Day 5 Staying Cool in the Sawback – Banff NP

Day 5 Mystic Valley CG to Moose Meadows TH, 18.5 km, 435 m elevation gain, 940 m elevation loss, 6 hrs 20 min.

Elevation profile Day 5. Easy uphill followed by a lot of down.

Morning seemed to come quickly. I was up and out of the tent just after 6:30 am. The last morning of a trip is always bitter sweet. The trip is quickly coming to an end but you get to go home and enjoy all the comforts of front country living thinking hot shower. Plus there is always a greasy post hike meal to close out the trip to look forward to.

Had breakfast and coffee with a view. 6:50 am.

I really do enjoy the early mornings. The peace and tranquility of nature is a great way to reset the body and mind before the day.

I had some hot spots but no blisters. My feet are always on the edge of becoming a problem. This was a good trip for the feet.

Frosty all ready to go for one last fun day on trail. 8:35 am.

I took my time getting ready as we were on target for our typical 9 am start. I was expecting another hot day as there was hardly a cloud in the sky. A running joke among the group was that if someone spotted a cloud, no matter how small, they would comment “looks like rain”. The comment always elicited some giggles and laughter and was a great if only momentary distraction to the heat.

Ken putting on the mandatory sunscreen while looking for any sign of relief from the sky. No relief was forthcoming. 8:49 am.

Lovely looking mountain. There is a lot of geology going on here. Threatening rain cloud coming over the peaks, if only it was true.

We hit the trail at 9:10 am. The first few minutes of the hike would be repeating most of steps back to Mystic Lake. The trail is only moderately uphill but is very rocky as it appears to be part of the local drainage system. Could be pretty wet and treacherous in the spring or when it rains.

The junction to Mystic Lake. We will be taking the right fork to Mystic Pass. Spencer already feeling the heat and converting his pants to shorts.

Considering how small the water crossing is this is quite the bridge. Could have used a couple of these on yesterdays stream crossings. Ken and Spencer admiring the size of the tree that appeared to have at some point fallen across the bridge.

The trail up to the pass is in very good shape and well graded. Only momentarily is the trail ever approach something that could be characterized as steep. The trail and the tree cover made for very pleasant hiking conditions. It is just 3.7 km from the campground to the pass with an elevation gain of 340 m. The average grade to the pass is less than 100m/km which for the Rockies is petty nice grade.

Little bit of flood debris. Another day with wet feet.

Must be approaching the pass the trees are getting smaller and starting to thin out.

A patch of snow. Keep forgetting it has just been a couple of weeks since Spencer had a trip in the Rockies cancelled by Parks Canada due to avalanche risk.

Starting to get close to the pass. I think it would be very interesting to visit Mystic Pass with a geologist for and explanation of what happened and why. My guess is the drainage lies on a fault which would be a weak point in the rocks.

The Gang taking in a long view. Ken looking serious for some reason. The peaks in the background frame Mystic lake but are themselves nameless.

Can you spot the happy hikers. Sometimes humans are needed to appreciate the scale of the landscape.

Moss Campion, my favourite alpine flower.

Still snow deep in the trees as we approach the pass.

Hedysarum boreale (northern sweetvetch).

The pass is just up and over this slope.

One last meadow to cross before the pass.

Everyone looking somewhere different. It is quite the pass with striking scenery in every direction.

We arrived at Mystic Pass at 10:35 am. We had covered the 4 km from camp in pretty swift 1 hr 20 min.

We hung around the pass for about 15 minutes. It was really too early for a break so we headed across the alpine meadow which would lead us to the next leg of journey the steep descent into Larry’s Camp. Arriving at Larry’s Camp where we had lunch on day 1 would complete the lollipop loop of our trip. After Larry’s Camp it would be an easy 8 km hike back to the trailhead on trails we traveled back on day 1. The trip was rapidly coming to its conclusion.

Chis just disappearing around the corner.

Chris entering into the trees. This signals the end of the alpine and the beginning of our descent.

After leaving Mystic Pass there is about 400 m of alpine walking. Arriving back to the forest signals the end of the meadow and the beginning of the descent down into the valley. It was interesting that the forest really did not extend much into the meadow but formed a sharp boundary at the beginning of the downhill.

Spencer and Chris taking a long look at the view. The ridge in the distance is Helena Ridge which formed the west side of the valley we hiked alongside on our way to Luellen Lake on Day 1.

Ken gave me my trail name Shutterbug on our first trip together when we hiked the Brazeau in 2017. I am unable to pass a waterfall without taking my camera out. There were not many waterfalls on this trip so I did the best I could with what was offered.

A short respite from the downhill hiking was a little walk through the willows.

The valley narrows at this point and I am guessing the constant rockfalls have prevented trees from gaining a foothold making for a reasonably pleasant grassy walk.

Looking to the right from the previous photo. From the top of the peak you should be able to see Sawback Lake where we camped on Day 3.

It may not look like it but this section was quite steep.

As we were descending a particularly steep section we ran into a family of five heading uphill. Dad was leading the train with the three girls in between him and mom. Dad was fairly perky and talkative but mom was all business as she passed us. They were doing our loop but going counter clockwise. This would be a very hard first day with loaded packs and I would try to avoid it but sometimes your route is determined by the campground bookings you get.

This section is almost like walking in a rain forest with lots of moss on the rocks and trees and soft springy tread underneath.

On our way down to cross the creek draining Mystic Pass.

Spencer pausing to take in the view. This is not the same bridge as in the previous photo but was taken 15 minutes later as we crossed a smaller tributary to creek.

We are back to the Y junction at Larry’s Camp. Time for lunch.

Lunchtime. Found some shade to hide in the sun. I took full advantage of my chair as Chris and Ken sat in the dirt.

We arrived at Larry’s Camp at 1 pm. We had covered 10.4 km gaining 340 m of elevation to the pass followed by losing 570 m to lunch at Larry’s Camp. After lunch we would have a relatively easy mostly downhill 8 km hike back to the car with one little rise impeding our progress right after the Ink Pots.

Lunch was relaxing but the day was getting hotter and the car was not getting closer so after 45 minutes we packed up and hit the trail. This section of trail between Larry’s Camp and the Ink Pots would be last bit of solitude we would have in the backcountry. Once we reached the Ink Pots there would be a steady stream of people hiking the trail although most would be going through Johnston Canyon whereas we would be heading to Moose Meadows Trail Head on slightly quieter trail.

Spencer has a couple of young boys that he has started backpacking with and was looking at different ways to keep their hikes interesting. With both Ken and Chris both having biology degrees Spencer took advantage of them during the hike to learn more about plants and bugs. Getting little facts and tidbits that he could use later on hikes with his boys. I remember a few stops on this section with three people intently staring at some bug walking on a plant. Riveting stuff.

Simple bridge crossing. One of my favourite mountains in the distance Mt Ishbel (2908 m). A classic front range mountain with steeply dipping almost vertical slabs.

Approaching the Ink Pots. Spencer checking his phone to make sure we are not lost

Last on trail photo. The Ink Pots is about 2 minutes away.

As we were leaving the Ink Pots we met three women heading out on a trip on the Sawback. Their first destination was Mystic Lake. We stopped and chatted for a couple of minutes. After departing we just put our heads down and hiked hard to the finish.

As we arrived at the trail head I was happy to see my white Ford Flex waiting eagerly for us. In the parking lot there was a family just unloading bulging backpacks from their car getting ready for their own adventure. Ken trying to be helpful stopped to talk to them for a few minutes sharing some thoughts of the trail with them.

Not sure about the details but Ken and Chris got delayed giving the family some intel on the hike that they were about to begin.

Clean clothes but still grimy. Happy crew at the end of the hike.

Hiking trips are not over until the post hike meal. Burgers, fries and beer at the Grizzily Paw downtown Canmore. Post script, we had not showered yet.

The trip around the Sawback Loop was a amazing time with a great bunch of guys. It was disappointing to lose Don on Day 2 but in the big picture things with his feet have worked out and he has rebooked the trip for the summer of 2025 to hike with his son. This was my first group hike and we have already have plans for an expanded hike with a slightly larger group for 2025. The Sawback has many great hiking options and is a wonderful way to get a little off the beaten path of some of the more popular trails in the Canadian Rockies.

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