIBUTORS
Amanda Allard-Korell, Derek Carman, Craig and Kathy Copeland, Eric Daigle, Marjory Gibney, Jody Goodwin, Joanne Grimble, Reuben Krabbe, Lynn Martel, Carlyle Norman, Sam Peris, Dan Rafla, Kelly Schovanek, Melissa Semenek, Rade Svorcan, Brian Van Tighem, Bob Walker, Meghan Ward, Niki Wilson.
SPECIAL THANKS
Adam Robertson, Dave Cipollone, Magi Scallion, Lynne Robertson, John Borrowman, Cory “The Condor” Keefer, Allan Buckingham + Camara Miller, Kristy Reimer, Susanne Gillies-Smith, Wendy Bush, Beamer’s Coffee Bar, the Canmore Library, Jeff Thom, Tom Thompson + Harvest Moon Acoustics, Marnie Dansereau and communitea café, Avalanche Movie Co., Banff Lodging Co., Wild Flour Café, The Banff Centre, the Town of Canmore, the Canmore Nordic Centre, and Valhalla Pure Outfitters (Canmore).
Outfit your adventure!
FOR INFO OR TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CONTACT Highline Magazine 317 8th Ave., Canmore, Alberta T1W 2E6 Email | info@highlineonline.ca Web | www.highlineonline.ca Highline Magazine is a free, semi-annual publication. Brought to you by the Bow Valley’s best businesses and the goodness in our hearts. Printed in Canada on Recycled Paper. Cover photo: The shores of Luellen Lake, AB. By Brian Van Tighem | blackeyestudios.com
726 Main St., Canmore | 403.678.5610
Niki Wilson Niki Wilson is a multi-media science communicator living in Jasper. She hails from an environmental science background, but has traded the field for the computer screen. She writes a regular column, On Science, for the Jasper Fitzhugh, and can often be found curled around her laptop producing podcasts about everything from grizzly bears to fire science. She is an affiliate of the Banff Centre Science Communications Program, and chairs the Wood Dialogue Program Committee, tasked with bringing together some of North America's brightest in science communications next summer. Say hi at nikiwilson.com. Check out Niki’s blog, “Two Biologists and a Boy,” on our website at HighlineOnline.ca. Photo by Marni Wilson.
Brian Van Tighem Born in the Alberta Rockies, Brian Van Tighem`s photography is influenced by the landscapes of the prairies, mountains, and coastlines of Western Canada. With a diploma in Digital Photography from the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts, he creates photographs that inspire people to care about love, humanity, and the intricacies of the natural places that surround them: a humbling ambition in the beautiful Bow Valley. A wedding, portrait, and outdoor photographer, Van Tighem finds himself constantly inspired by the individuals and places he documents in his work and play. Check out Brian’s portfolio and blog at blackeyestudios.com.
Marjory Gibney Marjory Gibney is a Bow Valley “lifer,” born and raised in the now non-existent town of Seebe, with the Bow River and Mount Yamnuska in her front yard. Having emigrated the vast distance to Canmore, she has to admit that it’s extremely unlikely anything will ever pry her loose from the valley. With strong valley roots (her Dad was born and raised in Banff ) Marj has absorbed a fair bit of the natural and human history of the area. She retired in 2008 from her career as a school librarian at Lawrence Grassi and Exshaw Schools, and with more time to focus on photography, music, travel and various other passions, she is enthusiastically pursuing her new career as a full time leisurologist.
Wild sex
als im n a g n ti a m to rs e tt Le By Niki Wilson
Good morning Western toad. How was your six-month sleep? I hope you’re rested because it’s time for you to shake off the hibernation hangover and dig your way out of the squirrel burrow you poached last fall. It’s May, and you and I both know you have somewhere to be. Getting there won’t be easy, so you’d better lick up some spiders and do some stretching. The journey is long; you’ll brave sharp twigs, ravens and bike tires before you reach the breedin’ pond. It’s a little weird that you would prefer to walk rather than hop, but whatevs – just get there. Guys, you should probably arrive first. I have to tell you, the “alert call” you use to draw in the females is not the long pent-up I’m-going-to-hump-you-to-death croak I would expect, but sounds, instead, like a bird twittering. If this is the cry of deep, amphibian lust building for a year, I don’t get it. But, whatever smoothes your skin. I would like to talk to you about foreplay. I’ve been watching, and it appears there is no courtship or even a polite introduction. I understand you are “explosive breeders,” needing to get it all done in a couple of weeks. But you males are so blindly obsessed with finding a gal, that you grab anything that remotely resembles a female, including rocks, sticks, frogs, and other guy toads. This isn’t a frat party, boys! Good thing the gods gave you that “release call” that says in a weak, bird-like way, “Hey buddy, I’m a dude.” No point in writhing around and wasting all your sperm when you need to focus all your energy on getting it in those eggs. A species doesn’t propagate itself! Well, not yours anyway. Guy-toads, I feel freakishly tingly looking at your hormoneswollen thumbs. The way you shimmy up the female’s much larger back, reach around under her arms and suction cup those sticky nuptial pads to her chest. Ribbit! Now you’re on nice and tight and…. Nothing. The rub is, that there is no rub! Nothing actually happens down there. No penetration. No coitus, not even a tickle. The gals start churning out thousands of eggs, laying them out in long, black pearly chains behind them. The guys spray sperm into the water overtop, hoping they’ll find a way to their chromosomal match floating like limp spaghetti in the shallow water. Toads, your pseudo-copulation is kind of a let down after the sticky thumbs thing. The real kick in the teeth is that 99 per cent of the eggs will not even grow up! They’ll be eaten, remain unfertilized, get too cold or simply fail to launch in some way. And then you still have to worry about us screwing up your habitat, running you over during migrations, putting scary fish into your lakes, and spreading disease on our boots and not-so-hip waders. Given all that, I hope there is some unseen satisfaction that makes the whole thing worthwhile, especially ‘cause you don’t stick around to raise the toadlets. Have a good trip back to the woods, stay moist, and keep the poison glands loaded. Niki Wilson is a multi-media science communicator living in Jasper. She writes other, sometimes serious stuff, produces podcasts and owns two microscopes. Check her out at nikiwilson.com.
growing up green at the Plain of Six Glaciers by Meghan J. Ward Photos courtesy of the Gillies-Smith family. Portrait by Deborah Cameron.
The Tea Lady When Joy Kimball answered a newspaper ad from the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) back in 1959, she unknowingly gave her daughter, Susanne Gillies-Smith, the beginnings of a most remarkable life. The CPR was advertising that they were getting rid of some of their businesses, which included a rather historic cabin at Lake Louise, known as the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse. The teahouse, built between 1924 and 1927 by the CPR, was constructed as a stop-over for mountaineers en route to and from the 11,000-foot peaks that circle Lake Louise, including Mts. Lefroy and Victoria. When Kimball purchased the log building in 1959, it was still open to mountaineers and visitors looking for a bed. Just four years before, the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse was integral in a rescue after an accident on Mt. Victoria left four female climbers dead. Rescuers brought the survivors down to the teahouse where Irene Stanfield, who ran it at the time, prepared food and tea and tucked them safely into beds for the night.
Now, each summer the teahouse is visited by thousands of hikers, who take the 5.6-kilometre hike to enjoy the scenery over a cup of tea and piece of pie. Sleeping overnight is an option only for those who live and work up at the teahouse, including Susanne, who has spent every summer of her life there since 1963.
Life at the Teahouse Susanne was born four years after her mother purchased the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse. There were no baby backpacks at the time, and Susanne’s father, Peter Smith, used to hike her in using a child seat strapped to the metal frame of his pack. The women of the family, including Susanne’s older sister, Shauna, spent their summers there while Dad visited mainly on weekends, bringing with him delicacies like steak or chocolate. At that time, the teahouse was only open for July and August when the snow had cleared, but these days, Gillies-Smith opens as early as May and closes as late as October. Back in 1959, a guest could rent a cabin and get breakfast for just $4.
When Kimball took over the teahouse, there was only a lean-to shelter for the family to live in until her husband built a pan-abode cabin out of logs he floated across Lake Louise. With no electricity or phones, they would cook over a wood stove and send messages with cowboys who came up to the teahouse on trail rides. The rest of the year was spent in Calgary. “We were so used to the teahouse that we wouldn’t flush the toilet or turn a light on for a month upon return,” says Susanne. For a kid, life at the teahouse was, a “magical fantasy time,” she recalls. With no other children around, she and her sister treated the wilderness around the teahouse as their backyard, making hotels out of big boulders and even taking in a marmot as a pet that they named Charlotte.
Still, in choosing the teahouse life, Gillies-Smith found her purpose. She found a fulfilling place in this world protecting the experience the teahouse offers and introducing “firsttimers” to the wilderness and beauty that surrounds it. Seven years ago, however, her already remarkable life took a new path when she received some shocking news.
A New Path
Purpose & Sacrifice As the teahouse gradually transitioned to a daytime teahouse using propane stoves, the responsibility of operating the whole establishment landed on Gillies-Smith. Meanwhile, her sister took up a career in landscape architecture. Now, 52 years since her mother first purchased the teahouse, Susanne is still running it. She looks forward to going back there each summer as much as she did when she was a kid. “It’s not a job,” she explains. “It’s a lifestyle of communal living.” As idyllic as her life sounds, she admits that it hasn’t been without sacrifice. At one time, she considered a career in professional theatre and lived in Vancouver in the winter for 14 years. But, she knew that she couldn’t pursue both a life on the stage and running a remote teahouse. She chose the more rustic life. As a child, being gone for the summer and living a rather eccentric life sometimes put distance between her and other children. Being “married to the teahouse,” she has found that romantic relationships have been difficult to maintain. She watched her own parents’ relationship eventually fade altogether. “They were always quite independent,” she says, but they divorced while she was in university.
In 2004, her father, an avid adventure-seeker, was driving back to Canada from Costa Rica when he was murdered just one hour from the U.S. border. She says she never got angry, but felt passionate about making the world a better place. To that end, she opened the Banff Tea Co. on Caribou Street in Banff, and decided she would give back to her community, and the world, by giving 25% of profits from the tea store to charity.
She and her father shared a love for animals, so the Banff Tea Co. mainly supports animal welfare charities. Her rescued dog, Arlo, proudly bears the title of store mascot. The list of charities also includes humanitarian organizations, as well as local hospitals and events.
get the latest dirt on trails to ride in your area
When a customer walks into the tea store, all five senses are struck immediately with colourful teapots, earthy and aromatic teas, world music, a daily tea sample to taste and ceramic mugs to pick up and hold like old friends. It is clear that Gillies-Smith wants her guests to feel at home at the Banff Tea Co. in the same way that she and her mother have treated visitors at the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse. Looking back on the course her life has taken, she says, “I just feel so lucky.” But while her remarkable life has indeed felt lucky, Susanne Gillies-Smith opted to continue the tradition her mother started back in 1959. She chose the teahouse over a life on the stage. And as the snow melts this spring, she’ll lace up her hiking boots to make the trek up to her summertime home, and, once more, dust off the remnants of a long winter.
OPENING IN CANMORE, JUNE 2011!
TERRA MAGICA
The Peter A. Dettling Gallery & Wilderness Education Centre 403.609.2614 www.terramagica.ca
Susanne’s 3 Favourite Teas at the Banff Tea Co. 1. Yorkshire Harrogate | strong black tea 2. Raspberry Mist | combination white & green tea 3. Hair of the Dog Hangover Tea | Arlo’s “next day” cure
Workshops with Local Ecology Experts Wilderness Tours Full Moon Hikes
Getting to the Plain of Six Glaciers Starting from the Chateau Lake Louise, take the easy Lakeshore Trail, which will eventually turn into the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail. This moderate hike is 5.6 kilometres one-way (360 metres elevation gain). For more of a challenge, take the Highline route as an alternative. See Gem Trek’s Lake Louise & Yoho map for more details.
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
June-November, 2011: Regarding National Parks December 2011-May 2012: Of Wolves, Bears & Men
Allow 4.5 to 5 hours return, not including pie-eating time.
By Lynn Martel
know your neighbour
communitea café
Jeremy Fisher + Sean McCann play on stage at communitea café. Photo by Kelly Schovanek | schovanekphotography.com
Hard Rock Tea Shop “This is my favourite place to play. It’s the only place we can look cool drinking tea on stage.” Speaking into the microphone barely two metres from the audience lounging attentively in front row couches, Alberta musician John Wort Hannam sings the praises of Canmore’s own communitea café. Launched in January 2007, the healthy food gourmet tea shop was born of Marnie Dansereau’s desire to create a communitybased arts and culture centre. Beginning five months later with West Coast didgeridoo dynamo Shane Philip’s request to play there, the 90-seat café - including the beanbag chairs - has hosted a promoter’s dream parade of top Canadian indie artists including
Yukon Blonde, Colin Linden, Dan Mangan, Frazey Ford and David Myles. Music today, Dansereau explains, is less about big recording studios stamping out CDs than artists sharing the creative process with their fans. “There’s so much amazing music being made in Canada,” Dansereau says. “The musicians love connecting with fans and communitea is a really unique venue for that.” Complete with organic wines, showtimes running weeknight-friendly 8:30 to 11 p.m., her partner, Alex, serving as sound whiz, and her mom, Rose, as chief ticket taker, Dansereau is grateful for her community’s generous support.
“I envisioned that communitea would be a positive influence in someone’s day, in our community and possibly the world,” she says. “But I didn’t envision that it would be so well supported and loved by the Bow Valley with people even coming from all over Alberta and B.C. It’s as much the demand of the Bow Valley people who support it, the artists wanting to play here and us having fun making it all happen.” To that end, Dansereau’s hopes her vision can reach its crescendo - a co-operative business model. “It’s always been my vision for communitea to be owned by the community it’s in,” Dansereau explains. “That’s the only way to complete my vision.”
Canoes on Lake O’Hara, 35mm Ilford HP5 film.
Photo by Rade Svorcan | radesvorcan-photography.com
The Happy Hunter, Yellowstone National Park, WY.
Photo by Amanda Allard-Korell | amandaallardphotography.com Photo chosen as a Special Mention in the 2010 Banff Mountain Photography Competition at the Banff Centre. For more on the relationship between Yellowstone’s grizzlies and our local bears, check out The Grizzly Manifesto, by Jeff Gailus. | jeffgailus.com
Ha Ling Sunrise, Canmore, AB. (Top) Horseshoe Lake Gainer, Jasper, AB. (Bottom)
Photos by Brian Van Tighem | blackeyestudios.com
Photo by Reuben Krabbe | reubenkrabbe.com
Sadie out of water.
Photo by Eric Daigle | ericdaigle.com
BEAR HUGS + MOOSE K NUCKLES
Simply DELICIOUS food that DARES to be REAL!
Available at:
� Dairy Free communitea cafe � Organic nu roots nutrition � Vegan& Raw � Soy Free � Gluten Free � Sugar Free Wild Flour Bakery
www.tastylifefood.com
Moose Knuckle to road riders and mountain bikers not waving hello to each other. Why can’t we all just get along? Bear Hug to the first road rider that waves at me on my mountain bike. Bear Hug to dog owners who pick up after their dogs on Canmore trails and Moose Knuckles to those dog owners who don’t! Yuck! Bear Hug for supporting our local coffee shops in the face of change.
www.banffteaco.com
25%
of our profits go to charity! 208 Caribou Street, Banff
403-762-8322
Moose Knuckle to people who ride their bikes on the sidewalk–dangerous! Bear Hugs to the gang for getting me safely out of the slackcountry this winter when my knee was effed. Love you guys, you know who you are. Bear Hug to people who walk our lovely Canmore trails in the morning and greet their fellow walkers with a smile and a “good morning” and Moose Knuckle to those who don’t! Moose Knuckle to speeders. Slow down in our parks people! You may actually enjoy the scenery! (There, I feel much better now.) Moose Knuckle to the crazed robin that has been continuously launching himself into our windows. What is up? If you want in, feel free to use the front door. Bear Hug to the Farm Box folks for providing fresh organic food all summer long. Submit your Bear Hug or Moose Knuckle to info@highlineonline.ca
521 BANFF AVE | BANFF | 403.762.9292
custom blinds
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Return of the woolly mammoth? Say what!? If Japanese scientist, Professor Akani Iritani of Kyoto University has his way, the giants could again walk the earth.
CALL: 403-609-1609 FOR A FREE CONSULTATION
Iritani is busy working on a plan to clone the beasts using frozen soft tissue from a specimen found in Siberia. This isn’t the first time science has attempted to bring the woolly mammoth back to life. Initial efforts made in the ‘90s were unsuccessful because the multi-millennia-old cells were damaged. But, using a technique pioneered from the cloning of mice from frozen tissue, Iritani figures he’s got a “reasonable chance” at bringing the woolly mammoth back from extinction in about five years’ time. Woolly mammoth DNA will be extracted from the Russian specimen and implanted into the eggs of an African elephant. The embryo will then be inserted into a female African elephant, and in about 600 days, the world might have its first glimpse of a beast that vanished off the face of the earth 10,000 years ago. Source: nationalgeographic.com & news.cnet.com
‘Blade the Rockies Scenic and adventurous guided rollerblading in the Canadian Rockies.
Custom trips available. Contact us at: bladetherockies@gmail.com
How the crocus got its fur coat Photo & Text by Marjory Gibney
Wapee, the son of a Blackfoot chief, spent four lonely days in the wilderness in early spring, waiting for the visions that would show him the man he would become. During the vigil, a small white flower appeared, keeping Wapee company and teaching him about kindness, loneliness, courage, wisdom and peace. When Wapee’s visions finally came, they foretold great things to come. As he rose to leave, he said to the flower, “You have comforted me and counselled me well. What would you have me ask of the Great Spirit?” "Pray that I may have in my petals the purple-blue of the distant mountains, a small golden sun to hold close to my heart on dull days, and a furry coat to face the cold winds in the spring." The Great Spirit was pleased that Wapee's first thought had been for the flower, and his prayers were answered. From: Annora Brown, Old Man's Garden, 1970
As the days grow longer, and the air becomes milder, we sense that spring must be just around the corner. On the prairies and the eastern slopes of the Rockies, we know that winter has come to an end when the prairie crocus blooms. Appearing first on open hillsides facing the sun, and then blooming in profusion in grassy meadows, these hardy little anemones are the first flowers to bloom in the Bow Valley every spring. Early settlers from England named this native flower the Prairie Crocus because it reminded them of the crocuses that bloomed back home in Europe. However, this little perennial is not really a crocus which is in the lily family; instead, it is an anemone, part of
the buttercup family, and its Latin name is Anemone patens. Of course, long before the Europeans arrived, the First Nations had their own names for, and legends about the crocus. The Stoney First Nation name for this warm-weather harbinger is Who-pay-shkah-shkun. They call the crocus “Little Sister,” and believe that her blooming has spiritual meaning. Not only is the crocus the first flower to bloom in the spring, signalling the season of new growth, but a very few can also be found blooming again in the late fall, a promise that life will return after the long cold of winter. The First Nations made use of the medicinal properties of the crocus. Poultices made from the plant were used to treat rheumatism and other muscular pains. The plant was also used to stop nosebleeds and draw infection from cuts and boils. They knew the plant was dangerous if taken internally, as it is mildly toxic.
WORTH NOTING | Crocus season approximates the season when wood ticks are active. When the first crocuses appear, start watching for ticks, and when the crocuses are finished blooming, you can forget about the pesky parasites for another year.
Choose your adventure Can your bike find the way to the G8 loop on its own? Can you climb every route at Grassi Lakes with one hand while balancing an egg on a spoon with the other? In other words, has your go-to activity become a little too…mmm…go to? Whatever the case, this summer, challenge yourself by adding a new activity to your repertoire. The next three pages have something for the adventurer in everyone. (And, don’t forget about all the sweet new gear you’ll have to get.)
Canoe pass me a paddle? Bow Valley canoeing legend Jim Buckingham occasionally suffers from a terrible affliction. The symptoms? Irritability, restlessness and a sense of longing. The diagnosis? “Nature deficit disorder,” says Buckingham, quoting from the well-known book Last Child in the Woods. Buckingham’s 63-year-long love affair with canoeing began when he was just seven years old in Lake of the Woods, Ontario. His parents wanted to fish on the lake, but the cost of renting a motor boat was too high, so they settled for a canoe—and a passion was born. At 18 Buckingham bought his first canoe and, at 31, settled permanently in Banff where he married and started a family of canoeing enthusiasts. His daughter, Ali, can’t remember a time when she didn’t canoe, and says canoeing offers a perspective of the landscape from the valley-bottoms that you don’t get when you’re hiking or biking or skiing. Buckingham—or Bucky as he is known in canoeing circles—is happiest when he is outdoors “wandering in the woods.” And getting him to stop paddling would not be an easy task. In fact, the bright eyed 70-year-old likens it to, “getting a cougar to stop hunting deer…it ain’t going to happen.”
Buckingham recommends renting a canoe and heading out to one of our area lakes. As a beginner, steer clear of the valley’s cold, rough rivers, unless accompanied by a partner who is knowledgeable about river paddling and can navigate the terrain.
Put in at the following lakes & practice your J-stroke: Vermilion Lakes: 5 km west of the Banff town site Johnson Lake: 10 km southwest of Banff off the Lake Minnewanka Scenic Drive Emerald Lake: Access from 8-km road off Trans-Canada, 19 km west of Banff National Park Moraine Lake: 14 km east of Chateau Lake Louise on Moraine Lake Road Lake Louise: Launch site at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise *Avoid Lake Minnewanka due to potentially high winds.
Want to take a lesson? Town of Canmore | canmore.ca Bow Waters Canoe Club – Calgary | bowwaters.org Calgary Canoe Club | calgarycanoeclub.com
Where to get your gear Blue Canoe, Banff | banffcanoeing.com Kananaskis Outfitters, Kananaskis Village | kananaskisoutfitters.com University of Calgary Outdoor Centre, Calgary | calgaryoutdoorcentre.ca
Trail running? Fear not. By Carlyle Norman Photo by Bob Walker There is nothing quite as sweet as being lured out the door by the pure jubilance of our sunny season. With empty hands and a faithful pair of runners, trail running in the Bow Valley feels like pure freedom. Our low tree lines, sparse undergrowth and diversified peaks offer endless opportunities for any runner with an adventurous streak. Ellie Greenwood is no stranger to the woods of the Bow Valley. One of Canada’s superstar ultra-runners, Greenwood spends as much time on the Banff trails as some of the more cosmopolitan elk. “Running is simple. All you need is a pair of shoes...and it’s so easy here…you can leave your house and be on a trail right away,” says Greenwood. Part of the beauty of trail running is that you can run until you feel like walking and turn your nose towards home when the time is right. In that spirit of freedom and adventure, Greenwood rarely plans her runs; she prefers to explore the woods until it feels like time to go home. On occasion she will take a look at a hiking guide for a shot of inspiration.
Sunshine Meadows (Citadel Pass) | Distance: varying For the days when your legs aren’t up for the climb to the meadows, you can actually take a bus! This is the perfect place to begin your venture of running in the mountains. Aside from the convenient transport, Sunshine Meadows is bathed in wildflowers all summer, a sight that will take your breath away with or without the cardio workout. Sulphur Mountain (Ellie’s favourite) | Distance: 14 km + In the town site of Banff, it’s a real grind uphill for 7 km. But, once at the top, you can have a cup of tea before trotting down the backside.
On the days when hitting the snooze button seems too inviting, Greenwood says, “I try to remember that once I’m out there and going for 10 minutes, it all gets easier; the key is to just start and keep at it, day after day.”
Goat Creek | Distance: 20 km With 20 km of gently sloping downhill, this is a great trail to get some miles in. Don’t forget to get a good buddy to pick you up in Banff, and take them out for a drink on a patio (or complete the marathon run, by returning along the Bow River trail).
To those breaking into the sport, Greenwood suggests joining a running club or pairing up with a pal.
Want to join a club?
So get out there and see what our incredible lakes, forests and mountain ranges have to offer. With your willingness to explore and a pair of shoes, the possibilities are endless.
Grab Your Go-Fasters & Hit the Trails Chester Lake | Distance: 14 km Chester Lake is always beautiful, and the trail is nontechnical. It’s a great introduction into trail running with some significant altitude gain to get the heart rate up. Feeling feisty? Bust climber’s left into the valley beside, or explore the valley behind the lake.
Ultimate Fit Center Run Club Club meets Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. fitcentre.ca/Run_Club_Clinics.html Cruisin’ Cougars Women’s Trail Running Club For ladies only! Search for the club on facebook.com
Looking for Inspiration? Pick Up these Reads! Mountain Running in the Canadian Rockies, Bob Walker Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, Brian Patton and Bart Robinson
Choose your adventure
Get high!
Photo courtesy of Kristy Reimer.
Is climbing up, running over or biking down a mountain not thrilling enough? What about willingly throwing your able body off of one? Sound tempting? For those looking to squeeze every last drop of adrenaline out of the old adrenal glands, we have just the thing: paragliding. Modern paragliding emerged in the late ‘70s in the French Alps, and though it’s generally thought of as a Euro pursuit, North Americans are catching on. Local legend, Will Gadd, says that the Bow Valley is a tricky spot to fly. And Cochrane’s Muller Windsports is the place to head for lessons. Once you get your competence up to a life-preserving level, regional launching points include Mount Yamnuska and Mount Lady MacDonald. Gadd offers, “Paragliding is the only sport I've ever done where lessons are absolutely mandatory if
you're going to stay alive. Take good lessons, then realize you're still a baby bird—small steps, hang with the big birds, learn, keep an open mind, and enjoy every day spent outside!”
Baby Steps | Getting Started Muller Windsports | mullerwindsports.com The folks at Muller offer introductory, intermediate and advanced courses through both the University of Calgary and Banff Recreation. The introductory and intermediate courses include equipment.
Hungry for More? Alberta Paragliding | albertaparagliding.com Check out this site for gear sales, ride sharing and chat forums with fellow flyers. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association of Canada | hpac.ca The HPAC provides information on instructors, costs, safety, events, membership, insurance & more.
Strengthening small muscles for big results By Melissa Semenek The shoulder season—although frustrating to most mountain folk—is a great time to get ready for hikes, runs and scrambles. Want to make those first few days on the trail a bit easier? You can train your pelvic floor and core muscles any time and in any position. It just takes awareness. Strengthen your abdominals + hips by adding the following tips to your daily routine: • Pelvic floor muscles (women know these as Kegel exercises...my hubby calls them the writing in snow muscles). When weakened, they allow the weight of the upper body to splay the pelvis away from the centre line forcing more stress into the sacroiliac (SI) joints and the outsides of the hips and knees. • Core or abdominal muscles work in conjunction with the pelvic floor muscles to stabilize the spine and torso during load transfer, such as when we move our limbs. They create a giant corset around the spine, running from the pelvis to the ribs. Tip: Work on keeping a steady contraction of both sets of muscles while freely breathing into your deep back ribcage all the time. You’ll instantly look taller and skinnier, and protect your spine. • Gluteus minimus and medius are also important muscles to work on at this time of year. Originating above the big hip bone (the one that sticks out), glute min. and med. wrap around and back to below the larger gluteus maximus. They are responsible for controlling how much the body sways from side to side as we transfer our weight (i.e. walking). They also help hold the femur up into the hip joint; so weakness here can lead to hip pain. Tip: Strengthen them by lying on your side in a straight line with the bottom arm underneath your head. Stack your hips and shoulders. Point your top foot and lift the leg up six to eight inches. Feel the muscles grab on the side of the hip as you keep the abs and pelvic floor contracted. Make 10 small circles with the top leg, keeping the rest of the body as still as possible. Reverse directions. Switch legs. Although these exercises are simple and easy to perform, you'll feel stronger on the first trip of the season. And, as a bonus, you'll improve your posture—important if you’re planning to carry a pack. Enjoy the trails!
TRA DIN G COM PAN Y
Step on over to the little shop that’s defined by the Rockies. Gifts, Clothing for all, Home Décor & More!
108-1240 Railway Ave., Canmore | Beside Starbucks 403.678.9791 TwoWolvesAtHome.com
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Directions
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What’s on your fork?
By Samantha Peris & Joanne Grimble
Avid mountain bikers spend hours, days, weeks—ok, you get the point—a lot of time researching the best components for their bike: brakes, suspension, derailleurs, drive train, frame, etc. Not to mention the time spent test-riding, comparing prices, and shopping around to make sure they have a sick ride that will make them climb more efficiently, descend with more control and, of course, look sexy. But when it comes time to unleash the machine, what do they put in the fuel tank?
the guy or gal trying to beat you to the top—the better components on your bike, or the better fuel in your tank?
The average North American spends less than 30 minutes a day preparing food, and fast-paced athletes are no exception. The market is flooded with quick, cheap, ready-made “sports” drinks, gels and energy bars, most of which have long and complex lists of ingredients that surely are not recognizable as English, or any other language you've heard before, let alone being unrecognizable by the body as real food.
The good news is that finding the right fuel for your machine is not rocket science. Before and during exercise, mixing some carbohydrates with a sprinkle of superfoods such as maca, raw cacao or blue-green algae will boost your energy, big time. After a long ride, throwing the right nuts, seeds and oils into the mix will give your inner machine the proteins and lubrication it needs to keep all the parts in working order.
So, the question to you is this: when your legs are on fire, sweat is burning your eyeballs, and you can feel your heart pounding all the way up in your throat, what is going to give you the edge over
Here’s our take on it (from a Holistic Nutritionist and Raw Food Chef): fuel for exercise should be rich in energy and nutrients and derived from sources that the human body can recognize as real food, can be easily assimilated, and will not make you crash (excuse the pun). This will translate into more powerful and sustained energy.
Not convinced yet? Try the recipe above on for size: a simple, bite-sized snack that can be ready to go in a few minutes.
Legacy Trail Etiquette
Bikers rejoice! Just when you thought living in the Bow Valley couldn’t get any better…along came the Legacy Trail. No more squeezing your eyes tight, hoping for the best as semis blow by you on the highway. Thanks to the combined efforts of our municipal, provincial and federal governments, and members of the Bow Corridor Regional Mobility Partnership, we now have a beauty of a paved trail extending from the east gate of Banff National Park all the way to the Bow Valley Parkway. Ride in style • To hook up with the trail from the east end in Canmore: rather than dodging through traffic at the park gates, skip the highway by cutting across on the Harvie Heights overpass, the bridge just before the gates. (Seem a little sketchy? Feel free to contact the Town of Canmore or MD of Bighorn to encourage a better solution.) • It’s a multi-use trail so be on the lookout for walkers, rollerskiers, skateboarders, burleys, elk, etc. • Keep an eye out for the trail’s five gates and electrified rubber mats. These fancy mats use a low-amperage electrical charge to deter wildlife from heading for the highway. Cyclists and roller skiers can simply roll across the mats, but pedestrians should avoid them, using the gates instead. • Horseback riders have the right of way. (Say what?) • Always keep to the right side of the path, and give an “On your left!” when passing. • Keep fur kids on a leash. • Spandex is not required but is, as they say, widely encouraged.
Adventure begins today. To Customize your Buff, and for a list of Buff-friendly stores in the Bow Valley, visit www.buffcanada.com. Green Extreme Outdoors Ltd. 11A - 102 Bow Meadows Crescent Canmore, AB T1W 2W9 Call 866.473.3639 Buff® is a registered trademark of Original Buff S. A. (Spain)
BIG backyard By Craig Copeland
wind TOWER
Photos by Jody Goodwin
Windtower at right, Mount Lougheed behind. Photo by Marj Gibney.
vital stats
Location Hiking Time Round Trip Elevation Gain Difficulty
Above the northeast shore of Spray Lakes Reservoir 4 to 5.5 hours 10.6 kilometres 988 metres Moderate
ascending into the scree. If you prefer to hike rather than climb, that’s how far right (south) you must traverse from the pass before making any significant elevation gain to Windtower.
By Vehicle Reset your trip odometer at the Canmore Nordic Centre entrance. Resume ascending SmithDorrien / Spray Trail (Hwy 742). Pavement soon ends. Cross Whiteman’s Gap. Proceed southeast. Continue to 18.5 kilometres. Park in the pullout on the right (west) side of the road, just northwest of Spurling Creek, at 1,707 metres.
On Foot The trail departs from the far (east) side of the road then ascends generally northeast above Spurling Creek. Break out of the trees to enter West Wind Pass at three kilometres, 2,085 metres.
The Windtower—if you glimpse it while driving the TransCanada just south of Canmore—looms like a monster in a child’s nightmare. It’s so sharp and vertical that hiking to the summit seems laughably impossible. Yet Windtower is hikeable from the other side. Starting at Spray Lakes Reservoir, a trail ascends to West Wind Pass. From there, a boot-beaten route leads to the summit, which grants an aerial perspective of the Bow and Spray Valleys. If you can stay on course where the route is vague, and if you can surmount a couple of short pitches that qualify as “easy scrambling,” you’ll soon be standing atop the intimidating fang. The name Windtower is apt: expect a gale up there. If you hunker behind the rock wall erected by previous summiteers, maybe the wind won’t rip the pastrami out of your sandwich. It’s a calm day? You’re lucky. You can stand tall and peer down the tower’s north face without becoming airborne.
Before Your Trip Though the trail to West Wind Pass is usually snow-free by mid-April, it’s closed when bighorn sheep are lambing (April 1 through June 15). This closure also helps prevent hikers from encountering the grizzlies that frequent the area during the birthing season. Save time and energy by studying the mountain from the trailhead: West Wind Pass is left (northeast), hidden in the forest; Mt. Lougheed is right (east); Windtower is between them. Notice how the upper edge of the tree line forms an arc beneath the tower and the mountain. At the apex of that arc—right of the rock bands and beneath Lougheed’s left shoulder—you can see the boot-beaten route
The northeast edge of the pass plunges into Wind Valley. The pass is between the vertical faces of 2,680-metre Rimwall (left / northwest) and 2,695-metre Windtower (right / east). Just below the west edge of the pass, where the trail levels in grass, look right. A right (east) fork curves to ascend southeast. That’s the route to Windtower. A few paces farther, ignore another right fork descending south into forest. The Windtower route is evident most of the way. Where it fades, watch for cairns. If the route is unapparent, carry on as long as the going is reasonably easy. If the hike becomes a continuous scramble, retreat and find a more inviting way forward. The correct route poses no serious obstacles. The first leg is a long southward traverse, well below and far past the Windtower summit. Your elevation gain will remain gradual except where you must surmount low, rocky outcrops. Be patient. Keep hiking generally south. At 2,260 metres, about 50 minutes after departing West Wind Pass, angle left (east) and temporarily aim for Mt. Lougheed. Begin a more aggressive ascent now, because you can do so without your feet needing assistance from your hands. Soon, you’ll reach the boot-beaten scree section of the route that you saw from the trailhead. After a steep pitch, the route turns north, directly toward Windtower. It’s a scree slope the rest of the way, but the grade eases and remains consistently efficient. Top out on Windtower about 1.75 hours after departing West Wind Pass. Craig Copeland is co-author, with his wife Kathy, of numerous guidebooks including Where Locals Hike in the Canadian Rockies, The Premier Trails in Kananaskis Country and their newest book, Heading Outdoors Eventually Leads Within (www.hikingcamping.com).
HD and Hands-Free YOUR
Sports Cam Headquarters • Sports Cams
• Mounts and Accessories • Memory Cards • GPS and HD options • 3D Housing coming this spring!
MTB skills Looking for somewhere to test your MTB skills? Or perhaps you’re new to the sport and the thought of chasing your svelte, spandex-clad friends is intimidating. Well, thankfully you live in the Bow Valley where there are resources for beginners and experts alike.
Check out these sites to kick off your season: CanmoreNordicCentre.ca In addition to more than 100 kilometres of trails, the Nordic Centre offers guided tours, skills courses, rentals and repairs through Trail Sports.
Yeah, we got you covered.
bikepirate.com Wondering about conditions on your favourite go-to trail? Check out the new site bikepirate.com for trail profiles, updates, maps, GPS data and photos.
403-762-4849 Bison Courtyard, Banff
While you’re at it, take a burn on our name-sake: the Highline Trail.
403-678-6344 Railway Avenue, Canmore
Not all flowers are friendly DID YOU KNOW ? That the Weed Control Act legislated by the Province of Alberta includes the following plants found in our Municipality:
Canada Thistle
Scentless Chamomile
Common Tansy
Yellow Toadflax
Dames Rocket
Creeping Bellflower
Yellow Clematis
Ox-eye Daisy
Inspections on municipal land takes place yearly. Starting this year, Town of Canmore Weed Inspectors will monitor residential land, inform and educate about noxious weeds. TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF CHEMICALS WE USE IN OUR ENVIRONMENT YOU CAN ASSIST BY: • remove noxious weeds from your property (remove entire plant including roots) • let a neighbour know if you identify a noxious species on their land • dispose of the weeds by double bagging and place the bag in your regular waste container (do not compost) • when selecting plants for your yard purchase native to this area
Further information Parks Department Phone: 403-678-1599 www.canmore.ca or www.invasiveplants.ab.ca
Our mission is to teach the Pilates Method as Joseph Pilates intended.
at embody activewear 10-801 Main St., Canmore, AB T1W 2B3 P: 403.678.6765 | E: canmore@embodypilates.ca
Trail Guide Turns 40 Famous Rockies rd Review by Meghan J. Wa
Robinson, you might reach the If it wasn’t for Brian Patton and Bart ze that, based on your map, you should 20-kilometre mark on a hike and reali res ago. have reached your destination five kilomet
l in Banff, Jasper and Kootenay Nationa Back when they were researching trails n inso Rob and on ies Trail Guide, Patt Parks for the 1st edition of Canadian Rock suring distances with a trail wheel. mea ly took on the arduous task of accurate r valiant efforts, distances were mostly Thank goodness they did. Prior to thei estimated by wardens on horseback. 1971, it was the first comprehensive When the guidebook was published in Now in its 9th edition, the 40-year-old hiking guide to the Canadian Rockies. ed “the Bible” by outdoor enthusiasts. It Canadian Rockies Trail Guide is consider mer’s and Lonely Planet—the only has been recommended by Fodor’s, From impressive endorsements from some hiking guide to the region that has received ces. of the travel industry’s most trusted sour been worth the hours spent behind the But, for these authors the hard work has guide has been a great excuse to get computer. As Patton explained, “The trail mountain parks.” out and wander into every corner of the n Rockies Trail Guide is available from The 40th anniversary edition of Canadia Summerthought as of May 2011.
The Will of the Land Review by Kristy Davison
ntain wildlife coffee-table book. But the Land looks like another Rocky Mou of l Wil The ’s tling Det r Pete ce, glan At first who struggle to share the mountain ic story about the wolves and grizzlies trag and l ersia trov con a lives r cove the behind the faint of heart. parks with us. This is not an account for known as “the Bows” was Unbeknownst to many, a local wolf pack s of run-ins with vehicles on made extinct last year by a deadly serie pite ongoing efforts by Parks, Banff National Park’s highways. Des y groups, highway traffic and CPR, and numerous environmental lobb ing causes of death for large railway collisions continue to be the lead predators. : if environmental and wildlife The Will of the Land raises the question the national parks, then are we protection are the highest mandate of threaten our dwindling wildlife willing to accept mortality levels that do about it? populations? And if not, what can we the once majestic animals (now The book’s morbidly graphic images of deeper meaning to the apparpiled up in Parks’ deep freezers) provide all heard before. ently easy-to-ignore statistics we have
he emotional attachment to the animals many for his personification and close by cised criti ain be y rem to ainl cert cult will diffi it tling Det readers will find seen through this up-close perspective, spent years photographing. However, r plight. detached from the wild creatures and thei
I held a blue flower in my hand, probably a wild aster, wondering what its name was, and then thought that human names for natural things are superfluous. Nature herself does not name them. The important thing is to know this flower, look at its color until the blends becomes as real as a keynote of music. Look at the exquisite yellow flowerettes at the center, become very small with them. Be the flower, be the trees, the blowing grasses. Fly with the birds, jump with a squirrel! -- Sally Carrighar (American nature writer), from Home to the Wilderness Photo by Jody Goodwin | jodygoodwinphotography.com
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WE WANT TO PUBLISH YOUR PHOTO
Submit your images for this page to kristy@highlineonline.ca. Deadline: September 1st, 2011.
1 1 0 2 r e m m u S Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park
Selected Events Visit www.CanmoreNordicCentre.ca for a full list of summer events. May 14 - 15
Rocky Mountain Soap Company Women’s Run & Walk www.rmswomensrun.com
May 21 - 22
Big Bear Disc Golf Tournament www.albertadiscgolf.com
June 4 - 5
Kananaskiker Mountain Bike Stage Race www.bicyclecafe.com
June 12
Organ Grinder 5 Hour Enduro www.cyclemeisters.com
June 25 - 26
Rundle’s Revenge Mountain Bike and Trial Running Enduro www.rundlesrevenge.com
July 3
Canmore Triathlon www.canmoretriathlon.com
July 9
Canmore Challenge Trail Running Races www.canmorechallenge.com
July 16 - 17
Mountain Bike National Championships www.2011mtbnationals.com
July 22 - 24
24 Hours of Adrenalin www.24hoursofadrenalin.com
August 14
XTERRA Canmore Triathlon & Duathlon www.xterracanada.ca
September 17 5 Peaks Trail Race www.5peaks.com
403.678.2400 www.CanmoreNordicCentre.ca
Trail Sports, located on site, offers mountain bike rentals, sales, repairs, lessons, and guided tours. Their mountain bike guides have been teaching and guiding groups for more than 12 years. The staff’s knowledge of the area ensures riders of all abilities have a great time. Book ahead to avoid disappointment! Call 403.678.6764
Mountain Bike Skills Courses Improve your riding skills. Trail Sports courses teach the techniques needed to ride challenging single-track trails.
Guided Bike Tours Enjoy a guided mountain bike tour on the Nordic Centre’s single-track and double-track bike trails. Longer rides or other Kananaskis Country trails can be arranged on request. Your guide will take you on trails that suit your ability.