Mosquito Creek - Adventures with Skylar and Darian

June 30, 2019

Merging Manitoba and Alberta into new memories and a meaningful experience.

Day Three

Breakfast and Packing up
Lake Louise Hostel 
How to change a flat in under 20 min. 
Ing's Mine Bike hike
Spelunking

 

Breakfast and Packing up      
Made Cherry Turnovers and chatted it up with the residents Connected with Jerry and friends as they were packing up and getting their bikes ready for their trip to Lake Louise. Tidbit from Jerry: Land speed record for a bicycle is 183.9 mph.  
       
Lake Louise Hostel      
If you stay at Mosquito Creek you get free showers at Lake Louise. Sweet deal. 20190630_124044.jpg (6309465 bytes) This place way out classes Mosquito creek, but it's really crawling with people here. 20190630_122217.jpg (3290577 bytes) Time for an intellectual challenge and Darian wins the day.   20190630_122803.jpg (4191349 bytes) All the talk about MacDonalds went out the door as we opened the truck and found all the buns and bagels, cold cuts and cheese, and yea even veggies. Still using bagel spice for salt though.  
       
How to change a flat in under 20 min.       
Had some early warnings about a potential issue with a tire. You could hear / feel some noise and vibration. Finally going up the steep grade out of the Nakoda valley it went, wafting a trail of blue smoke.  20190630_140433.jpg (5664121 bytes) You'd think we were in a formula 1 pit stop. In and out again in under 20 min. Well, maybe not formula 1. 20190702_194433.jpg (3875402 bytes) Notice the balding spot that finally took us out.  
       
Ing's Mine Bike & Hike      
20190630_152448.jpg (6679628 bytes) Warming up a bit more to the "Blue Sting" as we check out the nice flat gravel road.  20190630_153521.jpg (6241646 bytes) So flat I can do this with one hand.  20190630_153951.jpg (2282486 bytes) Get some competition going here. 20190630_154116.jpg (7855220 bytes) Neck and neck with White Night inching ahead. 
20190630_154235.jpg (5825652 bytes) Time to cool off here.  20190630_154311.jpg (7220299 bytes) Quick dip should be just the thing to chill down.  20190630_154351.jpg (6944166 bytes) Refill that water bottle.

Darian's going all in, or at least up to his knees.

20190630_154405.jpg (7555467 bytes) Yikes, that's cold
20190630_154414.jpg (7485663 bytes) 1/3 of the way in, can he make it across?  20190630_154421.jpg (7294811 bytes) Nope, woosie feet can't take the pointy rocks.

Skylar's up for the challenge

20190630_154451.jpg (7215547 bytes) So far so good.  20190630_154453.jpg (6857396 bytes) Start with the photo op. 
20190630_154547.jpg (6678608 bytes) You might have something here with these pointy rocks. 20190630_154614.jpg (6775547 bytes) It's ok if you find the big rocks.  20190630_154617.jpg (6857239 bytes) Lets just stick with dipping our heads 20190630_154619.jpg (7002611 bytes) Oh yea. that's like chugging a Slurpy. 
 What do you know about various rodent species native to these mountains?  20190630_155808.jpg (3677289 bytes) Fat bushy tails... 20190630_155818.jpg (6160201 bytes) Bigger than a mouse... What do you think? 
20190630_164706.jpg (4496852 bytes) Ditch the bikes and sprint the 2km to the cave entrance.  20190630_164709.jpg (4708007 bytes) Walking sticks come in handy on this hike. You could roll down over a lot of rocks if you loose your footing. 20190630_164930.jpg (3354026 bytes) You can feel the cold draft coming out of the cave. 20190630_164934.jpg (3132559 bytes) Time to get the shirt back on.
20190630_165200.jpg (3421556 bytes) Find a nice place to sit and lets get rigged for spelunking.      
       
Spelunking      
20190630_171001.jpg (2201832 bytes) Beam me up Scotty!!! 20190630_171007.jpg (1882067 bytes)Darian, where'd ya go? 20190630_171019.jpg (1792729 bytes) Don't beam me up Scotty! 20190630_171218.jpg (2158776 bytes) The inner ice wall. If I lick it, will my tongue stick to it? 
Lights off, Lights on 20190630_171906.jpg (2609020 bytes) There, made it as far back as we could.  20190630_171914.jpg (2749956 bytes) Easy to stretch yourself out here.  20190630_172326.jpg (2167323 bytes) That's it. We're official Spelunkers now. 
20190630_172953.jpg (2833152 bytes) I can see why we wear helmets.  Now into 2nd spelunk event near the entrance. 20190630_174047.jpg (2690432 bytes) OK this is pretty tight again Watch and learn.  20190630_174200.jpg (2254150 bytes) Hmmm, wonder if cell receptions works in here? 
20190630_174312.jpg (2405906 bytes) Everyones through the entrance now. 20190630_174519.jpg (2381249 bytes) Need to start the vertical accent Bit of live action  20190630_174723.jpg (1935199 bytes) Having issues with the dang helmet.
Helmet Scrap On the top shelf now of the main entrance. Check it out. Part 1 Part 2. Final challenge, Birth canal
20190630_180405.jpg (2950133 bytes) Dust off all the crap. 20190630_180413.jpg (3544409 bytes) We're photo ready again. Video view from outside this hole. 20190630_180557.jpg (4175861 bytes) Attempt for a vertical panorama
20190630_180621.jpg (8660748 bytes) Horizontal panorama 20190630_180757.jpg (7612003 bytes) Vertical panorama 20190630_180831.jpg (3557962 bytes) Can't really get how dicy it is up here. Sheer  cliffs all around us.  20190630_180834.jpg (3302725 bytes) Slowly and carefully moving around.
20190630_180837.jpg (3344235 bytes) Hope these jeans can clean up.  20190630_181021.jpg (4387212 bytes) View for one of the drops in front of us 20190630_181156.jpg (2220904 bytes) Calm the nerves and ready to head back in. 20190630_181203.jpg (2610163 bytes) Darian getting into the fetal position to make the re-entrance.
20190630_181240.jpg (3506119 bytes) Few yoga exercises to limber up. 20190630_181244.jpg (1779097 bytes) Try this 'breach' as the say.  20190630_181253.jpg (2058990 bytes) sliding in ok.  20190630_181304.jpg (2848874 bytes) Totally psyched up  for this now. 
20190630_181306.jpg (1794517 bytes) Last of Darian makes in back in.  20190630_181359.jpg (2854477 bytes) Skylar opts for a normal head first entrance.  Video of the struggle. 20190630_181809.jpg (1187295 bytes) Down the chimney they go.
20190630_181812.jpg (1997342 bytes) Guys almost at the bottom video of decent 20190630_182129.jpg (1955912 bytes) Back on the ground floor. Feels good. 20190630_182136.jpg (2766878 bytes) Skylar goes back for the packs. 
20190630_182143.jpg (1017096 bytes) Couple fudge candies and a drink hits the spot. Lets go man.     
       
The sprint out      
20190630_182908.jpg (2429716 bytes) Amazingly quick scramble down to the bikes.  20190630_184959.jpg (2111929 bytes) Back on White Knight, feels good. 20190630_185004.jpg (2588936 bytes) Ramping up to make it to the top of this hill, mostly downhill after that.   20190630_185007.jpg (3999156 bytes) Challenge is to apply as much speed after to get on top and see how far you make it without peddling. 
20190630_185913.jpg (4692389 bytes) Feeling pretty gnarly now.  20190630_185919.jpg (4797232 bytes) Could be potential Sasquatch sighting here.  Image result for sasquatch  20190630_185937.jpg (2251663 bytes) Don't think he wears black shorts though.
Then the sleep easy ride home  zzzzzzz.