5:30 AM. Daylight already. Lupe was wide awake. Soon SPHP was, too. It was August 1, 2013, Day 23 of Lupe’s 2013 Dingo Vacation to the Beartooths & Canada. This was to be Lupe’s last full day in Canada. Yesterday she had already started heading S from the Mount Robson area to begin the trip back home. Before leaving Canada, Lupe and SPHP still had a few places to go and things to see. It was good to be up early!
Shortly after 6:00 AM, SPHP was parking the G6 at the Peyto Lake parking lot near Bow Pass on the Icefields Parkway Highway No. 93. Although the Peyto Lake observation deck at the end of a short paved path is a very popular tourist destination, no one else was around this early in the day. The G6 was the only vehicle in the parking lot. It wouldn’t stay that way for very long. Lupe and SPHP took the short path to see Peyto Lake.
Peyto Lake in Banff National Park from the observation deck at Bow Pass. Mountains along the Mistaya River valley stretch out as far as the eye can see. Peyto Lake is named after Ebenezer “Wild Bill” Peyto, a legendary early hunter, trapper, prospector, guide & outfitter in the Canadian Rockies. Photo looks NW.
There used to be a lookout tower at Bow Summit. After admiring the view of Peyto Lake and the Mistaya River valley from the observation deck, Lupe and SPHP went in search of the old fire lookout service road. SPHP had brought along the following note summarizing instructions on how to get to Bow Summit from research done online:
“From the Peyto Lake overlook, take the right hand of two paved trails leading uphill. After 100 meters, there will be a 3 way junction at an interpretive sign. Continue on the middle branch angling uphill to the left of the sign (this is part of the upper nature trail). In a few minutes, the paved nature trail will continue on to the right, but continue straight on the old fire lookout service road.”
Soon Lupe was trotting happily on up the road to the old fire lookout. It was a gorgeous morning with views to match. After gaining 760 feet of elevation, Lupe and SPHP reached the end of the road at Bow Summit. There were wonderful views to the N back toward the Mistaya River valley and Waterfowl Lakes. The best views to the S toward Bow Lake and beyond were a little farther on.
Mountains along the Mistaya River valley, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada from Bow Summit.Looking NNW from Bow Summit at mountains along the Mistaya River valley.
The views at Bow Summit were wonderful, amazing and incredible. It was hard not to feel sad that Lupe had to leave Canada. The views weren’t the only thing that were amazing and incredible, though. Amazing and incredible swarms of not-so-wonderful mosquitoes started plaguing Lupe and SPHP within just a minute or two of arriving at Bow Summit.
Although Lupe doesn’t like strong winds, a good stiff breeze would have been welcome. As it was, Lupe and SPHP tired very quickly of serving as local blood banks. The mosquitoes had been only a minor annoyance while moving on the way up, but they were intolerable staying put in any one place. Definitely time to be moving on. Two hours after leaving the G6, Lupe and SPHP were back at the now bustling Peyto Lake parking lot.
After Bow Summit, Lupe went on one more outing in the Canadian Rockies. Near the high point on Hwy 93 heading W toward Kootenay National Park in British Columbia, there was a trailhead for Boom Lake. The trail was only 5.1 km to Boom Lake, which was perfect for the limited time Lupe had to spend.
At the trailhead parking lot, Lupe met a skinny 7 month old black lab puppy named Geeko. Lupe and Geeko played with each other in the parking lot, and each time they met along the trail.
SPHP met a Canadian biologist from Winnipeg along the way. When SPHP learned the biologist had hiked more than 2,000 km of trails in the Canadian Rockies, SPHP asked for recommendations on day hikes. The biologist recommended a trail quite near by, which goes to the Stanley Glacier. Lupe didn’t have time to check it out this trip, but SPHP hopes some day she will.
By the time Lupe and SPHP reached Boom Lake, it was raining and foggy. It looked like a beautiful spot, but Lupe would have to return under better conditions to explore further and get some photos worthy of the area. Lupe had fun, but she was a rather soggy doggie by the time she completed the trek back to the G6.
Lupe and SPHP enjoyed a wonderful drive through scenic Kootenay National Park, but made no more stops until reaching Radium Hot Springs. Lupe had to wait in the G6 at Radium Hot Springs, while SPHP went in to get cleaned up and bask in the warm mineral waters.
After so many days exploring the Canadian Rockies, Lupe was fine with spending a little time chillin’ in the G6 while it rained outside and SPHP went to the Radium Hot Springs.
SPHP returned from the Radium Hot Springs clean and refreshed. Cleanliness always boosts SPHP’s spirits, especially while traveling. It was time to get serious about making some progress getting home! Lupe was in for a good time – after all, the cows and horses in Montana alone were going to provide at least 500 miles of frenzied Dingo barking pleasure!
Lupe’s 17th day of her 2013 Dingo Vacation started with a short drive up to Bow Pass (6,785 ft.) on the Icefields Parkway Hwy 93. South of the pass water drains into the Bow River system. North of Bow Pass it drains into the Mistaya River and then into the Saskatchewan. At Bow Pass there is a turn off the Icefields Parkway to the Peyto Lake overlook. The short access road is paved and so are the parking lots. Even the short trail up to the observation deck is paved.
Peyto Lake lies just W of Bow Pass, but is within the area that drains N down into the Mistaya River. Peyto Lake was named after “Wild Bill” Peyto, an early guide, outfitter, trapper and ultimately a game warden, who was usually based out of Banff. Lupe and SPHP took the paved trail to the observation deck for a look at Peyto Lake.
Peyto Lake as seen from the observation deck near Bow Pass. Cauldron Peak(9,554 ft.) is on the L across the lake.Looking N from the observation deck at Peyto Lake towards mountains along the Mistaya River valley.
SPHP had more in mind for Lupe than just a look at the lake from the observation deck, though. An unpaved trail left the area just above the observation deck and headed SW into the forest. Lupe was going to follow it down into the valley S of Peyto Lake. Then SPHP hoped that Lupe could continue on up Peyto Creek to find and reach the Peyto Glacier.
The view SW from the Peyto Lake observation deck. The Peyto Glacier is visible on the left. Lupe descended to the floor of the valley by Peyto Creek at the very lower right corner of the picture to begin her search for a way to reach the glacier.
The trail descended the forested side of the valley quite steeply. There were switchbacks in some places. It was a long way down to the floor of the valley.
A glimpse back to the NE at Peyto Lake coming down the forested side of the valley.
At the bottom of the valley, the going was trickier than SPHP expected. The trail completely disappeared. There was quite a bit of mucky, marshy ground full of tall slender willow-like bushes. Just beyond them the open and gently sloping valley floor was covered with rocks and gravel deposited by Peyto Creek, which was a braided stream with many branches in this area.
SPHP couldn’t find an easy way through, but after some wandering around heading generally downstream among the willows eventually found a way to reach the more solid ground without getting non-waterproof boots and feet totally soaked. Dingoes don’t suffer these travails. Lupe had no problem getting across to the gravel and wondered what the holdup was.
Once on the gravel, the footing was good. Lupe and SPHP headed upstream toward the right side of a low forested ridge ahead. Peyto Creek was coming down around through a big flat gap to the right of the ridge.
The gravel strewn floor of the valley upstream (SW) of Peyto Lake. Lupe and SPHP headed for the gap at the right side of the low forested ridge ahead.
Along the way to the low ridge, Peyto Creek was a braided stream with a lot of little branches. A few were too big to step or easily jump across. SPHP eventually gave up and just walked right through even the largest ones. SPHP’s boots and feet got soaked, of course, but the cold water felt good. Lupe thought this area was cool, too. It was only a few feet between cold drinks and refreshed paws.
Exactly as SPHP feared, upon nearing the right side of the low ridge, Peyto Creek was not a braided stream any more. All of the water channeled into one swiftly flowing stream. It wasn’t big enough to be dangerous, but it was still more than SPHP wanted to take on. Especially since it could be seen that just a little farther upstream, the full force of Peyto Creek swept up against the steep opposite side of the valley, blocking the way forward again. There was no point in fording the stream. It would just have to be forded again a short distance upstream.
At the right side of the low ridge, Peyto Creek gets its act all together. Lupe and SPHP were forced to climb up and over the forested ridge.
Some of Peyto Creek was branching off to block access even to the low forested ridge. Fortunately, there wasn’t so much water that Lupe and SPHP couldn’t get across to reach the ridge easily enough. SPHP hoped to be able to stay just a little above creek level working upstream along the base of the ridge long enough to get past the creek. Then Lupe and SPHP could drop down to the valley floor again. Soon it became evident that wasn’t going to work. The edge of the ridge became too steep.
Lupe and SPHP had to start climbing. The ridge was steep enough so that SPHP had to grab onto trees to make progress up the slope. It was steep, but not treacherously steep. Lupe again had to wait and wonder why the delay? One thing about low forested ridges among towering mountains – they may be forested alright, but they aren’t as low as they look. It was probably 200 or 300 feet elevation gain up to the top. Before even reaching the top, when the ground started leveling out, SPHP had the unexpected pleasure of coming upon the trail again.
The trail crossed the rest of the ridge and brought Lupe and SPHP to another rocky open area beyond. The ground to the left was higher than the ground to the right where Peyto Creek now stayed for a while instead of meandering around. Lupe and SPHP crossed the open ground, which was considerably rougher with larger rocks than before crossing the ridge. The trail was fainter in this area, but continued on.
Lupe exploring the rougher terrain beyond the forested ridge.
The trail eventually headed back towards Peyto Creek, which was also curving back towards the trail. The terrain was forcing a convergence once again. Nearing the creek, there was a view of waterfalls plunging down from very high up on the opposite side of the valley. A tributary of Peyto Creek came down from the opposite side of the creek cutting a narrow little canyon just for itself through solid rock.
Waterfalls high above Peyto Creek and a tributary carving a path down through solid rock.
The terrain now forced Lupe and SPHP into an increasingly narrow “V-shaped” valley with Peyto Creek rushing though the bottom. Away from the creek, at the entrance to this valley, was a huge sloping slab of rock that was swept clear of debris. The slab of rock jutted up toward the sky at a 45° angle.
Lupe on the steep slab of rock. The slab sloped down towards Peyto Creek below.
Lupe and SPHP continued on past the big sloping slab, but SPHP could see that the way forward was getting increasingly challenging. Ahead, Peyto Creek was churning violently as it came down around a narrow curve on the valley floor. If there was a way through this narrow spot, Lupe might be able to go much further. However, the terrain ahead couldn’t be seen, because it was around a corner to the right.
As Lupe and SPHP got closer, the way ahead on Lupe’s side of the creek looked daunting. There was a steep wall of rock that didn’t look safe to climb, yet it probably had to be climbed in order to follow the creek any farther upstream. Higher up were more towering rock walls. It wasn’t clear how far up Lupe might have to climb. The opposite bank of Peyto Creek looked more promising, but there wasn’t a way across.
Peyto Creek churns down around a narrow curve.
Lupe and SPHP advanced as far as was easily possible. Then SPHP paused to consider the situation. Lupe had gotten far enough to see a little way around the bend, but not very far. What could be seen wasn’t all that encouraging, although SPHP suspected better terrain was not much farther ahead. It was now clear that getting to the opposite bank of Peyto Creek wouldn’t help a bit. The terrain rapidly became even worse over there.
Lupe shows the way. SPHP are you coming, or not?Oh, come on! We didn’t come all this way NOT to see the glacier, did we?Lupe licks the backpack while awaiting a final decision from the dithering SPHP.
In the end, it just didn’t seem safe. It was time to turn around. Even just a badly sprained ankle, never mind a fall, would ruin what had so far been a wonderful day. Lupe and SPHP took a break and spent a little time enjoying Lupe’s farthest point of advance towards the Peyto Glacier. How many people or dingoes ever even get this far, to this amazing spot? – not very many. On the way back, Lupe hid her disappointment at not reaching the Peyto Glacier well by showing interest in everything around her. She was still having a great time!
Lupe checks things out along the way back to Peyto Lake.
On the way back, in the middle of the rough open ground before getting back to the low forested ridge, Lupe met the only two people she saw during the entire jaunt from the Peyto Lake observation deck up to her farthest point of advance along Peyto Creek and back. SPHP stopped and chatted with them for a few minutes. They had skis and planned to ski on the glacier and snowfields, which sounded like fabulous fun. They had also brought ropes and climbing gear specifically for working their way past the narrow gorge where Lupe and SPHP had turned around.
Oh, and one other thing! Lupe and SPHP, of course, followed the trail back over the “low” forested ridge. On the downstream side of the ridge, the trail did go down to the gravel at the bottom of the valley, but farther away from where Peyto Creek goes around the ridge. SPHP still had to get wet boots and feet again.
However, it was possible to get back to the stretch of trail coming down the side of the valley from the Peyto Lake observation deck by passing through a smaller section of willows with less annoyance than where SPHP had wandered through them farther downstream earlier in the day. There was no obvious trail on the gravel of the floor of the valley anywhere. Head upstream, though, not downstream to get through the willows as quickly and easily as possible.
A spring snowstorm hit the Black Hills, SD on May 9-10, 2015 putting Lupe’s planned Expedition No. 129 on hold. The G6 wasn’t going anywhere in this weather. Lupe’s options were down to romping around in the snow in the back yard, attacking the snow shovel when SPHP went out to shovel the walk out front, or snoozing and warming herself by the fire in the fireplace. She did some of each.
Lupe’s back yard on May 10, 2015.
So instead of a trip report on Lupe’s postponed Expedition No. 129, it is time for a book review! SPHP’s spouse bought and gave the paperback book “Ain’t it Hell, Bill Peyto’s Mountain Journal” to SPHP while on vacation in the Canadian Rockies in July, 2003. The edition SPHP has is the 3rd printing, 2001 (ISBN 0-9699732-0-9) and says it is available from EJH Literary Enterprises in Banff, Canada. The book was originally copyrighted in 1995 by author E. J. Hart.
Ain’t it Hell is largely based on a journal Bill Peyto kept only sporadically from 1895 to 1921. Hart gathered additional information from many sources; “not enough for that biography, but plenty for a work of historical fiction using the known facts as a basis around which to structure the story. Ain’t it Hell is Bill’s story, as closely as I can recreate it over 50 years after his death.”
Banff was a wilderness community served by the Canadian Pacific Railroad back in the 1890’s when Bill Peyto used to have his guide and outfitting business here on the Bow River. Now Banff is an upscale tourist destination. This photo looks N along Banff Avenue from just S of the bridge over the Bow River towards downtown and Cascade Mountain.
Ebenezer William Peyto was born in England on February 14, 1869. In early 1887 he left England, and by late March or April of that year was working for the Canadian Pacific Railroad near Kicking Horse Pass in the Canadian Rockies. From then on “Wild Bill” Peyto spent most of his rough and varied life in the Canadian Rockies.
The Banff Springs Hotel was built in 1887-1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railroad to attract tourists to the Canadian Rockies.
He soon knew as much or more about the mountains as almost anyone else around. Bill Peyto’s usual base of operations was Banff, and he became Banff’s most legendary mountain man. Bill Peyto was a hunter and trapper, prospector, guide and outfitter. Eventually he became one of the early wardens for the national park service. After marrying his first wife, Emily, Bill built a small cabin for her in town along the Bow River. He continued to spend a lot of time, though, at his other hideouts in the mountains, most notably one near a copper mining claim in an area he called the “Bookrest”.
Lupe at the Banff Springs Hotel in July, 2013
Prior to the 1890’s, many of the peaks of the Canadian Rockies had never been climbed. Tourists and alpinists were just starting to arrive on the scene in significant numbers. Bill Peyto’s initial fame grew mostly out of his work as a guide and outfitter for climbers like Walter Wilcox, Dr. J. Norman Collie, Edward Whymper, and Reverend James Outram who either were or would become famous mountaineers. Many years later, as a park warden, Bill Peyto helped find and rescue Mrs. Stone alive from a ledge on the slopes of Mt. Eon eight days after her husband, Dr. Winthrop Stone, fell to his death.
Banff Park and Cascade Mountain(9,836 ft.), July 2013Lupe in Banff Park, July 2014Lupe in Banff Park, July 2014
Twice Bill Peyto left Banff and the Canadian Rockies to go to war on behalf of the British Empire. In 1900, he was wounded fighting the Boers in South Africa. Despite being 46 years old, in 1915 he enlisted again. By 1916 he wound up as a machine gunner fighting the Germans in Europe during WWI. Bill tried to enlist a third time in Calgary following the outbreak of WWII, but was turned down at over 70 years old.
Lupe at Bow Falls just downstream from Banff in July, 2013.
Ain’t it Hell is full of stories from Bill Peyto’s life. Once he brought a live lynx into a bar in Banff. After his first wife passed away, a photo of Bill that won an award at the Toronto Fair eventually brought him a second wife. He slept outside in minus 30 degree weather to keep from getting soft. Ain’t it Hell is also full of references to famous mountains, lakes, and rivers in the Canadian Rockies and to his experiences dealing with climbers, explorers, other guides, prospectors, businessmen, and politicians of the age.
Bill Peyto’s storage building on the grounds of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff. His old cabin is also there near by, and can be toured.
Bill’s life was not easy. The mountains were wild and spectacularly beautiful, but there were also very real dangers and almost none of the amenities providing the comforts of life we take for granted now. He was a tough guy and frequently tough to get along with, living in a time and place where self-reliance was necessary to survive.
Bill Peyto died of cancer on March 24, 1943 at the age of 74. He is buried in Banff Cemetery next his first wife, Emily. Bill Peyto’s cabin and a small log storage building he used to own have been moved from their original locations along the Bow River to the grounds of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff. Bill Peyto is also commemorated by a restaurant named Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon in Banff. Near Lake Louise, is Bill Peyto’s Café at the International Hostel and Alpine Center.
However, it seems likely the tributes that would have pleased Bill Peyto most are farther N. Along Icefields Parkway No. 93, on the way from Lake Louise to Jasper, is Bow Pass a few kilometers N of Bow Lake. Just to the W of Bow Pass is Peyto Lake, fed by the melt waters of the Peyto Glacier coming down from the Wapta Icefield below Peyto Peak.
Lupe at Peyto Lake 7-28-14
At 224 pages including the introduction and epilogue, Ain’t it Hell is a pretty easy, quick and fun read. SPHP has read Ain’t it Hell several times over the years, and each time gets more out of it. On her summer vacations in 2013 and 2014, Lupe went to see quite a few of the lakes, rivers, mountains and passes mentioned in the book. Having been there with Lupe, it is even more fun to read about the events that once took place in the beautiful and dramatic locations mentioned in Ain’t it Hell.
This view of Peyto Lake is from a lookout deck accessible by a relatively short paved trail. The turnoff to the trailhead parking lot is at Bow Pass on the W side of the Icefields Parkway Hwy No. 93 a few kilometers N of Bow Lake and the Crowfoot Glacier.
Is Ain’t it Hell a book you might enjoy? Your reaction to the following May 15, 1910 entry from Bill Peyto’s mountain journal featured on the back cover of Ain’t it Hell is probably a good indication:
“I headed downslope to where the cubs were feeding and came up at them, hoping to scare them into one or another of my mining shafts for protection. It worked perfectly, as they ran for the nearest dark hole, and I went in with my ropes on the ready to see if I could catch one. I could hear the little fellows squealing in the dark and I paused a moment to let my eyes adjust. Just then I heard a tremendous roar and knew the sow was coming on the run looking for her wayward offspring. It didn’t take her a moment to pick up the scent and she headed straight for the mouth of the shaft bent on destruction. I knew the jig was up for sure if I lost my head and so very deliberately drew the Colt from my belt and waited for her to find us out …”
