Abbot Pass Hut

This Hike is quite simply put "breathtaking" Our companions for the trip were of course Gerald (Dave’s little brother), Morgan (his beautiful girlfriend and hiking extraordinaire) and Jesse (the babiest brother of the family) and one missing Alex Down who unfortunately couldn't join us last minute.

We all hopped on the Lake O’hara bus at 8AM – Of course Dave and I barely made it on and were a little relaxed on our arrival time – but bottom line we made it J and took the 11klm ride up. Promptly unloaded and grabbed our packs. After a few pictures and last minute bathroom breaks we were on our way. Morgan and I chatted about the weather forecast and determined that we had until about 3pm before the storm rolled in which gave us ample time to summit and get comfortable in the hut.

So off we went enjoying the incredible scenery of lake O’Hara and all the beautiful pools and streams you come across the hike starts out pretty easily with some slight elevation gains but nothing one can’t handle. A few more photo-ops and we arrived at Schaffer lake. This is just before you head up towards the Hut and really the last bit of flat ground you see for a very long time. We decided it was time to take a break and in doing so ripped into our packs for some delicious trail mix. Turns out our little friend the ground squirrel also thought this was a fabulous idea and attacked the bag and quickly hoarded all the nuts. I took a video and will eventually get it posted on here. He was adorable and we played with the little squirrel for quite some time. To say he was plump would be an understatement so clearly he was not new to this nut steeling charade.

Then it was off towards the Pass. We started are ascent from the lake which rose at an easy pace at first. Then it was on to some switch backs that got your thighs to start burning. A little reprieve is given as you climb along some rocky ledges and it made you feel a bit like a mountain goat. But then the real fun came as we made our way on to the boulder field around 11am and started the last 750 meter climb up the very steep slope. Jesse was leading the charge and Morgan and I weren’t too far behind with Gerald and Dave heading up the back of the group as usual talking about whatever the newest technological discovery might be or political stances (those two could talk for hours). It was about 150 meters up when we heard the first rumble of the storm… which if you remember earlier was not supposed to start until 3pm that day. Turns out mountain ranges are a little less predictable then one might hope. We picked up the pace and Jesse and I really turned on the speed as the storm headed closer. Lighting and large clouds were rolling in and all we could think of was getting to the hut. About half way up the clouds lets loose. We headed for cover at one of the big rocks along the pass as the wind whipped through us and the hail pelted our faces and why not add a little lightning over head for good measure. As it let up a little we continued the slog up the pass. All I could think was one foot in front of the other and we will be up in no time. By this time Dave had caught up to me. The weather was turning by the time we hit ¾ of the way up and we were able to actually take a few pictures. Then just as we thought the climb might never end we went around a boulder face and saw the hut!!! WE MADE IT and could not have been more excited. It was straight into the hut for us and some warmer clothes just before the sunshine came out to greet us.

There isn’t much hiking to be done at the top unless you were equipped with climbing gear. Which we were not planning on so we took are time taking some wonderful scenery shots then headed back into the hut for a beautiful roaring fire and the boys went off to grab some snow to melt down for water later on.

The hut filled up little by little as the day drew on and by the time 5pm hit we were full to the brim with 21 occupants. What a fabulous group of people it was as well. A group of 10 from Calgary all ranging from 25-40 then another couple from Edmonton and a gentleman by the name of Mark. We spent the rest of the evening getting to know everyone and playing card games and making dinner and dessert, plus let’s not forget about yummy wine and tea. Around 9pm we thought we would head out for one last bathroom break… when we opened the cabin door we were greeted by a full on white out. Im talking you can barely see in front of your face kind of storm. The snow sleet was coming down insanely fast and the winds were whipping at gusts we had never seen before. Let’s just say bathroom breaks were quick and careful. We crawled into bead around 10:30pm and promptly fell asleep – just a few snoring in the group, but overall not too bad.

We woke up to a blanket of beautiful snow and a few in the cabin were more than worried about their way back down the mountain but turns out when you work that hard on the way up a scree slope the journey down can be extremely rewarding. A quick breakfast was had by our group before we geared up and headed down the snow laden mountain. It took us about 30 minutes to dance our way down the pass back to Schaffer Lake and there it was only drizzling. We decided to take the long scenic route by taking an extra loop on the alpine circuit and made it just in time for the 11am bus down.

A beautiful trip a quick few hugs and we were off on our way back to Calgary for a lazy evening of Netflix. A prefect weekend in the mountains!