Day 1 August 14, 2023, 15.3 km, 486 m elevation gain, 157 m elevation loss, 3 hrs 55 min.
I have hiked from the Paint Pots to Helmet falls twice in the past in 2020 and 2022 and knew the hike would take us around 4 hours especially the way Margaux charges down the trail. With the weather being unseasonably hot I wanted to get an early start but I was a little concerned about getting to the campsite too early. Margaux is barley more than puppy, although a large puppy, and has challenges just relaxing. She just wants to keep moving and exploring. I compromised with the aim of a 10:30 am start to finish the hike before the heat of the day in the late afternoon. I had the car packed up at and was on the road by 9:30 am.
It takes just under an hour to drive from Canmore to the Paint Pots but we did not hit the trail until 10:55 am. I seem to underestimate the time it takes to do all the little things to get on the trail.
The hike starts with a crossing of the Vermilion River over a very robust bridge. Once on the other side I took Margaux to the river to have a little drink. I was carrying water for Margaux but I figured I should take every opportunity to make sure that she remained hydrated. The water was quite silty but I am quite sure a little bit of silt will hurt her.
After passing through the ochre pots (The Paint Pots) the hike heads deep in the forest paralleling the north shore of Helmet Creek. The Paint Pots are iron rich mineral springs that bubble up to the surface and then spill over the top of the “pots” and paint their surrounding with a deep ochre colour. The Paint Pots are considered a sacred site by the Ktunaxa First Peoples of Columbia Valley so it is considerate if visitors look but do not disturb the pots and the ochre. Once into the forest the trail does not offer much in the way of views but on this day I really appreciated the shade and the protection the trees offered from the heat. Margaux feels that when hiking it is important to go full blast down the trail. Margaux has learned to relax while walking but on the trail attached by her harness she pulls very hard, much harder than even most sled dogs that I have walked. As a result we set a very high pace down the trail. I was shocked when we arrived at the Helmet Ochre Campground at 12:15 pm. It was just 1 hr 20min since we left the car covering a distance of 6.4 km for an average speed of 4.8 km/h. Welcome to hiking with Margaux! After a little dip in the creek to cool off and allow Margaux a drink we crossed over the simple bridge the campground and found a spot in the shade to have lunch and a break. I really focused on stopping frequently and taking breaks to make sure Margaux did not overexert herself in the heat.
After leaving the our lunch spot Margaux ensured that we continued to make amazing progress down the trail. The kilometres just flew past us as Margaux charged ahead. We surprisingly met no one on the trail until we arrived at Helmet Falls Campground. At about 1:45 pm we had our first view of Limestone Peak and the mountains ringing the campground. I found a good access to the creek so we quickly popped down to the creek so Margaux could get a little drink. We then spent a few minutes hiding in the shade to cool off before tackling the final stretch of trail to the campground.
It took less than 45 minutes to arrive at Helmet Falls Campground. Even with numerous breaks it only took us 4 hours to hike the 15 km from the parking lot. There were some people already in camp but it was pretty quiet and a good selection of campsites to chose from. There is a little creek running down the the east side of the campground that I like to camp by. My preferred campsite was still in the sun so I dropped my tent in the campsite but moved over to a shaded campsite to spend the afternoon. I did my best to get Margaux to relax and stay in the shade. Margaux did take a break for about 30 minutes. Figuring rest time was over she persisted in pestering me that it was time to get up and explore.
At about 4 pm we moved over near the small creek and set up the tent. Then it was time for a little treat for the two of us.
Dinner time was much more exciting that what I would have expected. First I got to talking to Don a gentleman about my age. He was supposed to have been hiking with his son but had ended up hiking solo due to scheduling conflicts. We chatted for a little while on this evening before having a longer conversation at dinner the next evening. As I write this we have planned to hike together in the summer of 2024 on a five day hike on the Sawback in Banff NP. On the way back from dinner I hear a loud “Ian” from across the campground. The caller was Judy a lady I had done trail building with on the Great Divide Trail back in early July. Judy was spending a couple of weeks doing different multi day hikes with her daughter Ciera. Over the next couple of day Judy, Ciera and Don became big fans of Margaux and we would spend quite a bit of time together at Tumbling Creek CG.
We went for a little walk after dinner. We met a solo hiker with a husky. Margaux had a great interaction with the husky which means no lunging by Margaux. Margaux was very enthusiastic about having a new friend but the husky was somewhat ambivalent.
On our before bed walk we passed by the campsite with the lone hiker and the husky. The hiker had a small solo tent and the husky was on leash but sleeping outside. There are bears in the area. Bears do tend to avoid campgrounds but still I do not think I would be leaving Margaux outside my tent to sleep.
After crawling into the tent Margaux quickly settled down on her mat. I had her fleece jacket close by but did not put it on her. It was just at the ready if she got restless. It had been a great if toasty day on the trail with Margaux. Even though we were hiking solo we discovered we were not alone.
Good night from a very warm Helmet Falls Campground.
Day 2 Margaux on the Rockwall – Kootenay NP 2023
Margaux on the Rockwall – Home