Mt. Coulthard

For the second time in the past 3 weeks I selected one of the furthest possible areas that you could go hiking, simply because the same guy whom I took to Plateau Mountain, had showed interest to join! Our last trip, just to trial-head, was around 150 km, one way. This time I made sure we'd go further. I convinced him, indirectly, I would say or I can even say that I lured him to go to Crowsnest Pass area and hike to Dakota DC-3 crash site in Coleman. This was 240 km, one way! and of course the final destination was a mountain, Mt. Coulthard on Alberta-B. C. border. 

With that in mind I have to add that a RCAF DC-3 plane hit the mountains and fell in the woods south of town of Coleman in Alberta in Jan. of 1946. The plane was carrying 7 crew and was on its way from British Columbia to Nova Scotia when the incident occurred and all the poor people died. I don't know much more about the incident but since then the site has been a popular hiking, biking and off-road riding spot for the locals in southern Alberta and eastern British Columbia, not to mention the idiots who might travel some 240 Km to get there! 

Anyways we got ourselves to Crowsnest Pass and the guy said he wanted to get a coffee. He pulled in the packed parking lot and I guess it was some 08:15 hours. I saw a truck parking just next to us and as I was getting out of the car, I saw a guy leaving the truck. I approached him and asked him if he was from around the area. He confirmed and I asked him if he could help us to find the trail-head to the crash site. he agreed and we entered the coffee shop and waited in the line. My buddy came out of the washroom and I explained to him that the gentleman was about to help us to get to the trail-head. Then I whispered to him that we had to buy him a coffee as a sing of appreciation. The idiot first hesitated and then when I insisted, he agreed! We got the coffee and then the guy said he would take us there. We simply followed him and he showed us the road. It was only 4 km until we found a spot near the yellow bridge in the area that we had to park. By the time we started it was almost 08:40 but I didn't mind because we could have roam around without any results, probably for more than half an hour without finding the trail-head! 

Beautiful yellow star-shape flowers cover parts of the area. Not sure about the name!

It was very hot but I managed to go without difficulty. The guy was tired and was complaining about the rocks on the trail! Although a recreation road for ATVs and motorcycles we didn't see anything of anybody until we actually reached where the remaining pieces of the plane are scattered after they crashed 69 years ago. The guy was dead tired and got so happy that he was resting. There is a nice little waterfall nearby as well. So after taking a few photos I suggested the guy to follow the trail up to the top of the waterfall so we could go to the summit of Mt. Coulthard. He first agreed but then yelled from bellow that he would be going back! I didn't care because I wanted to go higher up. 

After a short steep ascent you reach a cirque. There are two summit-like and ranges around at both sides but the main summit and the highest is sitting in the back, in the south. I walked up on the loose rocks and some very faint trails until I guess I reached the ridge after almost 1 hour. From there, which is Alberta-British Columbia border, my assumption is that you have to hike east to get to the actual summit but considering the high wind and the guy whom I had left way below, I decided to head down after taking just a few minutes of break and enjoying the surrounding views. I do not think it was a long way to the summit, maybe half and hour or a little longer but I went down. By the time I reached down and joined my buddy, it was almost 14:00. He had enough rest I assumed so we headed down in the heat of afternoon. There was nothing much going on on the way back except that we saw a few mores ATV and motorcycle riders going up and down the trail but no hiker. The only interesting things on the way back were delicious wild Raspberries that I enjoyed them and a little cute bird we saw. i think it was a Ptarmigan or a Grouse. I'm not sure. 

The path to the crash site and the surrounding mountains. The one seen on right is, I guess, Andy Good Peak. Summit of Mt. Coulthard is behind the one on left

We reached the trail-head at 16:30 and marked our 07:50 hour trip. I enjoyed the trip and even the guy complaining and nagging didn't bother me. I wish I had gone to the summit but it is OK. I guess the hike would have much nice, had it been a nicer weather but not a big deal. I forgot my scarf and I drove the majority of the way back to the city and we reached home at about 20:00! 

(Photo, top: This is taken from the ridge and is aiming north. Crowsnest Mountain is seen at the center. I could not get a better shot considering I only had my small camera on. To my knowledge the main summit should be at my right to east but i could be wrong)

The Ugly & Fool

There was this idiot piece of shit that I went to Edmonton with once. We were sent there by the company to do a shit job. I didn't mind it. Was go to be away from the damn office for a day even when I had to drive for 300 Km! Then a year after that, yes after a whole year, we hit it off and we decided to go on a few short hiking trips. 

I enjoyed them all because he was being nice and helpful. I even said to him that I would like to go with him because I felt comfortable during the hike, beside him. I don't know what that meant to him. He finally quit the company and left last Dec. He said he would stay in touch so I told him to let me know when he's here so we could go for a few hike. The asshole was here without letting me know. Instead he hung out with other buddy of me whom he always kept our comings and goings a secret! I really didn't understand why he did that but he did it! The other guy was surprised too. The only thing I can think of is that he was offended with a few jokes I had made or something similar. I understand we are from completely different background but I don't think I said something that was offensive. The fact is the guy had been suffering from partial poverty for years. Never had a job paying him very well and the only reason he was working for the company was that his girlfriend had referred him. The girlfriend being a mid-level manager/supervisor of one of our client's, had bumped to him on one of her vacations somewhere in Central America, in one of two countries which has nothing but a few beaches and few palm trees and they had hit it off! The girl helped him to get out of the shit he was in and after that he felt that he owed her a lot. That was the main reason he left and followed the girl without even doing any job search! The girl is ugly and probably years older than him. No one would become her boyfriend if this fool had not been found! The ugly and fool became a good match and you know what is good about it? The name is interchangeable! Either one could be ugly or fool. The girl, although considered to be smart, because she was a mid-level manager/supervisor in a major energy company in the country, was not smart enough not to turn a very good job offer in a foreign country. She indicated that his boyfriend would be out of work for the whole period! What would he do, the poor guy?, she asked! What the fuck is he doing now? It has been 7 months and he's still out of work in the country of his origin! Wouldn't it better, if he was out of work and in a foreign country?! At least he could see places that people can only dream in their life. I guess some people are just born coward and pathetic. You can't change them! The Lady thinks I've given this little issue too much thought! Maybe she's right. I shouldn't give a shit to a pathetic loser who has no perspective in life and no respective for others. The hell with him! After all that could be part of their culture! The last thing I would like to say about this idiot is that he was so concerned about himself and he couldn't stand other enjoy or have something. He thought he was the best and others are nothing. A few times I told him about the plans I had or things I wanted to purchase (for example and camera lens) he mentioned that it would be expensive or asked, as a rhetorical question why I would need it! Every time I told him that was here or there. He would listen in silence and then he would talk about his trips in full excitement! I could easily sense that he was being eating from inside by jealousy! What a scumbag! I hope he remains out of work for a very long painful time!

A Very Beautiful Storm

We went for a little walk and wanted to buy a few small things from a local supermarket. The weather was felt as it was congested. There were so may clouds in the sky and mo wind had made them stagnant. There was no rain though. So you felt a sense of suffocation with the heat. I guess in the past 3 days of the weekend it the temperature was fluctuating in a narrow range of 28 to 31 degrees C. We were waiting for a little rain all Mon. after to cool off but rather than a few drops we didn't see anything. 

Today more the clouds were seen in the sky so I took my raincoat in the morning. At noon it was clear again so when I went for my usual noon walk I only had my shirt on. On the way back from work and even earlier, the weather got dark again but nothing was coming down. When I reached home and was changing to get ready for our new skating class, the storm hit! 

It was so intense that it felt like being under fire of 50 mill. caliber machine gun or something similar(!) with this difference that 50 mil. cannot fire as fast. It kept going for 15 to 20 min. and then turned to rain. We had to go. So I went and got the car and we hit the road. Ambulances and Fire Engines were whirling everywhere there was a bit of traffic but we managed to reach our destination on time. 

Water level quickly raised in some of the streets, making driving difficult and dangerous at time. It was impossible for passer-byes to even walk! 

I'm sure there were a lot of damages. We saw a Honda with its rear glass smashed. On one of the underpasses a Mercedes had been stopped with its all indicators flashing. Our car magically survived. It actually got cleaned! I guess if we had put the hood up, we could have had the engine cleaned as well! It was still raining when we were going home from Olympic Oval but it was not that bad. 

(Photo, top: Hail in our balcony. Unfortunately I do not have anything else beside them to scale. They were not very big, maybe the size of a Hazelnut, some of them bigger but they hurt a lot when they hit because of the velocity!)

25 Years after Kuwait's Invasion

I have never been able to understand what possibly was going on in the mind of someone such as Saddam Hussein who kept his country in war for almost 15 years. This apparently is not considering the years after he was captured, by the US troops, tried, charged and executed. If we consider the that time, I should say that the country have been involved with in a war for the past 27 years, maybe with a few months of break in between, if we look positively!

This criminal, Saddam, first invaded Iran in 1988, thought he would be able to capture the country in a short time. They were pushed back and then when both nations were ready to end the war, a few criminals who are not much better than Saddam and unlike him are still alive, who had found out that their survival deeply was dependent an continuance of the war, Hashemi Rafsanji for example, refused the ceasefire and the proposed plan of a few neutral countries after 2 years. That resulted in having the war for another 6 years, when finally in 1988 Iranian had to accept the UN 598 Resolution. 

Saddam took a break for about 2 years which in fact was a period of time that he was preparing his troops to invade Kuwait. That happened on the night of 02-Aug-1990. Kuwait in fact was one of many Arab countries who helped Iraq during the 8-year war with Iran. Kuwait poured millions of dollars in to Iraq, let Iraqi forces use there islands of them to lunch attacks against Iranians in Persian Gulf and was behind Iraq for any support they needed. After the war with Iran ended, Saddam decided to thank his Arab brothers and supporter by crossing to their border and capturing their oilfield! 

The US of course was aware of the attack. There's no doubt about that. The Kuwaiti royal family was notified of the invasion a few hours before it took place and they were airlifted outside the small country, to a safe place! Why? Because that gave Americans a reason to come to the region and kick Saddam's butt! They first introduced Desert Shield and then Desert Storm but stopped going to Baghdad to overthrow Saddam. Maybe Bush was too tired or too old for that. Or maybe he wanted to give his son George Bush the honer of capturing and liberating Iraq!  

After Kuwait liberation the US and its allies invaded Iraq again in 2003 and that has been the topic of conversation for years as why they did that. The US's reason was the weapon of mass destruction that they thought they would be a treat for the region and the world in general. Why this has never been justified, I, as someone who spent all those war years in the region and followed the news and event, believe that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. Some were used against Iranian troops and ethnic people of Iraq, to be more specific different chemical gases. Some were at the stages of development, for instance the cannons which Farzad Bazof, the Iranian-British journalist of Observer were investigating. Bazoft was hung in Iraq by the direct order of Saddam but the US and other Westerners never cared about Iranians or Kurds being killed by Saddam. The existence of real weapons of mass destruction were ignored for years.

The US troops pulling a MIG 25 out of sand! It was hidden by Iraqis to prevent their destruction during Operation Desert Storm. I wonder if that could be operational ever!

Anyways I remember the Aug. of 1990 clearly. I went to the newsstand every evening of those cold fall days of Tehran to get a copy of Kayhan which was a very popular daily newspaper on those days. As well I was following the news on TV. The news those days were mostly a direct translation from CNN but at times they had a reporter in the region including a time that they showed a border town of Iran which mistakenly and accidental was hit by Allies during the battles of Desert Storm. I was a university student on those years but was not paying much attention to my courses and exams! Perhaps that's why I'm in the shit-hole I am and have barely anyway to get myself out(!) but looking at the others who were much better students than me, I see that their situation is not much better! Anyways that's not the subject here. I remember that I was on a bus to Isfahan with e friend of mine and we were passing a small airport in Tehran-Qom Highway and we saw airplane that at the time we thought they had been flown from Iraq! It was funny and and almost unbelievable that a number of Iraqi jets flew to Iran to evade the US forces attacks and Iran let them in but they were not the ones, I don't believe, we saw in that little air strip in desert because they were civilian planes while the information I got from the web states that MIG and Sukhoi unless the one we saw were Ilyushin because they look civilian although they could be for strategic airlifting. 

The US troops finally left Iraq after Obama was elected president but the country is still in conflict. ISIS or Islamic States has control over parts of the northern Iraq while Iranians are closely watching them. Shia militia and Iraqi Army are defending the capital and other remaining cities and Kurds are as well involved. The continuance of the war is what major powers in the world want. That's how they sell their weapons in return for cheap oil! Iraq today is similar to Vietnam in 60's and 70's. The war seems never ending. The difference is Vietnam had China and Soviet Union to help him to get rid of  Americans. Would Iran play the same role for them to get rid of ISIS?!

(Photo, top: Destroyed Iraqi tanks and armored vehicles on Highway # 8 which connects southern Iraqi city of Basra to Kuwait City, during operation Desert Storm in 1990)

Farm Day

We turned this first day of Aug. to Farm Day by going to different farms around Highway # 22 or Cowboy Trail in north of Highway # 1. I had visited the road once but this time I was better familiar, as well we had destinations. The only problem this time was that I didn't have my T5 available to me because of what had happened on the way to Floe Lake, the day before.

Our plan was to hit the road in a way to reach the community of Bergen and see Bergen Farmers' Market but the road was longer than what we had expected and we reached there by about 10:45 which was fine. Bergen which has the same name as the Norwegian city in the east part of that country and is be one of the cities that I will visit, hopefully soon, is a very small community close to the Town of Sundre but the farmer's market of it is even smaller! 

The Lady was a little disappointed because there were not more than probably 10 merchants putting up their tents beside Bergen Community Hall. However we bought a jar of non-pasteurized Honey for $10, some Beets, a bag of supposedly Organic Peaches (they tasted good), a small bag of Basil which an old lady said she grew in her garden, a loaf of Bread from the same lady and she claimed she had cooked it and it tasted very good (no sugar) for $5 and I guess that was it. There were cookies, other baked goods, Pork and a few other stuff and for someone who lives in the surrounding area, it's not a bad trip to make but for Calgarians not worth the trip unless it's on their way or they go to one of other attractions of Cowboy Trail. The prices are very high. I guess because these people have their little market, they try to use the best of it but their good are really top quality, I would say, except for the guy who sold the Peaches and Beats to us. The Peaches had those small stickers to them, meaning he had purchased them from somewhere (most likely B. C.) and re-sold them to us. He had Garlic cloves for $2 each! He was very polite and also good at what he was doing. He explained about his produce in a very convincing manner.

This old style scale reminded me of my Grandfather. He used to run a small grocery store in the heart of Tehran Bazzar. He died almost 20 years ago. I had been to his small store which was not as popular in the last years any more but during the War year he was there with my Dad, my uncle and myself helping him distributing essential goods that you only could purchased to a certain level using special Coupons. It was more like of a hobby for him in those year as didn't bring much money to home. It's a very long story and lots of memories which has no place here. 

I almost forgot to say that we also bought a small bag of Green Peas and they look very good but I don't remember the price. Spending only maybe half an hour in that community after more than an hour and so drive was a bit of disappointment so The Lady suggested to check out a few of the farms that we had seen their signs on our way to Bergen. Heading back south on Cowboy Trail, the first farm you see is Solstice Berry Farm at your left. This farm is specialized in Saskatoon Berry and it was quite busy. It is very neat and has a small store. We had tried Saskatoon a few years back in The Saskatoon Farm and while they are good, I really didn't feel like walking in heat to pick a bucket of them. The farm has bagged Saskatoon, syrup, jam, pies and all other sorts of Saskatoon products and surprisingly people were buying. We didn't feel good(!) walking out empty handed so I bought a jar of 250 ml jam for $8. A lady was running the store and she said that their season usually ends in mid. Aug., in case anyone wants to go. The farm has a very nice pond which I bet if they sold admission for swimming, they would make lots of money but at the same time they probably have to get a permit, hire life-guards, there will be a chaos and such. So they probably never thought of that! People usually go nuts for swimming here especially if it's a sunny day with temperature around 28 Degrees C! 

Saskatoon Berry shrubs (I hope this is the right term to use) in Solstice Farm

Our next destination, which was a much better place, in our opinion was Buckler's Farm just a few kilometers down the road when you're heading south. This farm is a the same side of the road but not fancy like Solstice but the variety is much bigger. In fact Buckler's is a vegetable, herb and fruit garden. We were welcomed by a couple of dogs upon our arrivals. They were constantly barking and when I got out of the vehicle they ran toward me in a little scary manner but that's what farm dogs are supposed to act. They calmed down when their owner called them but had their eyes on us the entire time. We were first directed to a little vegetable patch where they grew Lettuce, Onion, Swiss Chards, Spinach and few other types of vegetables and herbs. The Lady pulled a few Lettuces out and we got a big bag for only $5. Then we followed the owner to Raspberry garden and started picking the berries. They were awesome but we only picked half a bucket which cost $9. Tired from heat and also yesterday's hike, I decided to leave after receiving OK from The Lady. 

Vegetable patch in Buckler's Farm. You see Lettuce here

We really enjoyed our time and were happy with most of our purchases although some were unexpectedly and unreasonably expensive. For example I forgot to mention that in Bergen Farmers' Market the old lady whom sold a few items to us had Croissants for $5 each! When The Lady asked how much they were. This is how she answered: They are expensive. $5 each! Apparently there are people who pay for that so they keep selling! 

There are other places near and around Cowboy Trail that you can enjoy your time. There are campgrounds, Spas, Provincial Parks (Big Hill Springs Provincial Park), Golf courses, Horse boarding, motels and hotels and other facilities. We may try a few of them later but they are mostly are not in our allies. For instance I've never been a fan of sleeping in campgrounds, playing Golf, going to Spa or similar but if you are there are lots of choices in the area. 

(Photo, top: I couldn't resist this photo. There are lots of Oil Pump Jacks around Cowboy Trail, They apparently suck oil out of the deep soil and bringing money to the companies and land owners)

Floe Lake

This weekend I decided to go an area that I had not been to. I checked with my buddy, Hope, whom his story will be mostly be told later, and he was not ready to join so I saddled up and left early for Kootenay National Park in eastern British Columbia. The park borders with Banff National Park so it's not very far but at least you have to drive around a little more than 150 to get there. My aim was Floe Lake, a moderate hike which found very beautiful. Although I had it in my direction guide, which I had extracted from Google Maps, the sign I was looking for did not exist(!) and I was about to miss my turn! At the last moment I turn my head back and saw a sign at the other side of the rode indicating Floe Lake! Thanks that the road was not very busy in that time. I turned back and pulled into the parking lot. To my surprise there were as many as 10 vehicles, at least were parked! I am always the first one at a trail-head. That was why I was very surprised. My surprise diminished quickly when I learnt there was a campground at the lake. People had come the previous morning and spent the night. I will have to write about these campgrounds later but since I have not stayed in any, I might have to wait until I sleep one night, at least, at one.

Nevertheless I started my hike at almost 07:35. The trail is a completely different one from everything I have hiked or scrambled so far. It starts in between rows of evergreens and crosses over Kootenay River after 10 minutes, taking you to the other side of the river and you're walking parallel to the river and Highway # 93 for about half an hour or maybe a little more. The first things that catch your eye rather than the beauty of Kootenay River and the trail are hundreds of burnt trees standing leaf-less beside each other. The area suffered a wildfire back in 2003, I read and although wildflowers and other vegetation give a unmatched beauty to the area, you can't close your eyes to this sadness. This would be seen for more than 3/4 of the trail, I would say. In fact after you reach a small waterfall and before you start a major ascend toward the lake, the burnt trees are seen. There was no one on the trail, the way I was going and after an hour or so the upcoming traffic started to come. There were not many of them but they were people who had spent the previous night at the campground. 

Carpets of Firewood flowers and hundreds of burnt trees alongside the trail

I was fine until the major ascent started and I guess I should not have had a quick start. The temperature was going up and I felt a little tired in a way that I had to stay for a drink of water. After I went up a hill and the trail became flat again I knew I had passed the hard part. It was just the matter of how long I should walk to reach the lake. I took my last picture (the one is seen on the top as the major photo of the post) shortly before seeing the lake and then in less than 5 min. I saw the lake. It was around 10:30 or so and I was 30 min. ahead of schedule. The first thing I noticed after seeing the nice colour of the lake and rocks of Floe Peak was a tent. I realized that I have arrived at the campground as well and I took my camera out to take as many picture as I could from all different possible angles. Not so fast buddy! The damn camera didn't turn on! I tried a few more times and simply turning the selector from Off position to On didn't do anything! Disappointed with Canon and its Rebel T5 which has served very well in the past 13 months, I walked down and sat at the shore of Floe Lake. It's a small lake, even smaller than Bourgeau Lake, Rockbound Lake and Crypt Lake, that I have been to so far but it is beautiful. I drank some water and just waited there to see what I can get from the camera! I few more tries didn't do anything until I walked around a little and decided to go back. That was almost 10:55. I tried one more time and I got the date setting on the screen but before doing anything the message faded out and was replaced with Change the Battery Pack message! I didn't understand why and still don't! If there was a problem with the battery why there was no warning message?! 

In ancient Iran, at the time of my grandparents and even my parents Flixweed used to consumed in drinks and for its different benefits. here I doubt many know what even it is. The tiny seed are in the seedpod, the long ones in this photo. This still is not ripened due to the weather here. When ripened you can hold the seedpod in your hand, drag it slowly and open your palm. What is left is the seeds and very thin seedpod which you can blow it way. 

I had no choice but leaving the camera in its bag and start going down the trail. I normally take my small camera with me as well but not this time. So it left a taste of dissatisfaction in my mouth. I didn't get any shot from the lake, there are many objects and scenes that you don't notice them on the way up and you get them on the way back. The light is different because the sun is higher in the sky and the angle is different so I lost at least 20 to 30 good photography opportunity on my descent which, I must insist, was very frustrating. For that reason and heat as well I pushed so hard that I caught up with all of the people that I had seen coming towards me or the ones who had started shortly after my arrival to the lake. It was almost 13: 30 when I reached the parking lot, making my total hike time an equivalent of  almost 06:00 hours including a total break of half an hour. 

Overall Floe Lake is a very nice hike which is definitely recommended. I said that before that I'm not a fan of sleeping outside but if you are the campground is available. Will I go there again? Most probably I will just to take the photos I wanted to take and couldn't but next time I will mix it with another hike in the area. 

(Photo, top: This is shortly before reaching the lake and the last shot I took with my camera. I contacted Canon Canada via e-mail. Hopefully I can get the camera fixed quickly and make it ready for the next trip)