Burstall pass

We recently went snow-shoeing at Burstall pass. When we left home we saw Whitetails on the highway. It was very cold, minus 16 plus wind-chill when we got there, which made it difficult to fasten the bindings. There were cross-country skiers, but the track splits up as the snowshoes mess up the cross country trails. We went over a frozen pond, I let Mr. T. go first just in case. Fortunately it was sunny and quite as we were alone, but it took along while for us to warm up. You just have to keep moving. Luckily Mr. T. had brought a flask, so we sat on our butts in the cold snow and had some tea. We decided to turn around as our dog had gotten ice between her toes and was getting uncomfortable. We bought her some Mukluks on our way home. We only saw Rabbit tracks. It was our first snowshoe of the season, but we are getting better, just turning around quickly or sitting down can make you fall, but the most important thing is to dress warmly, as you are walking in deep snow. We were only out for about 2 ½ hours, but I was glad to be back at the parking lot, by then it had gotten slightly warmer.

Burstall Pass - 12.12.2004 Snowshoe - Uncompleted

"The trailhead is along the Smith-Dorrien Trail (Secondary Road 742), about 20 km northwest of the Kananaskis Lakes and just a little further down the road from Black Prince Cirque. The trail itself, like others along that road, begins with an old logging road that runs more or less level through light forest for about three kilometers before crossing the flats below Robertson Glacier. Here there are braided channels that must be forded.

Past the flats, the trail climbs steeply for a kilometer through heavy forest to a beautiful open meadow in a hanging valley, where the ascent levels out. The final kilometer is a steep climb around a bluff and to the right. Burstall Pass itself is behind the bluff, and the views in all directions are expansive. Through the pass, Mount Assiniboine, only 20 km away; to the south, Mount Sir Douglas; to the east, Mount Birdwood and an eagle’s-eye view of the valley of Burstall Creek."