“In August, 1915, local outfitter Jim Brewster, parks commissioner J.B. Harkin and two Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) officials rode north on a highline traverse from Banff to Lake Louise, and the officials were more than delighted with the magnificent views of the mountains, lakes and watersheds. The CPR promoted this splendid hiking trip over the next 25 years, building rest house cabins at both Sunshine and Shadow Lake. When A.O. Wheeler traveled this same highline in 1939, he exclaimed “After 30 years of exploration, surveys and mapping of the main ranges of the Canadian Rockies, the writer can safely say that outstanding among them for scenic charm and interest may be classed the group of peaks, lakes and alpine meadows of the Egypt lake area”….
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures’ summer backpacking season started off with the Banff Highline, where our group of six adventurers accompanied with one guide saw the endless mountains, lakes and meadows filled with wildflowers as described by the earlier explorers. When asked what they hoped to get out of the trip, the entire group was unanimous in voicing they’d like to “relax and enjoy the nice scenery on the hike”. Great to hear when we were going to hike over 100 km in 7 days.
We were pretty proud we could hike in and across this spectacular landscape after the June flood wiped out so many trails and bridges in Banff National park. Our diverse group hailed from Denmark, New York, Delhi and Japan, and to quote Mark on the trip “you have more fun traveling with a group when hiking”. Fun we had, as we high fived the many passes we crossed.”
Jane Whitney
Canadian Rockies Hiking by Yamnuska Guide
