Porcupine Creek

I don’t know where to start. In a way, I don’t want to talk about it. Haven’t we all heard enough about it? COVID-19 has changed a lot of things in our lives so far. Yes, so far. Because we’re far from being done with it. I am lucky and grateful that my family and I are still healthy at the moment. But while this virus hasn’t infected my lungs, it was and still is quite hard on my mental health. When I go through some hard times, it’s no secret that I usually take refuge in the mountains. Walking these trails is my therapy. My healing process always starts at a trailhead. And being forced out of the wilderness (for all the good reasons) when I needed it the most was challenging. Finally, on May 2nd, the Alberta provincial government allowed us to go back and enjoy ourselves in the wilderness. I decided to wait at the end of the day and therefore avoided the herds of people who just like me, had to get out there as soon as possible.

Even after two full weeks of warm and sunny weather, May is still considered winter in the Canadian Rockies. For this reason, I opted to discover a new area in the front range where the snow had already melted at lower elevation. I chose Porcupine Creek. This creek is located off of Highway 40 in Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park, part of Kananaskis Country. I knew my plan was good when I was driving west on a mostly deserted Trans-Canada Highway. It was as busy as it usually gets on the eastbound lanes to Calgary, meaning people had already left Kananaskis.

It was a majestic day with the temperature in the low 20’s (Celsius). The front range is always gorgeous from the highway. But I found it even more beautiful on this day. I hadn’t seen it from so close in three months.

I got to the trailhead at 5PM and I was completely alone. Having the place to myself was perfect. I started walking and it was like I was hiking in the mountains for the first time ever. I had this huge smile on my face. A smile that evoked happiness, excitement and relief. I rushed to the creek and filled my bottle with the clear and cold water of Porcupine Creek. I have no doubt in my mind that we have the purest natural water in world right here in the Canadian Rockies. I love it!

The riverbed is way wider than the creek, thanks to the 2013 floods that dramatically altered the landscape in the Bow Valley. Nonetheless, I found it pretty and enjoyed walking on the flats.

This area has tons of pine trees. My favorite trees! Every time the wind was blowing I had this refreshing pine scent breeze that I love so much. The more I hiked up Porcupine Creek, the more I realized how much I had missed everything about the wilderness.

Porcupine Creek has two branches, the north and the south, divided by Porcupine Ridge. The common branch goes through a few mini canyons and it was fun navigating at the base of these cliffs. I had to cross the creek numerous time as the water was skirting the rocks on a different side at every bend.

Reaching the fork of the creek, I had a few options: the north branch on the left, the ridge trail right up the middle or the south branch on the right. The ridge was tempting, but not this late in the day. I went to the right.

There was a faint trail on each side of the water. But with deep snow in some places, it was easier to just walk anywhere I felt like.

At first, I rock-hopped as much as possible to get to one side or another, but eventually, I remembered that if there is one thing I really enjoyed last summer was fording rivers. I stopped looking for a dry spot to cross and just treated myself with about a dozen ankle deep crossings with my shoes on. Of course, the water was freezing. But the feeling was amazing. There is nothing like a wet crossing to confirm that the winter is over!

When I started to post-hole in knee-deep snow, I turned around. I wanted to cook dinner somewhere downstream of the fork where I could still benefit from the last sun rays of the day.

Back at the main channel of Porcupine Creek.

I walked for a while until I found the perfect pine tree to sit under.

I found the perfect spot under a big pine tree and spent the next two hours cooking dinner, watching the sunset and reflecting once more on the last few weeks. But at this moment, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. I was where I belong and in a peaceful mood. I had lots of plans for my first complete spring/summer in the Canadian Rockies. The spring runoff is prime packrafting season with the rivers all swollen and fast flowing from the melting snow. I don’t know when the national parks will reopen and at this point, it doesn’t matter. The Rockies are gigantic and there is beauty everywhere awaiting to be discovered. My love for this place is not defined by the height of the mountains around me or the by the size of the rivers I cross. For now, I will enjoy the next few weeks in Kananaskis and until I can get lost in all the wilderness areas I had on my list and will climb as many mountains as I can and explore every valley in between them.

Wasootch Peak. I’ll make it the first peak of the season in the next few days.

My spot under a pine tree with Mount Lorette to my right.

I got back to my truck after the sun disappeared behind the mountains. Being only an hour from my house, I could’ve made my way back but I decided to keep driving further south into Peter Lougheed Provincial Park because dusk is always stunning on a clear night in Alberta.

I must’ve have seen a few dozens of deer on the side of the road. They were all grazing along the highway where most of the ground was snow-free.

Sometimes, the best views are just behind you.

I slept well that night. I was only out for a few hours, but they were so beneficial to me. I will be going on my first overnight trip of the season in the upcoming days. Because it’s one thing visiting the mountains for a few hours but waking up in this environment is something that is on another level. I hope that the world will be a better place once this ordeal is over. While it brought us all closer together, I feel the opposite and look forward to the time I will spend here alone over the next few months. Stay safe.