A cold morning in Bryant Creek: the temperature dropped by about 5C during the night. The adults slept in their tents so the teens could sleep in the shelter. Robert stayed with them though, so someone could accompany them if they wanted to go to the bathroom during the night. By morning he had gotten up 11 times…
We got up under blue skies that quickly turned grey by the time we were ready to leave. It quickly started to rain once we got hiking. First light, then heavy, then none, then heavy, then light…In short, we played a particular game consisting of putting on and off our rain jackets.
We first walked through a 5 kilometers section without any significant hill before attacking Assiniboine Pass. That was our first real, sustained, climb that got us to an altitude of 2165 meters. The teens did pass the test but 6 of them ended up with blisters. We had to use our first-aid kit at some point!…
At the end of this fairly hard stage was a very colourful reward: an amazing vu of mythic Mount Assiniboine and alpine meadows covered with flowers. What a sight!
Our final destination, Assiniboine Lodge, is located in the shadow of this giant. We got to the lodge with a genuine conqueror’s spirit. The other hikers present were impressed when they looked at us. They got here by helicopter; us, we walked for 2 days and climbed Assiniboine Pass to get here. Long live us!
After filling up on watermelon, cantaloupe and lemonade, we go for a dip in Magog Lake. It’s a lake fed by the Assiniboine glacier’s melt waters. Never mind that, the teens jump in and let out a few happy screams…
Then at dinner time, the rainstorm hits. Luckily, we’re comfortably sheltered in beautiful cabins. So we continue eating our delicious buttered chicken in a festive atmosphere. To finish the night Andre, one of the curators at the lodge, tells us the tales of the expeditions that marked the history of Mount Assiniboine. The teens are fascinated and show a great interest. At the end of the tale, many are falling asleep…I think they will sleep soundly tonight!