Conrad Kain Trail impressions

Bugaboo Glacier

I'll preface this post with a caveat: I hesitate to call this a trail review since I didn't really capture any hard data on it (mileage, trail conditions, time to complete, etc.); this post merely reflects my impressions and experience of it.

And here's another caveat: I hadn't actually intended to do this trail. I actually wanted to go up the nearby Cobalt Lake trail, but by the time I got my act together, the day was half done, and I wasn't sure I could safely complete the slightly longer and steeper route to and from Cobalt Lake before nightfall. 

At the trailhead, I was sure to secure my vehicle against the predations of the local porcupine population.

The route to the Conrad Kain hut in British Columbia's Porcupine Provincial Park is quite heavily traveled by mountaineers, rock climbers, and all kinds of adventurous folk who want to test themselves against the Bugaboo Mountain Range. The lower section of the trail is very well groomed, quite mild, and offers no indication of the challenge to come. The lower trail meanders happily along amidst forests and streams and then gradually - so gradually that you barely notice it - goes *up*. Passing a waterfall you suddenly notice that you're breathing a bit harder. Then you leave the trees behind and the altitude you've gained is revealed. Tenacious wildflowers cling to the mountainside rubble. Then come the rock piles and the steepness, each step harder than the last. And next, the cliff where your only security is the narrow path beneath your feet and the chain tethered helpfully to the sheer rock face.

A Treacherous Path

(Note that my impression of this part of the trail is coloured somewhat by a mild case of acrophobia and a two-month layoff from any strenuous physical activity resulting from a strained lower back. Those without the aforementioned conditions who are in reasonably good shape and sure-footed should suffer no ill effects from the trek.)

Western Anemone

Once you're free of the trees and the steep ups you see the glaciers, the view into the distant valley, the streams, and the cascades created by the meltwater from the aforementioned glaciers. And still the trail climbs on...

Glacial Meltwater

Arriving at the Conrad Kain Hut comes with a mild sense of relief, and yet is anti-climactic. You have a view of the Bugaboo Glacier, and the valley below through which the Bugaboo Creek runs, as well as the various peaks of the Bugaboo Range, but somehow I'd expected something more. I can only surmise that the "more" comes from the mountaineering and rock climbing for which this hut is a mere launching point. As attested to by the number of vehicles at the trailhead parking lot, there were indeed many parties staying at the hut or passing by, with the intention of summiting the surrounding peaks or traversing the glaciers or staying at one of the two nearby campsites. Not being one of those intrepid souls myself, and in any case lacking a party to adventure with, I set my boots on the trail back down. For me, this was challenge enough. My right knee doesn't actually work properly anymore due to an injury acquired a couple of years ago playing Ultimate Frisbee, so descending for me is actually as difficult as the trip up. On the way down I was passed by several mountaineers burdened with two or three times the load that I was carrying. No big deal, I wasn't in a hurry anyways.

Conrad Kain Hut

At the end of the day, I'd sum up the hike to the Conrad Kain Hut thus: It's a great workout, and if you've got a hankering to experience mountains and glaciers away from the crowds that plague the nearby National Parks of the Canadian Rockies, this is a worthwhile trip. Otherwise, it's a fantastic launching point (pretty much the only launching point) for expeditions deeper into the Bugaboo Mountains.