Upper Bankhead hike

On Monday Amy and I dried ourselves out from the chilly night of rain and sleet, got our campsite set up the way we liked it and spent the morning around the fire. Amy's boyfriend Dave joined us for lunch and by the afternoon Will had made the trek from Calgary out to camp at Two Jack with Amy and I.

Once everyone was settled in, Dave, Amy, Will and I took a drive to the mining ghost town of Bankhead which was just down the road a bit from Two Jack. Will and I had explored the lower townsite of Bankhead a few years ago but I had never even heard of Upper Bankhead until Amy started talking about it. We set off for a 4.2 km hike and quickly figured out it was mostly uphill.

We finally reached a spot where old mining buildings had been left behind and decorated by previous hikers. We noticed our gravel trail had somehow turned into left-over coal slag heaps. Most of the area is fenced off up here because the open mine shafts have started to collapse in and could possibly injure hikers.

Anyway, the steep hike was worth it because we were rewarded with the most breathtaking vista. Below us (as we stood on an old pile of coal) was entire Minnewanka/Johnson Lake valley below us. Gorgeous! I'd have to say that the view was worth the hike and worth freezing our butts off for in the mountains! (And no these photos are not fakes)!