Trail Angels in the Foothills : Cochrane to Bragg Creek

The sky was still mostly dark when we woke up around 5:30 am, a pale streak of yellow just beginning to show above the mountains on the horizon.  We walked through the quiet streets of downtown Cochrane, stopping at Tim Hortons on the edge of town for a quick breakfast before climbing up to highway 22.  Today should hopefully mark our last full day of highway walking in Alberta.  The mountains are calling, and we are ready for a change of scenery! 

 

 

It was a long climb out of Cochrane on a road already busy with rush hour traffic, but the views back over the town site were beautiful.  After stopping at another Tim Hortons at the top of a long climb up to the edge of Cochrane, we passed the Fireside Bullrush Park, amazed to see silvery steam rising from its dark waters.  It felt like another harbinger of fall.  A small group of ducks was paddling on the still surface, leaving long wakes behind them. 

 

 

Although the roar of the unceasing traffic was unpleasant, we were grateful to have a wide paved shoulder to walk on, and the landscapes were stunning.  As we left the valley behind we found ourselves surrounded by hay fields that were dotted with truly enormous bales of hay.  The whiny screech of a Swainson's Hawk emanated from one such field and we soon spotted the bird perched atop one of the bales.  

 

 

As the morning progressed the hills became more rolling, and we began to pass horse and cattle ranches.  Every so often there would be a break in the traffic, and for a few short moments we could hear the dry munching of the cattle, the soft huff of their breath, and the gentle swishing of their legs in the tall grass.  

 

Beyond the rolling agricultural fields we could see dark treed ridges, and beyond that the faint outlines of the mountains disappearing into the distance.  Although we were a bit disappointed that the mountains were hiding in a thick haze, they did have a very soft, layered look that was extremely beautiful in its own way. 

 

 

Just as we were approaching the Trans Canada Highway, two interesting things happened.  The first was that as we crested a rather large hill we were suddenly able to see our breath.  The air temperature didn't seem to fall noticeably, but suddenly our breath made large, soft, plumes ahead of us. 

 

 

The other high point of interest was stopping at a small pond that was full of shorebirds.  The loud calls of indignant Killdeer rang out from both sides of the road.  About half a dozen Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs were wading along the muddy shoreline, foraging for snacks.  They were joined by a small group of Baird's Sandpipers, as well as several other species, but identification was difficult because the similar looking shorebirds appeared as black silhouettes against the sunlit waters. 

 

 

After taking a short break to watch and photograph the birds, we proceeded towards the Trans Canada Highway, otherwise known as Highway 1.  There was construction taking place on an on-ramp, construction on the overpass, and construction on the far side of the overpass that continued almost all the way to Highway 8.  The one advantage this seemed to have for us was that the traffic was moving much slower as we slid along the side of the narrow overpass. 

 

 

As Bruce had warned us when he and Lucie took us out for dinner in Calgary, the road got much busier between highways 1 and 8.  Apparently this was because the transports travelling east beyond Calgary cut down to highway 8 to avoid driving through the middle of the busy city.  

 

 

As we walked past the construction, which seemed to involve an entire army of vehicles, we were amazed to see an absolutely enormous mansion sitting by itself in the middle of a field.  The two-storey building had two wings, one with 16 windows across the front, and the other with 9 garage doors along the bottom. The roof was adorned with copper caps, and the entire property was surrounded by metal fencing.  In the midst of an otherwise empty landscape on the side of a busy highway the building was simply surreal. 

 

 

After passing through some further construction, where the road had been diverted around a bridge replacement, we came to the Elbow River.  This river originates in Elbow Lake, about 49 km west of where we crossed it, and drains a watershed that is 1235 km sq.  Like the Bow River, it was shallow, fast flowing, crystal clear, and turquoise in colour. 

 

As we crossed the river we were momentarily teased by the sight of a picnic table on the far shore. Highway walking is always hard, because there is no opportunity to stop for a rest or to take a bathroom break.  We momentarily got excited, thinking this might be a spot to stop, but we soon discovered it was on private property belonging to Camp Hope.  This children's camp is run by the Christian non-profit group Hope Mission, which is dedicated to helping and feeding those most in need. 

 

 

Just as we were passing the camp we noticed a car stopping on the opposite side of the road.  A man got out of his vehicle and crossed the extremely busy highway before he began walking towards us. It turned out that he had stopped to offer wonderful trail magic - cold drinks and chocolate bars!  He was a hiker himself and knew that there are few things better and more appreciated than a cold drink and an energy boost on a long hike.  We greatly appreciated his kindness and it really made our day – especially as the day offered no breaks for us until Bragg Creek!

 

We quickly drank both Gatorades and continued on trudging down the busy highway.

Shortly after this wonderful meeting we came to a rather hair-raising roundabout at the junction of highways 22 and 8.  Crossing the busy and fast paced on and off shoots involved some undignified scurrying, but we made it safely across, and were very pleased to find that as promised, the traffic decreased considerably after this point.  Most of the vehicles were smaller cars with bicycles, kayaks, or windsurfers tied to the backs or tops, or RVs rather than transports.  It really felt like we were entering Canada's playground – the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

 

 

The landscape also seemed to take on a different feel at this point.  The road was bordered by forests of tall pines and rolling hills.  Occasionally a hay field or horse ranch opened up the landscape.  Ahead of us we could see the mountains rising up in the distance, and we could feel that we were gently but constantly climbing. 

 

It felt like we were getting closer to our destination when we passed the Bragg Creek Paintball compound, which looked like it had a very elaborate setup.  However, we still had about 10 km to walk.  As we walked we noticed an increasing number of cyclists on the road - in total probably about a dozen, which is more than we've seen in a single day in a long time outside of larger cities. 

 

 

We soon came to the edge of Redwood Meadows, which is unique in that it is partially an independent town site, but it is also on the land of Tsuu T'ina First Nation.  As a result, it is managed by a town council under a stewardship agreement with the First Nation.

We didn't see much of the community except a row of very large homes tucked in among the trees and hidden behind a tall grassy berm, and a sports park.  However, on the other side of the road we noticed that the fencing that bordered the Tsuu T'ina Nation 145 Reserve was adorned with children's stuffed toys – dozens or perhaps hundreds - tied to the fence posts with orange ribbons.

 

 

The teddy bears were placed by members of Stoney Nakoda First Nation and are a tribute to the children who lost their lives in the country's many residential schools.  At the end of May 2021 the remains of 215 Indigenous children had been found in unmarked graves near Canada's largest Residential School outside Kamloops, BC. Canada had 146 residential schools, 25 of which were in Alberta. It is difficult to put a number on how many unmarked graves have or will be discovered  outside Residential Schools in Canada, but it may be close to 6,000.  The number of teddy bears on the fence along the Highway has been growing since 2021. 

 

The Tsuu T'ina First Nation are an Athapaskan (or Dene) group.  They were once part of the Dane-zaa Nation (Beaver Nation) who migrated into the Great Plains during the 1700's.  They were present in the Beaver Hills near Edmonton in the 1810's, where they co-existed with the Cree. Later they moved westward and formed an alliance with the Blackfoot. 

 

We passed by a large PowWow and rodeo grounds where a rodeo is held every 3 to 4 years which attracts thousands of visitors.  In addition to rodeo events there is also traditional dancing and drumming. It sounded like quite an impressive event to witness, but as we walked past, the grounds were empty and closed.

 

On the other side of the road we passed the Redwood Meadows Golf and Country Club.  In contrast, the course was very busy with people out playing golf on this beautiful sunny afternoon. 

 

 

To our delight, on the far end of the golf course we spotted the Redwood Meadows - Bragg Creek Trail, which was a crushed stone dust footpath running parallel to the highway.  It was so lovely to step away from the traffic for a while, and to be surrounded by trees!  Almost immediately we spotted a chipmunk sitting atop a root and eating quietly.  Above it a flock of very active and highly Boreal Chickadees was foraging in the conifers. It was wonderful to be able to stop and enjoy the wildlife! 

 

 

For the next 5 km we enjoyed this beautifully forested track, catching periodic glimpses of the mountains ahead of us through the trees.  It was a gorgeous sunny afternoon, and before we knew it the pleasant forested track had brought us into Bragg Creek. 

 

This charming hamlet, which offers stunning mountain scenery, is well known for its shopping, restaurants, and access to a whole network of hiking, biking, skiing, and equestrian trails.

 

 

The town is named after Albert Warren Bragg from Collingwood, Nova Scotia who homesteaded here in 1894.  The community was established between a forestry reserve, the Tsuu T'ina First Nation Reserve, and Bragg Creek Provincial Park, and it sits along the beautiful Elbow River, nestled among the forested foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

 

 

When we walked into the main shopping area we discovered it had a definite cowboy theme.  The strip mall had wooden facades on the storefronts and a covered wooden walkway outside.  The Cowboy Roast House, the Powderhorn Saloon, and the Swamp Donkey Musical Theatre Society were only some of the places we passed.  Of course, we stopped for an ice cream at the Frontier Candy and Ice Cream Co. 

 

 

We enjoyed our break in the town, although it had a definite resort feel to it.  Sufficiently rested, we walked 2 km out of town to the campground, which is located right on the shores of the beautiful Elbow River.  It wasn't quite like anything else we've stayed at before, but we were delighted to see a herd of horses wandering freely among the campsites.  The Onespot Crossing Campground offers the option to stay in tepees, to glamp in tents by the river, or to camp in a tent or RV. 

 

 

Today was the second full day we've walked with our heavy packs and it was a long one.  We go to bed a little sore and a little tired, but overall I think it went pretty well, and we are definitely getting exciting for the mountains that lie ahead.

 

See you on the trail!

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