Epic Hikes of the World ( PDFDrive )

© Mark C Stevens | Getty
the Skyline Trail
Then, as I trudge along the ridgeline of Amber Mountain, the wind suddenly
drops, as though someone’s flicked the off switch. Stillness returns to the mountain,
and buttery sunshine bathes the trail as it switchbacks down to Tekarra Lake. Pikas
appear from their burrows, chirruping as they dart over the rocks. Above me, a line
of bighorn sheep pick their way along a narrow precipice. Gradually, barren rock
gives way to tundra, then to scrubby forest, and as I pass beneath the shadow of
Excelsior Mountain, I know I’ve finally stepped off the high-wire on to safer ground.
From here, I’m on the home stretch, which is an old fire-road that leads down
into Maligne Canyon, but there’s time for a stop at the lookout on Signal Mountain
for one last panorama. Ragged peaks zig-zag along the horizon, crusted with
glaciers fed by the great Columbia Icefield, and the blue thread of the Athabasca
River snakes along the valley floor. But I don’t have very long to enjoy the view; inkblack
clouds are massing overhead, and as I trudge down the fire-road, a boom of
thunder cracks over the valley like cannon fire.