Revelstoke

Lynne Young and I spent four days in Revelstoke this past week. Other than going on the Eva Lake hike near Revelstoke with the Vernon Outdoors Club a few years ago, I had never spent any time in the area nor had I seen the town that Terry Keough comes from; although I had seen his painting of it. I was impressed with the town itself and the recent improvements made to the mountain area, which I had heard a lot about. It has always been known as a CPR hub and an area where really good skiers go for the snow and steep runs, but increasingly it is becoming a four season tourist area with facilities for all levels of skiers, mountain bikers, climbers and hikers. Lynne and I visited the CPR Railway Museum before registering in our hotel on Tuesday afternoon. We were impressed by the exhibits showing the monumental labour involved in getting the tracks through the Rogers Pass and across the mountains in general. The Rogers Pass route through the Selkirk Mountains which was used between approximately 1885 and 1916 was difficult to build and dangerous to operate, largely because of avalanches. 

Our hike on Thursday was the Great Glacier hike which starts near the site of Glacier House, a luxurious CPR Hotel that attracted tourists from all over the world to climb, hike and site see from 1887 until soon after the CPR line ceased to use the Rogers Pass. It was finally torn down in 1925 but parts of the heavy stone foundation remain near the trailhead. The glacier that guests at Glacier House could have walked to has receded to such an extent that we could only glimpse it in the distance. Aside from the views, one of the best parts of the hike was the fact that it followed one of the many small meltwater rivers flowing from the glaciers, so we were always within the sound of running water. 

Our hike on Wednesday was the Stoke Climb Trail which starts at the top of the second gondola. It also was a moderate hike with wonderful views. 

We drove home on Friday, stopping to walk to two waterfalls before continuing on highway 23 and on to highway 6. I was glad that Lynne had suggested this route because I had never driven it and it included two short ferries. 

Melt water pouring off the glacier

The group that went on the Stoke Trail hike