July 23-24, 2019
Allstones Lake and Ridge
Clearwater County, Alberta
Stats as Recorded by Suunto Traverse
Distance : 10.1 km
Elevation : 869 m
Ascent : 3h25m
Descent : 1h45m
Looking down to the lake where we camped, from the ridge above.
First backcountry backpacking experience - yes, I've done a hut trip before but it feels like an accomplishment when you need to carry up your own tent and fuel and sleeping pad as well. Didn't think we'd see anyone at all as we were going on a weekday, but on our way up we ran into a guy who had just finished camping there fore a couple days and told of how he had caught a bunch of brook trout. Nearing the lake, we ran into another couple, one of whom we dubbed "Mountain Man" and they camped with us overnight at the lake as well. More info on why he is called Mountain Man later on.
We parked at the Allstones Creek parking lot across the highway then crossed to begin our hike. It was a steady uphill at about 30-35% grade for most of the 4 kilometres, with brief sections of flat ground before progressing up again.
We quickly realized that going uphill with a pack threw our balance off, and pulled out the poles to assist. There is not much opportunity for views along the way as you're mostly in treeline, but it occasionally opens up if you turn around and you can observe Mount Michener, Windy Point Ridge and Abraham Lake behind you. When we got up to the lake, we threw our packs down, set up camp, and then progressed to the next objective after a quick snack.
I stared at Pebble Peak and Bigstone Peak (unofficial name) in awe. I proposed this objective to my partner, who declined due to the scrambling and bushwacking involved, so we stuck together and hiked up the ridge. 276m gain later and we topped out on the ridge, and were entreated to much better views of Abraham Lake and Mount Michener to the east, Windy Point Ridge to the South, and what I believed to be a distant Hangman Peak to the West behind us. We were also joined by a very rambunctious and brave chipmunk, who kept licking my hiking poles (is the salt from my sweat really that tasty?)
Eventually we headed down, opting to head west rather than back south the way we came, so we could walk around the other side of the lake. We got some unintentional bushwacking in because this was obviously the route less travelled. The rain started to come in so we picked up the pace, eventually making it to the other side of the lake, where we ran into Mountain Man, his partner, and their dog again. Mountain Man was trying to fly fish for brook trout on a makeshift 3-layer raft that had been left at the lake. By the time we got back to camp, the sun had broken through the cloud again and we were entreated to beautiful weather.
I set up my spinning rod and stood from shore, casting a few times but to no avail. Good thing I was not relying on my fishing skills for dinner. Mountain Man had no luck either, although he did see some trout but just happened to scare them away. I think if I stood on the raft where he was, I may have had better luck.
And then the storm hit. First, droplets of rain which then became heavier, then thunder and lightning, which alternated approximately 3 seconds apart (dang, that storm was close!) and an increasing fear that my tent bought off Amazon was not going to hold. But as terrified as I was that a tree might come crashing down on us or the rain would start to leak through, I worried for Mountain Man more. They had only hiked up with a tarp and set it up into a makeshift tent between two trees, and with only their sleeping bags on the ground. It must have been soaking for them...
Eventually my worries dissipated as I knew we could not compete with nature, and I just fell asleep again to the sound of cracking thunder. When we awoke, overcast skies were around us and our shoes that we had left outside were damp. Knowing thunderstorms were in the forecast for the rest of the day, we opted to pack up tent and hike down quickly, heading home rather than attempting a half-day hike up Windy Point Ridge or Vision Quest. Next time.
With the night kicking in, we set up a teepee and tried to start a fire. This is where we began calling our friend, "Mountain Man". We went through a whole pack of waterproof matches and were unable to get anything going. We chocked it up to the wet wood from the rain earlier, but later on we heard sawing noises and then the crackling of a fire and smell of smoke from Mountain Man's side. Either the trees were completely dry on the other side of the lake, or we just don't know how to start a fire. We boiled some tea instead and cozied up in the tent for the night.
Overall, a successful trip and I feel accomplished for surviving a thunderstorm in the backcountry. Ready to take on more adventures!
Thunderstorms loom in the dark, overcast skies as we hurry back down the ridge to our campsite for the night.
Sneak peak of the view you would be treated to on a clear day. Clouds are just starting to move away to reveal the mountains.
For the next time, the circled peak "Pebble Peak" will be the objective. The rounded bump to the left of "Pebble Peak" is the aforementioned "Bigstone Peak". Scrambling both will move into class 5 terrain, along with prior bushwacking and routefinding skills makes for an experience that I may not be quite ready for.
But next time, I will also camp closer to the raft and try my luck at fishing again.