Family Fun at Abbot Hut Story and photos by ACC member Rani ...

Family Fun at Abbot HutStory and photos by ACC member Rani Palo of Camrose, AlbertaTuesday, August 17, 2004 dawned clear and chilly at Yoho National Park’s LakeO’Hara campground. The Scott, Anderson and Palo families awoke at 6:30 a.m. – fouradults with their four children – Carlann Scott, 13, Phaedra Palo, 11, Nicola Scott, 10and Colden Palo, 7.We emerged from our tents about 45 minutes later and began the laborious task oforganizing our backpacks, preparing breakfast and locking up our leftover gear andfood. Everything took longer than anticipated which, with children involved, was derigueur. Nonetheless, we were ready to head out by 11 a.m., our goal to hike and climbup to Abbot Pass for an overnight stay at the fabled Abbot Hut.According to records, including recent information, no one Colden’s age had everstayed at Abbot, nor had there been many other children even slightly older. Thathowever, was not why we were aspiring to reach the pass. Two of the adults hadconsiderable experience with Abbot Pass and the surrounding Rockies and our childrenhad all proven their mettle scrambling, skiing, biking and hiking. Fitness wasn’t aconcern, but safety was. With appropriate precautions, we deemed the children ready toappreciate the thrill, beauty and historic charm of Abbot Pass and hut. The immediateforecast, which called for a continuation of the high-pressure system we had enjoyed formany days, was conducive to our attempt.As weascendedaboveLakeO’Hara wepaid ourrespects inwords andthought tothe lateLawrenceGrassiwho, in alabour ofHerculeanlove,

constructed the nonpareil trails of the area. We took a break at Victoria Falls, whichissues out of the superb tarn of the same name and arrived at Lake Oesa (‘ice’ in theStoney language), where we wolfed down our packed sandwiches, took some picturesand lolled in the warm sunshine. The children appeared a little daunted by their firstglimpse of the steep scree slopes of the gully we would ascend, and their excitementwas palpable.“Helmets on!” We left the lake and followed the system of ledges to the new routePeter Fuhrmann had established a few summers earlier, and took a break at the top ofthe ledges where the scree slog would begin. The children were initially disconcerted bythe movement of the rocks – the two feet up, one foot down, ball-bearing scree – andeveryone was making excellent progress until I heard a clatter of rocks and yelled,“Rock!”A football-sized rock was bounding down the slope directly under the frowning wallsof Mount Victoria, the northern guardian of the gully opposite Mount Lefroy. Suddenlythe calm and confidence that had marked our progress eroded, and there was concernand some fear, which was accentuated by the continuing loose nature of the scree wetoiled and navigated over and through.After a while – that seemed longer than it was – and with positive shepherding andexample by the adults, the children’s trepidation abated and we proceeded withoutincident. About halfway up there is a spot where briefly, a corner of Abbot Hut may bespied silhouetted against the sky. My son Colden saw it and shouted, “There it is!” Thatenergizedall of usand therewas newfocus andresolve andwith nervescalmed wescrambledup theremainingslopes andemergedfrom thegully toarrive atthe pass at6:45 p.m. – a time we thought excellent considering our group’s aggregate short legs.

Our arrival was dramatic – yelps of joy co-mingled with a sense of profoundachievement.The children quickly staked out their sleeping places in Abbot Pass Hut’s attic – somewould sleep in Alberta and others in British Columbia! Meanwhile, the adults preparedsupper (a veritable feast in the making), getting ice from the glacier to melt for water(with Colden’s help) while I, operating with the stealth of 007, buried cans of pop andbeer in the glacier leading down to the Death Trap on the Alberta side, also making suremy bottle of Chilean red remained hidden until suppertime. Making things even moreexciting for the children was a group of experienced mountaineers who arrived shortlyafter we did. As they made their supper they began preparing their gear for an earlymorning assault on Mount Victoria.The children loved the hut and the pass and each visit to the strategically andbeautifully situated outhouse some metres behind the hut was replete with excitement.As well, sleeping on soft foamies beat the heck out of our rather skinny sleeping mats atthe campground.The climbers quietly got up and left at 5:45 a.m., and we arose a couple of hours laterto good weather as promised. After breakfast we explored the upper reaches of thepass, touching mounts Lefroy and Victoria and snapping lots of pictures. The Mount

Victoria climbers returned safely and successfully shortly after 1 p.m., while a new partyarrived moments later.The Anderson, Scott and Palo group of eight began our descent soon afterward,taking the centre line with a couple of the adults showing how to heel-kick and glidethrough and above the scree. A few nervous jitters were quickly overcome and thedescent to Lake Oesa became a truly joyful and fun experience. Gorgeous sunshinebathed us once again and we soaked in the views and basked in the sense ofachievement on the shores of the scintillating icy high mountain tarn. The return to LakeO’Hara, though anticlimactic, was picture perfect in terms of scenery, putting a lilt in ourcollective step. Everyone slept well that night – even on our skinny mats.