Tombstone Backpacking

I got out for my first backpacking trip in a long time on 15 and 16 August. I went with Peter and Rod up to the Tombstone backcountry campground near Tombstone Lakes in Kananaskis. It was about ten years after Jesse, Rod and I got lost in David Thompson Country so it was about time to get back out. My little Edmonton gaming group is a good collection of outdoor adventurers but only three of us were able to find the time to go.

After a bit of debate, it was decided that we needed a fairly short, in and out, one-night trip that wasn't too far from Calgary. A little searching the web and talking with some of the hikers in my office led to picking Tombstone. It lies on the junction of the Little Elbow – Big Elbow loop and a trail in from Elbow Lake. The short route is to park on Hwy 40, just north of the summit of the Highwood Pass and hike the 6 km or so past Elbow Lake. We watched the weather all week as it was cloudy and rainy but the forecast for the weekend suggested some improvement.

Peter and Rod showed up at my house on Friday evening so we could make final arrangements and head out the next day. We expected a short hike so we didn't rush through waffles for breakfast and had our packs ready around 11:00. The initial part of the hike is quite steep as it climbs away from the highway. It was comfortable walking because the skies were mostly cloudy and the temperature was cool. We met a few groups coming down from the lake but the trail was almost all ours from the lake to the campground. The trail also descended slightly all the way from the lake to the campground. The scenery was excellent as we walked along the open trail through a gap in two mountain ranges. The peaks were white as the rain in Calgary had fallen as snow at the tops of the mountains.

We were set up in our campground in the late afternoon so we decided to walk up to Tombstone Lakes. We only visited the larger, lower lake. The wind was calm so the lake was perfectly flat with ripples occasionally made by fish coming to the surface to snatch bugs. Rod decided to keep his mountain bathing tradition alive so he stripped down behind some trees and jumped in.

Back at camp, Rod and I enjoyed "One Grand Stew" even though it had leaked a little in my pack. We eventually got a fire going despite the wet wood and were able to sit around it, enjoying 56 herbs of medicinal goodness, and chat while night came. We got a little rain through the night but Rod was comfy in his new bivy sack and Peter and I were dry in my tent. The slope of the ground and lack of friction between his mattress and sleeping bag meant Peter spent most of the night sliding to the foot of the tent.

We woke to more clouds and lots of mist in the valleys. Again, we were in no hurry so we ate breakfast and packed up at a relaxing pace. The weather was a little cooler and we got a few more drops of rain on the way out but it was a pleasant walk. This day we encountered a few more groups on the trail although they were just there for the day. I was a bit surprised because there was no real destination between Elbow Lake and the campground. We even encountered a group out on horses and I spotted a moose who quickly went crashing back into the trees because of the noise of the horses.

All in all, it was an easy, enjoyable hike and good to get back out with friends. We hadn't even got back to the car before plans for our second hike were being laid. The actual trip ended up to be 7.62 km each way and the one-way trip up to Tombstone Lake was 2.2 km. It took us 2.5 hours for each leg of the backpack though we were only in motion for 1:40 each time. The elevation gain was just under 400 m.

Highwood Pass

I finally did the Highwood Pass today. It's almost a must for any cyclist living close to it since it's the highest paved road in Canada, or so I'm told. It's where Lance Armstrong rides when he's in the area and it's been on my to do list for some time.

Crankmasters organized a group ride today to tackle the pass. About 30 riders started from the Ribbon Creek area near Kananaskis Village and would need to cover 45 km and climb 800 vertical metres to get to the pass. I started out with the lead group but as the road started to climb right away, I decided not to burn myself out and dropped back. Two riders came up behind me and I fell in with them. Brad (I think) did a great job of doing long pulls and I did quite a bit of work too but our third was just hanging in. A few more riders came up behind us and we also swept up a few who couldn't keep up with the front group. We stopped for a short rest at the gate which closes off the Highwood Pass. The road really starts to go up at this point so I was off the back of my group and spent my time to the top chasing Brad. It was a tough climb for me and the 7% grade for 2 km slowed me down to about 10 km/h. Just before we reached the top, all the riders in front of me started down.

Brad and I took a short rest at the parking lot and then started back down. Our speed definitely increased which is why I didn't see a small pothole and suffered a pinch-flat. Together, we were able to change my tire which was super-tough for me alone in the Spring. I think the tire might have stretched a tiny bit. I also got to try out my CO2 pump for the first time. I got a cool refresher in thermodynamics when the temperature of the canister dropped quickly as the pressure inside dropped. We found out later that three riders just ahead of where we changed my tire had a young, male grizzly bear run out just behind them. I'll have to keep this in mind as I plan to return close to the area next weekend for some backpacking. The rest of the ride back was fast but tough. My legs really were suffering as this was the longest ride I've done all year and had a ton of climbing.

According to my GPS, I covered 91.69 km in 3:17:07 (plus 23 minutes of resting and tire changing) for an average moving speed of 27.1 km/h and a maximum of 67.5 km/h. It was a social ride but with lots of climbing so I averaged 159 bpm with a maximum of 180 bpm. My GPS also totalled up 1100 m of climbing during the day.

C4 mini stage race

Way back on 29 July, my Wednesday night race series wrapped up with a little stage race. The prologue was a short time trial followed by a road race and then another, longer time trial.

For the prologue, I clocked 4:32 over the 2.68 km course for an average speed of 35.3 km/h and a maximum of 46.5 km/h. I averaged 159 bpm with a maximum of 174 bpm. That was good enough for seventh out of seven but I see that I was five seconds out of second.

For the road race, it was the usual story. I was splintered off the group during the climb and finished two and a half minutes behind the leader. I spent the last 15 km or so alone but had a group of three C racers just a few hundred metres behind me the whole way. I slowed a lot on the last little climb and one of them was able to sprint and just beat me at the line. I did the 29.2 km in 48:30 for an average speed of 36.2 km/h and a maximum speed of 63 km/h. I had an average heart rate of 158 bpm with a maximum of 176 bpm.

I was pretty tired for the final time trial and it was mostly climbing so I was only able to cover the 8.26 km in 15:30. That's an average of just 32 km/h with a maximum of 50 km/h. I averaged 162 bpm with a maximum of 174 bpm.

I really enjoyed the race series. The previous few years, I did the Midweek Mayhem criterium races. While the venue is close to my home, doing the exact same race each week is boring. I really liked alternating between time trials and road races and how the road races had different formats. I really need to improve my climbing because it's an obvious weakness for me. I ended up doing three laps of the Millarville loop during two races and was dropped from whichever group I was with at the exact same place each time. I really need to get my hip healthy so I can hit the weights more. I can also stand to lose 10 kg more while trying to increase my leg strength. More leg strength and less weight will also help boost my average speed on the flats.