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High Altitude Fun in Canada

Heli-hiking in the Canadian Rockies

By Corinne Humphrey

After a short break, it was decision-making time. We could either rappel again down to the glacier for pick-up, or we could attempt the "Via Ferrata," or the more accurately named "Scary Traverse." Cocky and high on our accomplishments so far, we chose the traverse. From this vantage point it looked no more threatening than walking across a wide treadmill set on "incline." It was a temporary sense of security, as the traverse quickly changed to a sheer face with a 12-inch ledge for our feet and only a metal cable to grip onto. Then even that disappeared and was replaced by intermittent rebar staples anchored in the rock for footholds.

I did an in-depth study of my knuckles, not daring to glance over my shoulder at the incredible views, and my partner, Sue, and I burst into a loud but shaky rendition of "Edelweiss," followed by a few other numbers from the Sound of Music soundtrack. A few more feet, then straight up toward the heavens, and we pulled ourselves up over the top, grinning with success and exhilaration. Back at the lodge, we were greeted by cheers from the other hikers and awarded our mountaineering pins. We had joined an elite club, "Crazy Cliffhangers Who Sing."

Our last day was spent on an 18-kilometer hike along Grizzly Ridge, a gentle trail that looked down on high alpine lakes and forests of yellowing larch trees. We lunched in a meadow with the snow-coated Bugaboo Spires and Mt. Howser as a backdrop and watched as a caribou sprinted by.

At the end of another fabulous day, while lounging on a high plateau in the afternoon sun, I contemplated going AWOL from real life, hiding out in the lodge's wine cellar until the last helicopter departed. I wanted to be a "Canadian Social Climber," become a practicing member of our northern neighbor's "Mile High Club." Alas, reality won out, but I'll be back for more.