Cadomin to Miette, Jun 8-10 2009

Bob Beck, Henning Brauer, Claudio Jeker, Artur Grabowski, Ingo Schwarze

A *very* early hike from the Whitehorse Creek Campground, up the Whitehorse Valley to Fiddle Pass, then down the Fiddle River trail to Utopia, over the back side of Sulfur Skyline to Miette Hot Springs.

Cadomin had had about 5 cm of fresh wet snow the previous night, so in addition to the snowpack up high we had wet snow down low, with a few cases of nice fresh Grizzly tracks. We used snowshoes for about the last 500 meters of trail before the alpine campground in whitehorse provincial park (just before fiddle pass), then crossed fiddle pass without snowshoes, only to switch back to them for a kilometer of descent in the trees where the snow was still about a meter deep in the alpine fir near the pass. We saw a Sow and Cub grizzly on the Jasper Park side of Fiddle pass, they were about a click away from us and bolted for the trees when we hit the pass and scared them up.

Stayed at the whitehorse provincial park campground before fiddle pass, and then at utopia campground in jasper park, before stoping for a soak in the hot springs and heading home.

Gear and Notes

  muddy xterra  
  muddy xterra

  whitehorse creek starting out claudio  
  whitehorse creek starting out claudio

  henning fresh snow on trail  
  henning fresh snow on trail

   
 

  Fresh grizzly tracks  
  Fresh grizzly tracks

   
 

   
 

   
 

  Lunch break at sawmill campsite  
  Lunch break at sawmill campsite

  Most Virga's don't get snowshoes strapped on The snowpack appears as we ascend..  
  Most Virga's don't get snowshoes strapped on The snowpack appears as we ascend..

   
 

  Henning postholing through snowpack  
  Henning postholing through snowpack

  Snowshoeing up to the fiddle pass campsite  
  Snowshoeing up to the fiddle pass campsite

  Art Ingo  
  Art Ingo

   
 

   
 

  Claudio breaking the tree.  
  Claudio breaking the tree.

  Tent on a meter of snow.  
  Tent on a meter of snow.

  Henning, as an Alberta Redneck  
  Henning, as an Alberta Redneck

   
 

   
 

  My hammock, hung over 3 feet of snow in fiddle pass  
  My hammock, hung over 3 feet of snow in fiddle pass

   
 

   
 

  Starting out from the campground for fiddle pass  
  Starting out from the campground for fiddle pass

   
 

   
 

   
 

  Looking back, just before ascending over fiddle pass  
  Looking back, just before ascending over fiddle pass

  Claudio taking a picture of me on the way up to fiddle pass  
  Claudio taking a picture of me on the way up to fiddle pass

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

  Looking back towards Whitehorse from Fiddle Pass  
  Looking back towards Whitehorse from Fiddle Pass

  The start of the Fiddle River.  
  The start of the Fiddle River.

   
 

   
 

  Ingo descending from Fiddle Pass  
  Ingo descending from Fiddle Pass

  Heading down Fiddle pass towards Miette.  
  Heading down Fiddle pass towards Miette.

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

  Moose Antler Shed Back on go the snowshoes... Hooray! a kilometer of snowshow slog through the alpine fir.  
  Moose Antler Shed Back on go the snowshoes... Hooray! a kilometer of snowshow slog through the alpine fir.

  Oh thank god we could take the snowshoes off again!  
  Oh thank god we could take the snowshoes off again!

   
 

  Rest stop at Whitehorse campsite, Jasper National Park. Henning sleeps like this frequently on the trail.  
  Rest stop at Whitehorse campsite, Jasper National Park. Henning sleeps like this frequently on the trail.

  Crossing the Fiddle River  
  Crossing the Fiddle River

   
 

  More Fiddle River crossings...  
  More Fiddle River crossings...

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

  The cool looking slab of mountain by slide creek.  
  The cool looking slab of mountain by slide creek.

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

  My hammock in Utopia campground. After 20 km with a kilometer on snowshoes it was very welcoming :)  
  My hammock in Utopia campground. After 20 km with a kilometer on snowshoes it was very welcoming :)

  Leaving Utopia - only 6 km to a buffalo burger and a soak!  
  Leaving Utopia - only 6 km to a buffalo burger and a soak!

  Sulpher skyline, from utopia  
  Sulpher skyline, from utopia

   
 

   
 

  Fiddle River, before ascending over to Miette.  
  Fiddle River, before ascending over to Miette.

   
 

   
 

  The Bridge over Sulpher Creek. Here you start seeing people again. Miette Hot Springs Source  
  The Bridge over Sulpher Creek. Here you start seeing people again. Miette Hot Springs Source

   
 

   
 

  Sheep in Miette Parking Lot licking Salt off a vehicle.  
  Sheep in Miette Parking Lot licking Salt off a vehicle.

   
 

  Sheep Lick Marks on a truck in Miette parking lot.  
  Sheep Lick Marks on a truck in Miette parking lot.

  Jacoby's store in Cadomin, when we picked up the vehicle on return. Claudio's pictures start here...  
  Jacoby's store in Cadomin, when we picked up the vehicle on return. Claudio's pictures start here...

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

  Henning's pictures start here  
  Henning's pictures start here

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

   
 

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