Colonel's Cabin Historic Site

Trip Date: October 2014

When you think of World Wars I and II a lot of vivid imagery likely comes to mind, but I'm willing to bet the Canadian Rockies are not something you pictured.  Kananaskis Country and Banff National Park were both sites of internment and prisoner-of-war (P.O.W.) camps during those dark times.  Located on what is now the site of the University of Calgary's Biogeosciences Kananaskis Field Station you'll find remnants of Camp 130, an internment camp and later a German P.O.W. camp.  

Located approximately 10km south of the Trans Canada Highway along Highway 40, the Colonel's Cabin Historic Site features a series of three Barrier Lake Forestry Trails including the Forest Ecology Loop (1.5km), the Forestry Loop (0.8km), and the History Loop (0.3km).  The History Loop guides you through what was once the Kananaskis Forest Experimental Station before it was transformed into the P.O.W. camp during the Second World War.  

This cabin was first used as the office for the relief camp

In 1934 a forest experimental station was established to provide an outdoor laboratory for research on tree growth, soils, forest pests and disease, hydrology, and forest fires.  Shortly after its opening the station became the site of an unemployment relief camp where unemployed single men from the prairies provided physical labour.  The log cabin was one of the last buildings constructed on the site and served as the relief camp office.  

Between 1939 and 1945 the cabin was occupied by Colonel Hugh de Norban Watson

Constructed in 1936 by the Department of National Defence, the cabin was converted to the commandant's quarters at the start of World War II.  The camp commandant, Colonel Hugh de Norban Watson, used the cabin as his office from 1939 to 1945.  Hugh de Norban Watson (1886-1952), after whom the cabin is named, was a Colonel with the Canadian Armed Forces.  In recent years the Colonel's Cabin has functioned as a forestry office and visitor centre.  On August 4, 1982, it was designated an Alberta Provincial Historic Site.

Guard Tower #8 from Camp 130 in Kananaskis 

As World War II raged in Europe and North Africa, this tower stood close to this location, but in a setting far different from today's.  At that time, guards with rifles sat in this tower peering down at prisoners of war.  

Seven main guard towers stood in Camp 130, when it opened in 1929.  Some were equipped with search lights and all were fully armed.  Along with two auxiliary towers, the seven were manned by the Veterans' Guard on a 24-hour basis.  A low-voltage warning wire and two high barbed wire fences surrounded the camp prisoners' compound and scouts regularly patrolled the perimeter.

Guard Tower #8 with Mount Baldy in the background

At first, security was considered adequate for the 600 or so young German merchant seamen interned here, but as the war dragged on, captured German fighting forces, including high-ranking officers, were brought to Camp 130.  Escape plots were suspected and tunneling was discovered.

As a precaution against escapes, an eighth main guard tower with a powerful search light was added.  A military plan of Camp 130 dated August, 1944 shows the new tower.  It was located outside the prisoners' compound overlooking the camp, about 100m southwest from where it stands now.

When Camp 130 closed, the Dominion Forestry Service moved the tower to the top of a nearby mountain ridge where it was used as a fire lookout until 1982.  In 1984 Guard Tower #8 was moved to its current location, near the place it stood beside the barbed wire.  

Outside of the Colonel's Cabin and the Guard Tower, nothing much remains at the site.  The History Loop winds it's way through the nearby forest where you'll find a couple of crumbling foundations, but not much else.  

One of the foundations from Camp 130

Some concrete and an indentation in the ground, likely from a building

An old fencepost that would have held a gate at one time

Another foundation that's completely overgrown

The Veterans' Guard of Canada was organized in 1940 to help protect important buildings and vital installations such as air bases, refineries, and manufacturing plants from acts of sabotage.  Within a short time the Guard was placed in charge of internment camps and prisoner-of-war camps, such as Camp 130.  

The Veterans' Guard was comprised of men who served in the First World War and even in the Boer War.  Owing to the shortage of young men, many Veterans' Guard ranged in age up to 60 years.  Most men were under the age of 50.  Membership grew from an original 10 companies of 2,000 men in 1940 to 75 companies of 15,000 men in 1945.

Veterans' Guard of Canada Memorial near Camp 130

The inscription on the plaque in the photo above reads, 

"Over 10,000 veterans of World War I (1914-1918) enlisted to serve in World War II (1939-1945) forming a special army unit in May 1940 known as the Veterans' Guard of Canada. 

Prevented from overseas service because of age, these veterans were utilized in training active service recruits, protecting military installations, war plants, vital utilities, and railroads against sabotage.  One of their more important roles was guarding prisoners-of-war.

This was the site of World War II Seebe Internment Camp No. 130, which originally held conscientious objectors and enemy seamen.  The camp later held 650 prisoners of war, most were officers captured from the German Afrika Korps by the British Eighth Army in North Africa.  A temporary tent camp nine kilometers north on Morley Flats held 10,000 prisoners in 1942 awaiting transfer to the newly built P.O.W. Camp No. 133 in Lethbridge, Alberta. 

During 1945 and 1946 the prisoners-of-war from Seebe Camp, guarded by soldiers of the Veterans' Guard, cleared trees for the construction of Barrier Lake Reservoir."

Most of the information written in this post was obtained from interpretive signs throughout the historical site.  I've driven past the Colonel's Cabin numerous times, but never took the time to stop and appreciate an important part of Alberta's history.  Next time you're in K-Country, save half an hour and explore the site for yourself.  You won't be disappointed.

Elbow Lake

Trip Date: October 2014

Over the Thanksgiving weekend Christine's family and I decided to head out to Kananaskis and hike up to Elbow Lake.  The lake sits at the bottom of a valley in the Elbow Pass are of Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, which is part of the Kananaskis Country park system.  The trailhead is at the Elbow Pass Day-Use Area, which is approximately 60km south of the Trans-Canada Highway along Highway 40.  Elbow Lake Trail is relatively short (only 1.4km one-way), but it's steep and gains 120m of elevation rather quickly.

Looking towards the Elk Range and the Little Elbow Pass (right)

The lake itself lies at an elevation of 2,120m (6,960ft.) and is the headwater for the Elbow River that eventually meets the Bow River in Calgary.  The trail is open to a variety of users including hikers, mountain bikers, horseback riders, and even anglers, so be prepared to meet a variety of different people along the trail.  

A section of the trail, which is actually an old road

Elbow Lake

There's a backcountry campground along the lake's southern shoreline.  The Elbow Lake Backcountry Campground features 15 sites and has vault toilets, fire wood, and bear-proof food storage lockers.  It would be a great place to do some camping in the summertime, but remember backcountry permits are required.

The southern end of Elpoca Mountain 

The northern slopes of Mount Rae

Christine and I standing on the lakeshore

One last look at the picturesque lake before heading back to the parking lot

Overall it was a pretty good day in the mountains.  The wind was quite chilly, but the sun was shining and that can make all the difference.  I'll have to remember this spot for future hiking and/or camping trips.  

Boom Lake

Trip Date: September 2014

The last weekend in September Christine and I headed to Banff National Park for a short day-hike.  Our destination was Boom Lake, a moderate trail 7km west of Castle Junction on Highway 93 South.  The trail itself is 10.2km roundtrip, with an elevation gain of 175m.  

Boom Lake is one of the largest and most easily accessible backcountry lakes along the Great Divide.  While its forest-encircled waters are peaceful, the glaciated peaks that surround it are rugged and magnificent.  The trail winds through a heavily forested area featuring some of the largest subalpine trees in Banff.  

The trailhead for Boom Lake

A wooden bridge over a small creek starts this beautiful hike

Moss-covered rocks surround this small spring

The trail to Boom Lake

The lake is named for a naturally occurring log boom created by deadfall that washes up in a line in the shallows near the lake's eastern end.  The lake and surrounding peaks were hidden behind clouds when we first got there, but they quickly burnt off revealing a spectacular view!

Boom Lake with Boom Mountain shrouded in clouds

Mount Quadra above the crystal-clear waters of Boom Lake

My hiking partners, Christine and Rome

This Gray Jay, also known as a Whiskey Jack, was looking for handouts

Rome didn't even notice this Red Squirrel on the side of the trail

Although this trail is quite popular in the summertime, it's also open to cross-country skiers during the winer months.  It would be nice to see the change in scenery when everything is covered in a fresh blanket of snow.  I guess that's something I need to add to my to-do list for the upcoming winter season.  

Moose Mountain

Trip Date: September 2014

Moose Mountain is a popular hiking and mountain biking destination in Kananaskis Country.  Over the summer and early fall I spent a few days biking in the West Bragg Creek area of K-Country, but had yet to take advantage of the shuttle option that's available on Moose Mountain.  In the middle of September two of my co-workers (Jeff and Mike) invited me to ride Moose Mountain with them and I jumped at the chance.  We parked one vehicle at the Moose Mountain Trailhead Provincial Recreation Area, which is part of the greater Kananaskis Parks System.  The parking lot is approximately 75km west of Calgary along Highway 66.  You have to turn north off of the highway onto a gravel road that will take you 7km up the flank of Moose Mountain.  Here you can park your vehicle and choose from a number of different trails that will take you down.  We chose to ride Moose Packers Trail to Ridgeback, which would eventually take us to Station Flats where the second vehicle was waiting.  

Trail Map provided by the Moose Mountain Bike Trail Society

The view shortly after starting our ride

The peak on the left is the summit of Moose Mountain.  If you look closely you can see a black dot on the top, which is actually a fire lookout station.

A section of Moose Packers Trail 

A meadow where Moose Packers trail turns in Ridgeback Trail

Ridgeback Trail

Following Jeff along the trail

The view really opened up along this section of the trail

Looking way back towards the summit of Moose Mountain

Wrapping up a great ride

Utilizing the shuttle really opens up a lot of options for riding.  The majority of our ride on this day was all downhill, which isn't normally the case.  There are numerous other trails in the area to explore, but make sure you do your homework as many of them are considered to be downhill-type trails, which may require additional safety equipment or even a different bike.  I can't wait to go back to Moose Mountain and try a few of the other options that are there.  I wouldn't even mind hiking to the summit.  I bet the view from up there is pretty amazing!

Eiffel Lake

Trip Date: September 2014

"If you don't like the weather in Alberta, wait ten minutes!"  I was introduced to that expression shortly after moving here from Saskatchewan.  At first I thought people were being a bit over dramatic, but the longer I live here the more realistic that statement becomes.  That espression really hit home when Christine, Sarah, Jeff, and I hiked to Eiffel Lake in early September.  We experienced all four seasons over the span of a few hours.  Sunshine, rain, wind, snow, and drastic temperature changes were all prevalent throughout the day.

Eiffel Lake is located in the Moraine Lake area of Banff National Park.  The trailhead is the same for the hike to Larch Valley. If you'd like more information about Larch Valley please read my previous posts here and here or the most recent story I did for Calgary is Awesome.  Parks Canada rates the hike as 'moderate'.  It's 5.6km one-way with an elevation gain  of 370m.  The trail splits off the Larch Valley trail after switchback section.  You're rewarded with amazing panoramic views of the Valley of the Ten Peaks and a picturesque alpine lake.

The turquoise waters of Moraine Lake.  Is there a better starting spot for a hike?

The trail quickly gains elevation through a series of switchbacks.  As you continue to climb views of Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks begin to emerge. 

Mt. Fay and the Fay Glacier above Moraine Lake

I'd been to Larch Valley on a couple of different occasions, but this was the first time I had been to Eiffel Lake.  After the trail branched away from Larch Valley we were in uncharted territory.  From this junction the trail levels out considerably and the remaining distance to Eiffel Lake is relatively flat.  Parks Canada requires any hikers in the Moraine Lake area to be in groups of four or more due to the high concentration of bears in the area.  Luckily we didn't see any of the resident bruins, but we did see a lot of their scat along the trail.

You can see the snow squall moving in from the right.  Our view of the Valley of the Ten Peaks was obstructed by the snow for a brief time.

The snow disappeared as fast as it arrived and we were rewarded with some spectacular views of the Valley of the Ten Peaks

Our first view of Eiffel Lake

Christine and Sarah thoroughly enjoying the view

Jeff is dwarfed by the surrounding peaks

Eiffel Lake with Wenkchemna Pass in the background

Rain and cooler temperatures forced us to turn around after a quick lunch break

Rome, Sarah, Jeff, and Christine hiking back to the parking lot

I spotted this Pika playing in the Rockpile near Moraine Lake

It felt great to get back into the mountains after being away for most of the summer.  I hope there's a few more opportunities for hiking this fall before the snow decides to start sticking around.  I'm not ready for winter just yet!

Spartan Race

Event Date: August 16, 2014

I missed out on this summer's Zombie Survivor race because we were in Africa in July.  I had so much fun at last year's event, that I wanted to do another adventure run in August and that's when the Spartan Race presented itself.  My running mate from the zombie race, Rob, and I both signed-up for the Spartan Sprint, which is a 5km run with 15+ obstacles.  In hind sight, deciding to enter an adventure race 10 days after a month-long vacation may not have been the smartest idea, but I had already committed, so I was running it no matter what!

I was more than a little anxious the morning of the race since I only had a few training runs under my belt.  It was comforting to know that Rob had spent close to a week in Seattle watching Mariners games and eating hot dogs the week before the race, so we were basically on the same page fitness-wise.  

The race was held at the Wild Rose MX Track

We arrived at the track and learned that there would be 18 obstacles throughout the 5km course.  The consequence for skipping an obstacle, or leaving one incomplete, was 30 burpees; a fairly harsh punishment considering the number of obstacles.  After a brief spartan-themed pep talk from the master of ceremonies, our 200-person heat left the starting gate at 10:30AM.  We were off...

Just one of the 18 obstacles

Finishing the sandbag hill climb

Crawling through the mud under barbed wire

It turned out that Rob and I had to do burpees on the same two obstacles.  We didn't get our spear to stick into the hay-bale and we were unable to complete the rope climb, which resulted in separate sets of 30 burpees.  The worst part was that these were the final two obstacles on the entire course and we were pretty tired by that point.  

Happy to be done the burpees and finishing the race

Jumping over the fire that marks the finish to the Spartan Race

All of the Spartan Races are professionally timed using a timing chip attached to each participant's wrist.  All of the statistics are posted on the Spartan website after the race, so you can see how you finished and where you placed.  Rob and I crossed the finish line at the same time, completing the race in 1:01:24.  I placed 961st out of 3,181 participants in the open (everyone) category, 712th out of 1,627 for my gender, and 34th out of 89 in my age group.  Not too bad, considering I barely trained for this event.  I really enjoyed the Spartan Sprint and I'm already looking forward to next year's race.