Again, we headed west from Cochrane along Highway 1A where we met up with Johnny (White Mule) and Curtis (Curter) at the intersection of Highway 40. After brief introductions for Curtis – his inaugural trip – we headed along Highway 40 through Benchlands and Waiparous Village.
Shortly after leaving pavement behind on Highway 40 we turned left onto the TransAlta Road, entering the Ghost Forest Land Use Zone for what was looking to be a promising day with a relatively warm (for the season) nine degrees and sunny skies with some cloud cover.
We stopped at the now usual (second time for me) viewpoint for a photographic moment so Linda, Johnny and Curtis could enjoy what had staggered me two weeks ago when Dennis and Dee Dee had shown me the grandeur of this little part of the Rocky Mountains…
We continued along TransAlta Road enjoying the sights along the way. Here Devil’s Head looms in the distance while Carp leads White Mule, Curter and myself along the road…
We descended Big Hill and crossed the river bed and up onto the dyke on the far side. Following the dyke for a short way we then veered off toward the valley entrance. Giant mountains such as this one greet us as we approach…
It’s almost impossible to see in the picture but right on the highest peak of this mountain is a hikers cabin. The cabin has suffered at the hands of the strong winds that seem to blow incessantly and now sits in a state of disrepair but it is still visible from the valley floor.
Just before the trail heads west into the valley of the Don Ghetty Wildland Park another amazing sight presents itself…
The cliff face to the left side of the mountain is a popular climbing face I believe is called Silver Haired Devil’s Tongue.
Heading into the valley of the Don Ghetty Wildland Park we are faced with our first river crossing. There are quite a number of crossings that form part of the trail. There is no avoiding them and the crossings are allowed on portions of marked trails only. Here Dennis and Dee Dee negotiate the first crossing…
Even shallow crossings such as this are tricky to negotiate in the Winter as the water dropped from vehicles either side of the river freezes and makes for a very slick exit. On top of that, drivers should be aware that wet brakes freeze quickly in cold weather so it is advisable to ride your brakes a bit to dry them out as much as possible.
Johnny wades carefully into another crossing…
Just after this crossing we round a corner and are greeted by a popular ice climbing site called ‘GBA’ which is an astonishing wall of blue ice. It’s difficult to see the colour when the sun is directly on the ice as it was when we stopped and gathered for a photo op…
Leaving ‘GBA’ we head further up the valley in search of a place to stop and gather for lunch. The weather remained clear but the wind was unbelievable! Predictions called for 110km/h gusts but I’m sure there were several times it exceeded predictions as a couple of us were almost blown right off our feet. Still, the sights more than made up for the wind…
The winds that constantly plague the valley cause a lot of snow drifts even when there’s not a lot of snow present. Here, Johnny veered right in an attempt to avoid a deep drift only to get swallowed by a deeper one…
A little further up the valley we circled the wagons for a lunch break. Dennis gathered some wood and got a fire going, Johnny cooked wieners for all then created an extra special moment for us by allowing the group to be the first to hear him play the Love Theme From the Godfather on his harmonica. I felt it to be a near religious experience. We were surrounded by amazing scenery and the wind added extra drama by blowing snow off the highest peaks with the sun as backlight. I found myself wishing for a bigger camera lens that could capture the moment but settled for video instead. Here’s a couple shots…
After lunch we decided to try to get further back into the valley, which we did for a bit until we got to the same river crossing that Dennis and Dee Dee got stuck in last time. This week the ice shelves were more significant. Dennis and Dee Dee made the first attempt and after a bit of persuasion managed to cross successfully while demonstrating some tricky driving going sideways upstream on three wheels…
To be absolutely sure it was passable, Dennis and Dee Dee made the return trip before we sent anyone else over and gave us a little wheel spinnin’ action…
After Dennis and Dee Dee re-crossed the river we sent Curtis across for his attempt. He descended into the river and bumped up against the ice shelf on the other side. No go! He tried several times then decided to try a different angle subsequently getting stuck…
After extricating Curtis from his situation and his successful bumpy crossing, I made my crossing to be able to say I did it then we turned around and headed back out as it was getting late in the day.
Back up on the TransAlta Road we were discussing the fact we hadn’t seen any wildlife all day. Shortly after, we ran across 4 wild horses in a clearing beside the road. I’d heard of the wild horses but have never actually seen any…
Back at the viewpoint we stopped at on the way in, Mother Nature said good bye in dramatic fashion with an amazing sunset!...
One last stop along a ridgeline to soak up the beauty and we said our goodbyes to each other before heading back onto Highway 40 on the return trip to Calgary and home.
Until next time… happy trails!
FYI Maclean Creek FLUZ is closed this time of year. I would suggest Waiparous Valley area which is north of the Ghost on Highway 40.
You must be REALLY excited about Santa's arrival! 
