{"id":215163,"date":"2019-05-20T22:41:12","date_gmt":"2019-05-21T02:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=215163"},"modified":"2019-05-20T22:41:12","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T02:41:12","slug":"banff-national-parks-mount-temple-a-taxing-terrific-trek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/05\/20\/banff-national-parks-mount-temple-a-taxing-terrific-trek\/","title":{"rendered":"Banff National Park’s Mount Temple a taxing, terrific trek"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Mount Temple is a scramble \u2014 you will use your hands as well as your legs during the 1,690-metre ascent and descent. (File Photo By Olga Lipovtseva – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

LAKE LOUISE, Alta. \u2014 The summit of Mount Temple \u2014 the 3,543-metre peak in Banff National Park near Lake Louise, Alta. \u2014 can be bagged in a day using mostly two legs and not a lot of technical gear.<\/p>\n

That doesn’t mean it’s easy.<\/p>\n

Mount Temple is a scramble \u2014 you will use your hands as well as your legs during the 1,690-metre ascent and descent.<\/p>\n

Many climbers are far more comfortable getting roped up and belayed down a four-metre cliff section by Yamnuska Mountain Adventures guides than attempting to scale that wall with hands and feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cNose over your toes\u201d is the mantra from the guides, a tip helpful for keeping balance, along with reminders to keep your boots on solid rock and to stay off loose pea gravel that could send you skidding down the slope.<\/p>\n

Rocks that can tumble at the touch of a boot make climbers grateful for mandatory helmets. The leading cause of accidents on Temple is human-generated rockfall, according to Parks Canada.<\/p>\n

The Temple has a false summit, and then a ridge that climbs to the peak.<\/p>\n

Snowfall at higher elevations can make for a winter wonderland at the top no matter the season, with 360-degree views of surrounding mountains and lakes.<\/p>\n

If you are lucky enough to be atop Temple on a bluebird day, you’ll feel like you’re standing on top of the world.<\/p>\n

The notebook in a canister lodged in the peak’s cairn is for hikers to record their triumphant signatures.<\/p>\n

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures, based in Canmore, Alta., has provided mountaineering, ice and rock climbing, back country skiing and trekking experiences for 41 years.<\/p>\n

All guides are certified through the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.<\/p>\n

Yamnuska offers 10 public Temple departures in 2019, according to marketing manager Sylvia Watson, and staffs one guide per six guests to a maximum of 12 guests.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe offer this trip from late June through to about the end of September and all of these times are reasonable to summit the peak,\u201d Watson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, the Canadian Rockies, and mountain regions in general, are susceptible to snow storms or extreme weather at any time of the year, so the summit is never a guarantee.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our group of a dozen last season was overseen by two guides. Each member carried an ice axe and wore a harness supplied by the company. We would have also packed a pair of crampons, also supplied, had our guides deemed them necessary that day.<\/p>\n

Whether you make it to the summit or not is largely dependent upon your fitness and your comfort on exposed, vertiginous and potentially snowy slopes.<\/p>\n

A few in our group opted to remain at the false summit instead of continuing to the peak.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome prepared for a full day out in the mountains with lots of snacks, a lunch, and appropriate clothing and footwear,\u201d Watson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of its proximity to the hamlet of Lake Louise, people often underestimate the weather and temperature change while climbing Mount Temple.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a big mountain that is capped with a glacier. In the summer, this area is prone to snow and thunderstorms.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour boots should be able to fit crampons should we encounter snow and ice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our 16-kilometre round trip starting from the Moraine Lake parking lot took 12 hours, with a few short rest stops en route.<\/p>\n

Temple can be really knackering.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile guests do not need to have any previous mountaineering experience, good hiking fitness is required,\u201d Watson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a significant amount of elevation gain, so guests should train with lots of up and down or stair climbing. Mount Temple is not the best choice for a first-time scramble ascent.\u201d<\/p>\n

A warmup hike that provides a taste of Temple and doesn’t require guiding is Sentinel Pass. It follows the same trail for 5.8 kilometres, climbing 725 metres to a saddle offering lovely views of Paradise Valley.<\/p>\n

Temple’s trail continues up the right side of the saddle. Some people climb Temple unguided, but if you lack scrambling and route-finding experience there could be trouble with a capital ‘T.’<\/p>\n

Even when you’re descending and think the hard part is over, you still need to be careful. A moment’s inattention can have you slipping on pea gravel and barrelling into other hikers like a human bowling ball.<\/p>\n

The memories of Temple are more enduring than the bruises, however. It is truly an unforgettable trek.<\/p>\n

If you go:<\/p>\n

Parks Canada’s digital booklet \u201cA Scrambler’s Guide to Mount Temple\u201d can be found on publications.gc.ca.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LAKE LOUISE, Alta. \u2014 The summit of Mount Temple \u2014 the 3,543-metre peak in Banff National Park near Lake Louise, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":215164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-215163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-travel","mauthors-donna-spencer","mauthors-the-canadian-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215163"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":215165,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215163\/revisions\/215165"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}