This trip was a planned as a long easy 2nd backpack trip for Allison. Being new to backpacking I wanted to show her a good time but not overdo it. Mount Assiniboine was not on my list of easy backpacks to try but when she suggested it I thought okay this can be broken up into easier sections. Allison has been to Mount Assiniboine before but by helicopter so she already new the scenic value of this area.
Our trip was spread out over five days. The plan was to go as far as Allison wanted to each day as long as we still had enough days to make it out given the current pace. On our day in we took the shuttle bus up to Sunshine Meadows and hiked in to Porcupine campground. This was a total of 12kms with little elevation gain. We had a great time on Sunshine Meadows even though the weather was cloudy. Unfortunately when we arrived at Porcupine Campground it was pouring rain and dark. We took shelter under a tree and made some dinner. It was interesting trying to set up the tent under a tree getting as little water on it as possible.
The next day we were pleased to notice that the rain had stopped. We stayed at Porcupine Campground until 2pm just drying things out in the sun. Once everything was dry we continued on to Og Lake about 8km from Porcupine Campground. The trail to Og Lake is very pleasant and scenic. The Valley of Rocks was very cool. We arrived at Og Lake with no intention of continuing on to Mount Assiniboine. However we got a very nice view of Mount Assiniboine when we arrived at Og Lake. We had the campground to ourselves which was nice. The campground has an excellent view of both Og Lake and Mount Assiniboine. Allison was very happy to see Mount Assiniboine and Og Lake but unfortunately her borrowed boots were starting to tear up her heels.
In the morning of our third day we woke up to about a half a foot of snow all around us. It was turning out to be a very interesting trip. After packing up and putting moleskin on we headed back the way we came to Porcupine Campground. Allison's knee was starting to bother her so we were taking it slow. When we arrived at Porcupine Campground we met a couple from Washington on their Honeymoon. We had a nice time talking with them and taking it easy. That night didn't give us any trouble like the previous 2.
The next day we hiked 6kms to the last campground on our way out Howard Douglas Campground by Howard Douglas Lake. We hiked back up to Sunshine Meadows without too much trouble. Unfortunately Allisons knee started to really bother her on the down sections toward Howard Douglas Lake. The going was very slow. I figured that Allison was probably taking too big steps on the downhill sections and that had started to bother her knee over the days. When we arrived at Howard Douglas Lake we got too continue talking with the couple from Washington. We also met a couple returning from Egypt Lake that were celebrating their 10th Anniversary. So our trip was turning out to be quite the couples trip.
On our day out Allison was feeling much better and we were able to make it back to Sunshine Ski Resort without any trouble. The lesson I learned from this trip as a leader is too make sure that the feet of beginners are watched carefully and any blisters are caught early so that they don't become a big problem. I will also make sure on future treks to suggest to beginners to take small steps on the downhill sections. Overall it was a very enjoyable trip for both of us
Click on the play button in the top left to start the slideshow or click on any picture to enlarge it. Use the icons on the top left to navigate.
