KateLikesCamping

April Hiking in Saskatchewan!

• Posted on May 13, 2009 at 6:36 PM
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Well after exams were over I needed to hit the trails, but it was that funny time of year when the mountain trails are waterlogged, the XC ski trails are rocky, and the slopes for downhill activites aren't in good condition.

I recieved word from Saskatchewan that Prince Albert NP was fairly dry. And it's always beautiul up there, so I grabbed my bag, hopped on a train and found myself wandering Bison grounds for the next week.

Most people head to the Northern part of Prince Albert NP, but we (myself, two companions, and a dog) opted to check out the South end of the park; known for it's grasslands and Bison herds. We did not see any Bison... only what they left behind for us. We did however see 6 whitetail deer, countless grouse, a porcupine (well, the dog saw one...), and a trail groomer.

It was a great start to the hiking season. Not very much incline, and certainly not a difficult path, but we hiked long enough during the day (and night) to break-in the hiking boots. Most of the rivers and lakes we came arcross were still partially frozen over, which lead to some interesting water sources, including a hole in the shallow frozen river (image will be uploaded later!).

The first day of hiking began in the evening and ended right around 1am when we hit Hunters Lake and stumbled upon a firepit and chopped wood---a pleasent surprise! We opted to bring 2 tarps instead of a tent; there was frost at night, most of us were warm however my one compainion brought a summer sleepin bag and reported that it was rather chilly. On that note, the weather during the day was excellent--we even got a little sunburnt.

Our last campspot of the trip was at Sturgeon Lookout. It wasn't spectacular, but it was pretty--I'm sure it would look be great once everything blossums.

We took a different pathway home (I'll report how many km once after I look at the map...). Then decided we needed at least one more night in the bush. We stopped at a provincial park near Prince Albert (the city), and hiked in about 2km, including one sketchy river crossing, and enjoyed the next 12 hours in a cozy campspot familiar to my friends.

Wonderful kick off to summer!

-Kate