Did you know…?

-Ann-Lisa and Cathy on Moraine trail in PLPP-

Upper Bankhead in Banff National Park has been trackset. Thanks to Chuck for discovering this. Read his Trip Report for more details and some photos. This tracksetting is not yet indicated on the Banff trail report.

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  Moraine trail in PLPP(Don’t confuse this with Moraine Lake road in Lake Louise)

  Fox Creek, Boulton Creek, and Moraine in PLPP have been groomed(and is not indicated on the Live Grooming Report). I checked them out today, and did a few Ks on Elk Pass. You’ve already read the trip reports from Mary Perrott and Willski regarding Elk Pass and Blueberry Hill. Willski also provided some nice sunny photos of Elk Pass and Blueberry Hill, so I’ll focus on the other trails.

Fox Creek is groomed with reasonably good snow cover, but is still bumpy

Moraine, Fox Creek and Boulton Creek are all skiable but Boulton is a bit sketchy. I say that mostly because there are some fast downhills with sharp turns on Boulton and it’s not very forgiving. All the trails are bumpy and have occasional exposed dirt. I counted four exposed rocks on Moraine, none on Fox Creek, and three on Boulton.

Chris and son Cameron from Winnipeg

I encountered Chris and his son Cameron at the Moraine/Fox Creek junction. They are from Winnipeg and were doing a marathon from the Pocatarra Hut to Elk Pass, then returning via Tyrwhitt. I hope we get a report from them especially regarding Tyrwhitt. Chris said Pocaterra from the hut is skiable and any hazards are easy enough to avoid. They are avid readers of this blog.

This is the official start of Whiskey Jack trail. It starts at the Boulton Bridge parking lot.

Did you know…

• Whiskey Jack trail actually starts at the Boulton Bridge parking lot. The new trail maps are getting more accurate in the distances marked on the trails. They have Whiskey Jack at 3.8K. It should be 3.9K, but that’s a lot better than the old maps which said 4.3K.

Click for larger image

From the Moraine junction, the point where a lot of skiers believe Whiskey Jack starts, it’s 3.4K and that is correct. Tyrwhitt is now at 4.8K(on the list) and is correct, but the map itself is still at 4.5K and Tyrwhitt is mispelled as Tywhitt.

I don’t see where they get the Elk Pass total distance as 7.3. The various sections on this new map add up to 6.8K, which I don’t believe is correct either.

If you’re in PLPP this Saturday, you might want to take in the Wildlife Rescue talk at the Discovery Centre(formerly known as the Visitor Centre) at 2:30 pm.  Guest speaker Katrina Jansen from the Alberta Institute for Wildlife Conservation will be bringing a live raptor: a Red-Tailed Hawk named Griffin!

The moose moves on to the main course at Boulton Creek parking lot. File photo.

Speaking of wildlife, did you know…

• Moose enjoy licking the road salt from vehicles. CBC has a story about the car-licking moose in PLPP. If you check the Emerald Lake Lodge contest page, you’ll see a photo by Marilyn of one who was recently licking the road.