After breakfast, we headed east from Revelstoke to Canada's Glacier National Park. Our first stop was Hemlock Grove Boardwalk - but it was one of many trails closed because of trees downed during the big storm Sunday evening (see my post for July 23/24 on the storm and the aftermath).
We continued east to Loop Brook Trestles trail in Rogers Pass National Historic Site in Glacier National Park. Rogers pass is where the train was made to go in a loop, actually turning back in the direction it came - much as a switchback turn does on the side of a mountain for a road or hiking trail, but a much more gradual turn and gradual ascent for a train. This was how they were able to get the train through the Selkirk Mountains to connect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans by train back in the 1880s. It was later replaced by a tunnel through the mountains. But the trestles and rail bed remain, and now have a trail with signs to educate us about what was done some 130 years ago.
We started by crossing the Illecillewaet River near some of the trestles, both those still standing and some which had fallen.
The signs often included photos of what it used to look like, including this one next to a trestle that was felled by an avalanche.
We saw how they went from wooden trestles to stone trestles - many of the stone trestles are still standing.
Just as there now are snowsheds on the Trans Canada Highway, snowsheds were built for the railroad - the slanted roof over the tracks carried the avalanches of snow over the tracks without damaging the railroad or trains.
It was not easy work building the railroad.
We learned how the loop made passage possible by keeping the grade at a level that could be climbed by trains of that era.
The trail then crossed back over the river by a pedestrian bridge beside and below the highway.
As we have seen everywhere, there are still wildflowers in bloom.
Our next stop was the Meeting of the Waters Trail, where the waters of the Asulkan Brook and the Illecillewaet River meet. Among other things, as we walked the trail we learned about the Glacier House resort built there in the late 1800s - of which nothing but foundations remain today.
After about a half mile, we came to the bridge that is just a few feet downstream from where the Asulkan Brook and the Illecillewaet river meet.
Here is a short video showing the sound and fury of the waters.
After crossing the Illecillewaet, we came to a junction and decided to hike a bit out on the Sir Donald Trail. This mountaineering trail was built when the Glacier House was open. It is rated as a difficult trail - but it is beautiful. Every direction you looked, you could see the mountains and glaciers peeking through the trees - I almost felt like I could reach out and touch them.
The trail crossed several seasonal bridges - they remove them each fall to avoid damage to them and to avoid buildups of snow which could cause avalanches.
On our way out, we passed by one of the original stone bridges built back in the 1880s.
For our picnic lunch, we crossed back over the Illecillewaet River for a covered picnic table - nice views in all directions.
After lunch, we tried to find the Abandoned Rails Trail - they are widening the Trans Canada Highway to four lanes, so there is construction all through the area where we had to drive. Because of the construction and blockages of side roads, we could not get to the trail. So we headed back towards Revelstoke and stopped to hike the Rock Garden Trail.
The first thing we noticed was that tree recently fell and was cut up to clear the trail - we assumed it fell during Sunday evening's storm, and miraculously did not damage the boardwalk.
We continued east to Loop Brook Trestles trail in Rogers Pass National Historic Site in Glacier National Park. Rogers pass is where the train was made to go in a loop, actually turning back in the direction it came - much as a switchback turn does on the side of a mountain for a road or hiking trail, but a much more gradual turn and gradual ascent for a train. This was how they were able to get the train through the Selkirk Mountains to connect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans by train back in the 1880s. It was later replaced by a tunnel through the mountains. But the trestles and rail bed remain, and now have a trail with signs to educate us about what was done some 130 years ago.
We started by crossing the Illecillewaet River near some of the trestles, both those still standing and some which had fallen.
The signs often included photos of what it used to look like, including this one next to a trestle that was felled by an avalanche.
We saw how they went from wooden trestles to stone trestles - many of the stone trestles are still standing.
Just as there now are snowsheds on the Trans Canada Highway, snowsheds were built for the railroad - the slanted roof over the tracks carried the avalanches of snow over the tracks without damaging the railroad or trains.
It was not easy work building the railroad.
We learned how the loop made passage possible by keeping the grade at a level that could be climbed by trains of that era.
The trail then crossed back over the river by a pedestrian bridge beside and below the highway.
As we have seen everywhere, there are still wildflowers in bloom.
On most of the trails, they have these nice boxes and ask you sign a guest log - a nice way to get some sense of the many people who hike these trails.
Our next stop was the Meeting of the Waters Trail, where the waters of the Asulkan Brook and the Illecillewaet River meet. Among other things, as we walked the trail we learned about the Glacier House resort built there in the late 1800s - of which nothing but foundations remain today.
After about a half mile, we came to the bridge that is just a few feet downstream from where the Asulkan Brook and the Illecillewaet river meet.
Here is a short video showing the sound and fury of the waters.
After crossing the Illecillewaet, we came to a junction and decided to hike a bit out on the Sir Donald Trail. This mountaineering trail was built when the Glacier House was open. It is rated as a difficult trail - but it is beautiful. Every direction you looked, you could see the mountains and glaciers peeking through the trees - I almost felt like I could reach out and touch them.
The trail crossed several seasonal bridges - they remove them each fall to avoid damage to them and to avoid buildups of snow which could cause avalanches.
On our way out, we passed by one of the original stone bridges built back in the 1880s.
For our picnic lunch, we crossed back over the Illecillewaet River for a covered picnic table - nice views in all directions.
After lunch, we tried to find the Abandoned Rails Trail - they are widening the Trans Canada Highway to four lanes, so there is construction all through the area where we had to drive. Because of the construction and blockages of side roads, we could not get to the trail. So we headed back towards Revelstoke and stopped to hike the Rock Garden Trail.
The first thing we noticed was that tree recently fell and was cut up to clear the trail - we assumed it fell during Sunday evening's storm, and miraculously did not damage the boardwalk.
Our last stop was the Bostock Creek Trailhead - while it is rated as moderate, it has three different warnings: unexploded ordinance (ammunition used to detonate buildups of snow and cause controlled avalanches), bears and thieves. It was 7 km one way and that was much more than we wanted, especially with the hazards present.
So ended our day in Glacier National Park.
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