Day 5 – Group Hike 2025 Mountain Magic

Mosey Meadow Hiking.

Day 5 August 3, 2025, Marvel Lake CG to Wild Camp Palliser Lake, distance 16.4 km, elevation gain 433 m, elevation loss 192 m, 9 hrs 6 min.

Speed and Elevation profile for Day 5. I put time is on the horizontal axis as it shows the long breaks we enjoyed (horizontal sections).

Tent all packed up. The wood chips in the tent pad really did their job absorbing the rain that fell all night.

This was our dinning room from last night. Sheltering in the trees to stay dry. I left my water bladder at dinner last night, opps.

Table is wet but the ground is not too bad. Getting ready for a big day on trail. 7:30 am.

We had a pretty long day ahead of us distance wise but there was pretty minimal elevation until near the end of the day as a sharp rise would take us from the valley floor up to Palliser Pass. The group was in good spirits after the wet night and we did not rush that hard to get out of camp. We finally headed up the trail at 7:50 am.

The trail leaving Marvel Lake CG is in pretty good shape even with all the rainfall.

So many choices. On this trip we will be headed left to Br 9 campground, Big Springs CG, where the other guys stayed last night. We will then head towards Mt Shark before veering off onto the Palliser Pass Trail.

This is about as close to a highway as you can get in the back country. The Bryant Creek Trail.

We would follow the Bryant Creek Trail for about 7.4 km until the junction with the Palliser Pass Trail. We planned to stop in at Big Springs CG and touch base with the guys, Ken, Chris and Brodie, before continuing onto our resupply with Katherine. I cannot confirm it but I believe the Bryant Creek trail started out as a fire road. This is the only explanation for it being so wide and smooth. We made excellent time down the trail. It took us just 40 min to hike the 3.5 km to Big Springs CG. I was quite surprised to find the guys were almost packed up and ready to go. We hung out for around 30 minutes before hitting the trail again just after 9 am.

The creek running through Big Springs CG.

We were back on trail by 9:15 am. I am a little shocked that I took no photos in camp of the guys. Ken, Neil and Chris would be hiking out today. I was able to arrange with Ken for him to come pick us up at the end of the trip at the Interlakes Trailhead at Upper Kananaskis Lake.

This sign did not apply to us but I make a point of ready all signage by Parks Canada just in case it does.

Bent cruising down some very nice trail. How long could this trail last? Sign on the left warns you about bears and that bicycles are not allowed on this section of trail.

The very high quality trail goes left while the trail to the right can be seen to be a lot rougher than what we have be hiking on today. We would be going to the right.

You are allowed to ride bicycles from the parking lot at Mt Shark to the junction of the Spray and Bryant Creek trails. Some people have stashed their bikes for a quick ride to the car. We did pass three young men going fishing with very limited gear so it may have been them.

Big thanks to Katherine for bringing in our resupply. I think it was two days of food each which saved us a couple of kilograms each.

We met Katherine for our resupply at about 9:50 am. Along with our food she brought the poles to convert my tent to freestanding. I also gave Katherine all my salt laced latte bars. I really did not need to be reminded of my serious baking error. After a rough couple of days I was feeling back to normal. We hung out for about 15 minutes before heading off. We still had a minimum of 20 km to go and it was a little past 10 am. We did not have a specific campground for this evening as we would be outside Banff National Park and would be wild camping. We had a minimum distance to go and I knew of where there was an established Great Divide Trail wild camp but that would be a 32 km day and we were hoping to find a suitable place to camp nearer Palliser Pass.

Leaving Katherine and the lovely trail behind. The other guys ended up only being 40 minutes behind us.

Onto the Palliser Pass Trail. As far as backcountry trails go it was fine but it was not a nice as the highway we had enjoyed all morning. Spencer setting the pace.

It was starting to drizzle a little so we decided to stop and put on rain gear and pack covers.

If you look hard you can see it is a board walk through the brush.

Classic backcountry Parks Canada bridge. My photos were a little fuzzy during this stretch due all the rain there was some condensation inside my lens. As the day warmed up the condensation went away.

At almost precisely 12 noon Spencer and Bent stopped by a pond formed by the Spray River where it made a 90 degree corner. It was time for lunch and there was a nice clearing beside on the river bank that provide excellent views across the valley. We had covered 7 km in under 2 hours since we had said goodbye to Katherine. We had hiked approximately 15 km making this pretty much the halfway point for our day.

Bent is looking super relaxed over by his tree. Spencer taking in the amazing view from our lunch spot. Mt Warre (2743 m) across the valley. The mountain was named for General Sir Henry J. Warre (1819–1898). When Warre was a lieutenant in 1845–1846, he and Lieutenant Mervin Vavasour crossed the Rockies on a reconnaissance of the Oregon Territory to ascertain what military action should be taken if there were another war with the United States. Tense times.

Looking like a lump of melted Coffee Crisps.

This family of ducks kept us entertained for several minutes. They went over the little waterfall one at a time, it was very cute.

Letting Spencer play with my camera. We all still have our rain pants on. There is a little bit of sun shining on the ground. This was a very pleasant lunch spot.

We relaxed at lunch for about 50 minutes. I followed Bent’s lead and had a on trail coffee. Bent usually does not have coffee with breakfast but takes an extended break on trail where he eats and relaxes with his morning coffee. Leaving lunch Bent took me aside and quickly whispered that he would like to give Spencer a trail name and he already had an idea but would be interested in what I could come up with. For the record Bent’s trail name is Aloha from his time spent on the Pacific Crest Trail because he hikes in a Hawaiian shirt. My trail name is Shutterbug from my first hike with Ken, although there is a movement to change it to Salty for obvious reasons (see posts on Day 1, 2 or 3 of this hike for the reasons)

Spencer’s bright green pack cover leading the way.

Birdwood Campground has always fascinated me. It is a very nice campground but has not obvious attraction nearby. For hikers on the Great Divide Trail it does provide an option but there another campground just 5 km away at Leman Lake. While I love the Great Divide Trail there are not that many people hiking it on any given day to justify the campground and the campground has been around a long time. As we walked through the campground we could tell that there was not a lot of foot traffic through the little trails.

This campsite does not look it gets a lot of use.

So, both Bent and Spencer stopped to refill with water but it is only 30 minutes since we left our lunch spot which had water access 🙁

Maybe the trail needs a bit of maintenance but the logs were effective.

Lonely Parks Canada Warden Patrol Cabin.

It is a big valley and a moody sky. Our destination is the low point far off in the distance.

We will start looking for a campground once we are over Palliser Pass. At 6 km it is around 2 hours away. On flat ground it should be quicker but there is a very short but steep ascent when we leave the valley floor and approach the pass which will slow our progress.

Campground US 18 is Leman Lake CG which I would describe as an OK campground, I stayed there with Laura, Links and Volcano (her first backpacking trip) back in 2018 and I was disappointed to discover that there is no lake access. It is not a great destination campground but we would meet some people later on this day making good use of the campground.

My view for the afternoon. Look up to Bent and Spencer. Bent now taking the lead.

Spencer crossing one of the many little rivets that crisscross the meadow.

Looking back from where we had come from. Some angry looking clouds. The twin peaks in the distance are on the left Mount Morrison (2896 m) and the right Mount Turner (2813 m). We passed below the two mountains when we first joined the Palliser Trail. While researching the names I learned that both mountains had military backgrounds named for various generals as does the Smith-Dorrien Valley which I have spent a lot of time traveling on when making my way to different hikes.

The sun is out but Bent is still rockin his rain pants and pack cover. Wonder if he is checking where we are.

It is a big wide valley. The climb to Palliser Pass coming into view.

I love the meandering little river carving its path along the valley floor.

Our time spent walking the meadows is about to come to an abrupt end.

Since we left Katherine at our resupply we have traveled 14 km and gained a paltry 155 m of elevation. The climb to Palliser Pass would take us up 175 m in just over 1 km. The hike was about to get more strenuous for a few minutes, about 25 minutes actually.

There is a very iffy little stream crossing just before we leave the valley floor. Spencer demonstrates excellent technique in keeping his feet dry.

The picture does not really tell the story of how steep this pitch was.

Snack time. Refueling after a good steady effort.

Just as we approached the top of the climb two young women passed us heading the other way. They stopped to talk briefly. They were staying at Leman Lake CG and had done a day trip to visit Palliser Pass.

It was during our snack break that Bent bestowed Spencer with his trail name. Bent first asked if I had any ideas. I was disappointed to have drawn a blank but Bent came up big with a fitting trail name, Loco.

Bent had two lines of reasoning for Loco. First was Spencer’s bear call with his kids, which we adopted for our trip is “Chug a Chug a Choo Choo” which I think is pretty self explanatory. The second reason was that Spencer must be “Loco” to be out on the trail with Bent and I. I am pretty sure Spencer was pretty pleased with his trail name.

Just before the pass we walked pass Belgium Lake. The lake is more of a pond but the setting is quite lovely with Mount Queen Elizabeth (2850 m) creating an interesting backdrop. I learned when researching the naming history for the mountain it was not named for Queen Elizabeth II of England but after Queen Elisabeth the Queen of Belgium, 1909 to 1934. Unfortunately the correct spelling of the Queen’s name is with an “s” but the name of the mountain utilizes a “z”. Elisabeth of Bavaria was Queen of the Belgians and was the spouse of King Albert I of Belgium who also has his name on a mountain which is just out of sight behind Mount Elizabeth. Guessing the royal peaks are why the lake is named Belgium Lake.

Arrival at Palliser Pass, 4:20 pm. Spencer taking photos to share with the family. Bent stands by the provincial boundary marker probably happy to back in British Columbia. The pass also marks the southern end of Banff NP. We will now be hiking in Height of the Rockies Provincial Park, love that name.

There is a lot of water on the south side of the pass fortunately none of it was very deep but it meant we would have wet feet in camp.

Map of the area near Palliser Pass. Our camp was at the north end of Palliser Lake just 500 m from the pass. The campsite definitely had the feel that it gets used maybe not often but reasonably frequently.

As we crossed the pass we started looking for were we could set up camp. After the little water crossing I spied a faint but distinct path leading off to the right. When we followed it we found ourselves at a possible campsite at the north end of Palliser Lake. We dropped our packs at 4:30 pm. The area had obviously been used before. The obvious place to put the tents was in a bit of a hollow with no drainage. If it does not rain hard there are no challenges but we would learn you should always plan for the possible extreme outcomes.

It is hard to tell but Bent’s tent is uphill away from the low point. The log is the low point of the area. Our tent could and should have been located a little (maybe a lot) higher up. 4:45 pm tents are all set.

The clouds were rolling in so we hustled to set up the tents and quickly put the tarp up over a lovely eating area overlooking both the campsite and Palliser Lake.

Spencer looking happy because he is dry. Spencer is all bundled up so the temperature was probably dropping as the storm clouds approached.

Bent pretty happy with whatever it was he found in the tent.

We spent nearly an hour checking out our little campground before heading under the tarp to make dinner.

Not sure what Bent just ate but it must have been good.

The best view I could get from the dinner room of Palliser Lake.

It is sunny out but the tent looks wet and shiny.

It is sunny out but you can see the rain falling.

Video of the rain shower.

It is hard to stress just how valuable the tarp was during the evening. We had quite a pleasant time in our little kitchen/dinning room despite all the little rain showers. The tarp allowed us to stay dry and enjoy being outside. It was way better than hiking in the tent all evening.

Looking out the tent on Spencer’s side. the water is accumulating and is creeping up the the side of the bathtub floor. The tent was quickly turning into a boat.

The rain let off and we all headed to bed at a decent time. Before heading into the tent left my poncho in the eating area to dry overnight. Shortly after settling into our sleeping bags it started to rain again. I was not too fussed but then it started to rain a little harder and then quite a bit harder. The water started slowly accumulating outside Spencer’s door. Spencer had his water bottle perched just outside the tent and we watched with amusement as the water level started to climb up the bottle. Suddenly the situation was not quite so funny. The water level was starting to get seriously high on the the side of the tent. The bathtub floor on the Zpacks is waterproof but it is only about 8 cm (3 inches) high. The time came where we had to do something. I was very happy to have the tent set up with the free standing poles because it meant we just had to remove a couple of stakes and drag the tent out of harms way. While all this was going on in our tent Bent was cursing and leaning out of his tent busy making trenches to keep the water away. It was as I got ready to get out of the tent the thought dawned on me that my poncho was up in the kitchen. I figured I was going to get a little wet getting out of the tent so I decided to go shirtless so at least I would have some dry clothes to get into once we got back in the tent. Both Spencer and I rushed out of the tent, Spencer must have come out my side as I did not have any water out side my door. I sprinted for my poncho as Spencer unpegged the tent. When I got back I just grabbed the tent by the freestanding poles and yanked it up the hill and away from the water. We did not really need to move the tent very far but we did make sure that we were up the hill and out of danger. Quickly pegging the tent back down now safe from the water we dove back into the tent. Somehow we were laughing and in good spirits through the chaos. Once back inside the tent I tried to dry off a little then pulled my shirt on and snuggled deep into my sleeping bag to warm up.

After a few minutes the rain started to let up. We kept an eye out for any signs of water but it never reached us. I was awake for quite a while the excitement making it difficult to sleep. Less than half an hour later the rain stopped. As I lay looking out my tent the sky cleared and soon after the stars appeared overhead. How quickly the sky had transformed form stormy and threatening to peaceful.

It was an beautiful ending to an interesting day on trail.

Day 5 – Mountain Magic Group Hike 2025

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