Happily nestled inside my luxuriously soft sleeping bag, I suddenly
awaken to the sound of thunder in the middle of the night.
Panic briefly sets in until my brain realizes that isn’t
thunder; it’s the sound of another enormous piece of ice falling off the Berg
Glacier that runs down the northern face of Mount Robson – the highest peak in
the Canadian Rockies at 3,954 metres. A smile spreads across my face as I roll
over and go back to sleep, feeling content that I’m camping in one of the most
beautiful places on Earth and out of the service area.
It took two days of hiking with a 40-pound backpack to reach
this fairy tale world of massive glaciers, deafening waterfalls, fast-flowing
rivers, cyan lakes and mountains so steep they don’t have trees. And even
though I have seen the Rocky Mountains several times during my 38 years of
existence, they never cease to amaze me with their rugged beauty that’s so
inviting for adventurous souls yet a remarkably dangerous place given the
hazardous terrain.
Located in Mount Robson Provincial Park along the eastern
edge of B.C., the Berg Lake Trail is a moderate 23-kilometre hike with an
elevation gain of 800 metres. Traversing three bio-geoclimatic zones, the hike
is listed among the top hikes in the Canadian Rockies since Mount Robson, and
the four glaciers surrounding it, is the star of the show.
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| Crossing the Robson River near Kinney Lake. |
Hiking into the backcountry on the world-famous Berg Lake Trail had been in the back of my mind for a few years, so I was thrilled when my friend Megan managed to book three nights of camping along the trail for us and her husband Troy in early August. Due to snow, hiking season in the Rockies typically only lasts from about mid June to mid September – if you’re lucky.
After spending two days driving from Victoria, I tingle with
excitement as we pull into the parking lot of the trailhead, located just past
the Mount Robson Visitor Centre on Highway 16. The big adventure had finally
arrived after 10 months of waiting. That excitement slightly fades the moment I
open my car door and it starts pouring rain.
"Wow, what a great way to start the hike," says Megan, as she pulls her bright yellow rain poncho over her giant backpack and heads toward the trail.
Thankfully, the downpour doesn’t last long as we make our
way through old growth cedar forest and arrive at the silt-laden waters of
Kinney Lake 4.5 kilometres later. The wide, well-packed trail to Kinney Lake follows
the fast-flowing Robson River and is mainly flat with only a 134 metre
elevation change. Mountain bikes are allowed as far as Kinney Lake, which is
the first of seven campgrounds along the trail.
After Kinney Lake is when the scenery transforms into a
dream world as the trail enters the appropriately named Valley of a Thousand
Falls.
“It feels like I’m in Lord of the Rings,” says Troy, as he
stops to admire seven waterfalls tumbling from the cliffs surrounding Whitehorn
Campground – our destination for the night at kilometre 11. It’s not fun
anymore after 15 km, according to Megan, and she’s right!
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| Emperor Falls |
The next day is when the real work begins as the trail gains about 500 metres in elevation over five kilometres through more than 20 switchbacks that feel like they will never end. Eventually, the switchbacks do end at the spectacular Emperor Falls, which plunge 142 feet over a cliff and slam into a small ledge, causing an explosion of water and a shower of mist that drenches those who get too close. From there, the trail flattens again as it skirts the Robson River through a valley that soon reveals the star of the show.
“It doesn’t even look real!” I shout with excitement once we
finally arrive at Berg Lake, where we’re treated with clear skies and 25C to gaze
at the two glaciers creeping down Mount Robson’s snowy peak. Being here feels
like a dream.
We waste no time trading in our heavy backpacks for day packs to explore the surrounding area, which many hikers spend two to three days doing by making their base camp at the two backcountry campgrounds (Marmot and Berg Lake) located at each end of the lake. The area has several day hikes, including the challenging Snowbird Pass (22 kilometres return) that travels along the moraine of the Robson Glacier. At 6 km long, the Robson Glacier is the king of glaciers in the area and one that scientists have been studying to see how much it’s receding and learn about its history through subfossil wood recovered from sites overridden by the glacier.
Since we only have one night in the area, we choose the 6 km
Hargreaves Lake Route, which quickly climbs to a viewpoint of Hargreaves Lake. Scrambling
up the rocks to the viewpoint on a moraine, I am suddenly blasted by howling
winds that threaten to blow off my favourite green hiking hat. Holding onto my
hat, I squint my eyes and struggle to comprehend the unfamiliar sight in the
distance – a glacier too large to comprehend. Hargreaves Glacier.
I suddenly feel like an ant crawling around in a landscape that
isn’t made for humans. That’s what makes being here so exhilarating. The power
of the Rockies is magical.
Permits are required to camp at any of the seven backcountry
campgrounds located along the trail – the most popular being Berg Lake
campground, which has 26 tent pads. Reservations for the campsites open Oct. 1
and can be reserved from June 12 to Sept. 30 through the Discover Camping
website.
- published by the Vancouver Sun in August, 2020: https://vancouversun.com/travel/calving-glaciers-and-deafening-waterfalls-along-the-berg-lake-trail
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| A sneak peak at Hargreaves Glacier. |