Mt Assiniboine impressed but another challenging day.
Day 2 July 31th, 2025, Og Lake CG to Magog Lake CG, 7.4 km, 173 m ascent, 28 m descent, 2 hrs 20 min.
I was actually surprised at how good I felt in the morning after such a difficult previous day. After we got the tent broken down we headed over to the eating area for breakfast. I had my usual coffee and Logan Bread and felt fine. I was really hoping at this point that the negative effects of the salt had worn off.
We made our way up and out of camp with our order from yesterday established, Bent, Spencer then me. As we passed the information board Bent spied a can of bear spray. It was the one I had dropped yesterday. At some point someone passing through must have left the can in a visible location so that person in need could take it. It was very comforting to have my bear spray back. I do not think I have ever been in the back country without my own can of bear spray.
The elevation rise from Og Lake is only 70 m over the first 4 km on our way to Lake Magog. When you look at the profile, it is very apparent how this section is believed to have been a lake in the distant past. Over time the water has carved a path through the limestone and produced a clear steady downhill route to Og Lake. Og Lake is a example of karst lake; it has no outlet, and instead the water drains through cracks in the limestone that forms the bottom of the lake.
As we hiked across the the meadows I saw up ahead Bent and Spencer stop for a moment to speak to a family who were headed northward. As I met the family they were very happy to stop and talk. They were in very high spirits having had a great trip to Mt Assinboine and where on their way back to Sunshine Village. I noticed the father had a Montreal Canadians hat on so I jumped at the opportunity to give him a hard time about their lack of success since last winning the Stanley Cup in 1993. The whole family burst out laughing and the father also grinned. I figured he is used to a lot of ribbing being a Habs fan. They were a super fun family but I had to quickly say goodbye as Bent and Spencer were quickly disappearing into the distance.
I remember arriving at this junction. I sat on the ground and pulled out a Builder Bar to snack on. My poor feelings from yesterday had returned including the lack of desire to eat. I knew I had to eat to keep up my energy but the food in my mouth which normally tasted so good on trail was completely unappetizing. This was a very disappointing turn of events as I had been feeling really good back in camp at Og Lake.
It was just a little under 2 km from from the lodge to Magog Lake Campground. Magog Lake is the lowest drainage point in the area. Similar to Og Lake Magog is a karst lake in which the water drains away through cracks in the limestone lining the bottom of the lake.
The names Og and Magog stood out to me as being very similar but at the same time very distinctive in relation to the names of the other features in the area. According to the Alberta Geographical Names Web Map there are three possible sources for the names, the first is a biblical land of giants, the second is a biblical character from Genesis, and the third is two giant characters in Celtic mythology. The names were noted on a federal government map of 1926 and approved by 1928.
- The names Og, Gog and Magog are mentioned in the Old Testament. Og was a giant King of Bashan, conquered by Moses. Gog was a prince, and Magog was the land he came from (Ezekiel: 38, 29).
- Gog and Magog are also mentioned in The Book of Revelation: chapter 20. Robert Young, author of “Analytical Concordance to the Bible” (1893) gives a meaning of Gog as “high, mountain”. Magog is the second son of Japheth (Genesis: chapter 10).
- An English myth has it that Gog and Magog were the last of a giant race and were captured and brought to England. Early Celtic mythology also mentions these giants.
For those who are into geology Gog refers to a rock formation that was first identified in the Mt Assiniboine area and is one of the few sandstone rock formations found in the Canadian Rockies.
We arrived at the campground just before 11 am. Then it was time to search for a campsite.
There are two types of tent pads at Lake Magog Campground. They have the typical dirt tent pads enclosed by wood frame tent pad. Many of these we found were not overly flat. About a third of the tent pads are elevated wooden platforms. I chose a wooden platform site and had the tent mostly set up when Spencer suggested a different site, still on a platform but shaded. So we switched. As I was taking down the tent I disturbed a wasp and the little bugger stung me on the wrist. For a few minutes I was really not a very happy camper. I put some polysporin on my wrist and covered in medical tape which helped reduce the irritation.
Bent set up a little higher up in the campground on a dirt tent pad. We did not know it at the time but Bent was quite fortunate in that the wood framing his site had come apart which allowed for good drainage. Drainage would become important the following day.
I was feeling pretty good while we were setting up the tents which was to be honest a low exertion activity.
We did not head out from campground until 2:15 pm. Bent went out for a hike up to Wonder Pass. I decided to stay at Lake Magog and just chill. Spencer decided to join me in the chillin. We planned to meet at the lodge at 4 pm for Happy Hour.
I was feeling pretty good in camp. But when it came time to eat lunch I could not stomach the salty chips or salami that make up a large part of my lunch. So I ate a little cheese and a couple of plain wraps. Yum Yum. At least it was something.
After Bent headed out on his quick afternoon hike Spencer and myself headed down a steep path to Lake Magog. Lake Magog does not have lovely soft sandy beaches to relax but has a very rocky beach. There were still numerous groups of people dotting the area taking in the sun or even going for a quick dip in the lake with some choosing to skinny dip.
During the afternoon Spencer and I slowly made our way over to the lodge in anticipation of Happy Hour at 4 pm. Going camping I had not thought to bring any money with me and had brought just my drivers license, health care card and my credit card. I was happy to see that they accepted credit cards at Happy Hour.
Bent recommended that I get more than one beer and was sure that I needed a good burp to clear out my system.
Despite being very tasty and refreshing the beer unfortunately did not help me. To try and encourage a burp I purchased a Ginger Ale. It did not help the burping but it tasted so good I purchased another one to enjoy with dinner. On the way back to our camp Bent and Spencer had to stop a couple of times to allow me catch up. I was suffering walking even without a pack on.
After dinner Spencer and I headed back down to enjoy the view lakeside. The clouds where starting to roll in which made it a little chillier than our afternoon visit.
Initially when planning the hike we were going to be single group of six. When booking the campsites I booked Og Lake for three days thinking that if we did not get Magog Lake CG we could utilize Og Lake CG as our base for exploring the area. It was important to have a place to stay to match up with our Parks Canada bookings which did not start until Day 4. If we did secure Magog Lake CG I could then drop day 2 and 3 from my booking at Og Lake. When it came time to book Magog Lake the permit ended up in Neil’s name. We now had more bookings than what we required, three days at Og Lake and two days at Magog Lake. When the decision was made that the group would split with separate itineraries we technically ran into a problem with the names on our permits. It states clearly that the permit holder must be in the campground. For the evening of Day 2 that created a problem for us since Neil was at Lake Og Lake CG with a permit with my name on and I was Lake Magog CG with a permit in Neil’s name.
- Original Plan – Howard Douglas CG – Og Lake CG – Magog Lake CG
- Actual Plan
- Ken/Neil/Chris – Howard Douglas CG – Og Lake CG – Magog Lake CG
- Spencer/Bent/Ian – Og Lake CG – Two Days Magog Lake CG
When I was last at Magog Campground a BC Parks employee came around and asked every campsite a paper copy of the confirmation of their permit. I had a copy of our permit in Neil’s name ready. We had discussed whether I just pretended to be Neil or to try and explain that our group got split up. No one ever came around to check our permit on this day. During dinner the next night a guy came around and asked for our names but never actually checked the permit. The mismatch with the permits caused a little niggling of stress but it all worked out in the end.
My brief effort learning knots came in handy when we set up the tarp to cover the tent. We did not have to cover the tent to protect from the rain as it is fully waterproof and has never failed me but having the tarp would make it easier for us to get in and out of the tent in case of rain. Plus I had the tarp so I wanted to use it.
We headed to bed shortly after 9:30 pm and both read for a while. I was not feeling super perky but I was not feeling bad either. Maybe just maybe I was turning the corner and tomorrow would be a better day.