Hiking the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park
But in reverse because we love to zig when everyone zags.
Completing the Skyline Trail was something else. I don’t know if it was the sheer awe and beauty of the backcountry mountain wilderness we were immersed in OR how the hike fully challenged me both mentally AND physically? It was probably both that made it so unforgettable.
Dan and I spent 20 hours hiking, covering just shy of 50km and climbing 2,236m of elevation. We spent two nights at beautiful but mozzie-infested campsites, danced with death on “the notch,” and spent a lot of time with our thoughts and audiobooks. We got dirty, smelly, tired, sore feet, legs, and hips, and very hungry come the end of each day. Dan got bitten by way too many mozzies, it was so funny but awful at the same time, and I acquired two very large ugly blisters on my feet. But the reward of getting to soak up the Canadian Rocky Mountains in all their glory and experiencing that high that you get when you’ve completed something really HARD was totally worth it.
Dan and I recorded a 27minute audio snippet that essentially covers the same content of this post if you would rather listen to us blab away together:
Going right back to before we left for Canada, we knew we wanted to do some overnight hiking. So we packed all the gear with us, taking up a very large portion of our precious luggage space. It included a 2-person tent, sleeping bags, Dan’s beloved trangia, and all our hiking clothes and shoes. We thought we would do plenty of overnight hikes, but it’s taken us a while to actually get around to actually doing one….they need a fair bit of planning and forethought. But I certainly wasn’t going to let us come all this way with all this gear to not do one in this world-class hiking area.
Many of the popular multi-day hikes in the Canadian Rockies require booking well in advance to secure campsite spots, especially in the prime months of July and August, when the weather is best. Because we don’t really don’t know our specific day-to-day plans any more than, at best, a week out, this posed a tricky situation for us. We later found out from locals that Jasper’s Skyline Trail normally books out pretty much as soon as the booking system opens at the start of the year. So when we decided to go to Jasper only a couple of days out, the optimist in me still checked to see if it could be our lucky day. The universe said yep, you can do it, but it’s going to have to be the hard way! Most people choose to hike this trail from north to south because it is easier and has about 500m less elevation gain - but there were no reservations available for hiking in this direction. BUT if we were willing to go the hard way (from south to north), then we could get camping spots and do the hike!
It was definitely going to be a stretch with timelines as we had a few things booked on either side of the hike, but we love to push the throttle a little (a fine balancing act we constantly juggle as two go-getters). So we said, yep, let’s go for it. So, on Sunday 7th of July, I spent the day driving us to Jasper and prepping for the hike while Dan worked away to wrap up a project that needed to be done before we set off.
On Monday, July 8th, we woke up at beautiful Milagne Lake to a beautiful clear summer day (read: perfect hiking weather). We had driven down the night before and just stealth-camped in the parking lot. We also saw a black bear on the side of the road, which was super cool, but also made us weary about running into one on the trail. Safe to say, we had our bear sprays handy!
Because the trial doesn’t end where you start, we got a shuttle in the morning (Maligne Valley Hikers Shuttle) to the start of Signal Mountain trailhead, so when we finished the trial at Milagne Lake, we would be at our car ready to take off. We were the only ones hiking the trail in reverse; it made me a little nervous, not to mention the remarks from the bus driver at how heavy our packs were (we have not mastered the art of ultralight packs yet), but I put those nerves aside, and away we went.
For the first 8km, it was just a long slog up the treeline - I struggle with inclines, so this was a hard 8km. We stopped for lunch and got absolutely attacked by mozzies. At this point, you’re probably thinking this doesn’t sound fun at all. Why on earth would you put yourself through this? And I certainly also questioned this too at times while on the hike. But I’ve thought of a few reasons that I would love to share why I love doing stuff like this.
I love the physical and mental challenge that these multiday hikes put you through. This hike certainly did this. The second-day hurt locker was so real. The thoughts in my mind were, “I can’t do this anymore; what happens if I can’t make it to camp? Do we just set up our tent here? Will the bears get us? My feet hurt so much, I’m just so done”. The pain and aches in the body were so real, and emotions are fragile, but somehow you just have to push past it and keep going. I love the satisfaction that you get from having pushed yourself past your comfort zone.
It makes you really appreciate your physical body, health and fitness because not many people can actually physically do this. I feel so grateful and privileged to have a physical body and a level of fitness that allows me to do such strenuous activities. Often, these experiences and amazing parts of the world can only be reached on foot, and so it limits people who do not have such able bodies. It also makes me really aware that I, too, one day will not be able to do such activities and serves as a pertinent reminder to keep doing them while I can and to take really good care of my health. Lastly, when hiking, I often see people much older than me, some even in their 70’s and 80’s doing this stuff, and it is so inspiring to see.
Hiking puts you in places or landscapes that make you and your problems feel so small and insignificant. Being surrounded by huge mountains certainly makes me feel so damn small, and all the things I find myself worrying about in day-to-day life just seem to disappear. I love the awe that these ginormous mountains evoke. Being out in nature with only the basics, you realise how little you actually need and get right back to basics. It also makes you re-appreciate just how good a simple shower is. I also am just a massive lover of nature and always have been. I am always seeking out my next adventure, hike, experience, holiday, and it’s always got some element of being out in our natural environments.
On the notch, a notoriously difficult part of the trail, we had to traverse down a very steep snow-covered part of the trail; any wrong step or slip could have sent me falling down the mountain. So many hikers warned us about going down it as we passed them, so this created a lot of anxiety about this part of the trail. I have always had a bit of an adrenaline junkie in me (thanks, Dad, I definitely get that from you), and I kinda love the thrill, but I find as I am getting older, more fear is starting to creep in. When it came to actually crossing this part of the trail, my legs were trembling, but when there is literally no other option, you just do it. Having to face fear and push past it is a cool experience. It helps me to stack evidence that I can do things that my brain tries to tell me that can’t/shouldn’t. It also made me contemplate my death. Whilst many people don’t want to think about death, I like it because it actually is a really great reminder to live and just how precious our life really is.
Another thing I really like is that you also have forced thinking time. Something that I and I’m sure many others just don’t have anymore, it’s filled with constant inputs. There are no distractions, no cell service, and nothing but one step after the other when you’re out hiking in the wilderness. In saying this, I did have a downloaded audiobook on my phone, which I ended up listening to when we were in the hurt locker for the last part of the second day. Normally I like to enjoy the peaceful sounds of nature, thinking time, or the conversation with whoever you are hiking with. But the last 5km honestly felt like they went on forever and would never end. Listening to a book was so helpful to take the mind off the pain. I listened to “The Untethered Soul” by Michael A. Signer, and it was such a pivotal time and place to listen to such an amazing book. It really hit me in a very profound and spiritual way. It instantly picked my mood up, changed my mindset and gave me the motivation to let go of all the uncomfortable feelings and sensations and to just keep going.
Lastly, doing challenging or hard things with someone is a powerful way to form a closer bond or relationship. Research has demonstrated that sharing pain or suffering together plays an important role in bonding and cooperation (1). I have also personally experienced this myself many times in my life to date. I especially think back to certain jobs that I have attended as a paramedic that are memorable for awful reasons. The colleagues who I attended these jobs with, I have a really close and deep connection with. I’m 100% sure it is because we both went through a really challenging experience together. So I guess it is just a nice little reminder that doing challenging or difficult things with others is actually a way to deepen your connection with them. I love doing hikes with my nearest and dearest for this exact reason.
So that's my recap of our wonderful Skyline Hike, and it's a nice reminder for me to keep doing these while I can. Overnight hiking is something that I love despite the intense effort and organisation it requires for all of those above reasons. However, I hope that everyone can find what overnight hiking is to me. There are so many ways to challenge yourself that aren’t hiking—you’ve just got to find what works for you.
With love and gratitude,
Maddy xx
Bastian, B., Jetten, J., & Ferris, L. J. (2014). Pain as Social Glue: Shared Pain Increases Cooperation. Psychological Science, 25(11), 2079-2085. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614545886
Wow, what a physically & mentally challenge.. Respect!
Reminds me of our Sapa Trail in Vietnam haha. This is 10000% something else!
Read and also listened to your epic adventure. Nice to have you back safe and sound as I know this was both mentally and physically challenging for you both. I agree - you are alive so truly live and enjoy every moment. Congratulations!
We need to talk about “light packing”