Climbing and baking

Weary of tearing basements apart and getting rid of water damage, we decided we needed a break. We also realized that we hadn't actually gone out for a proper hike in a while. So, where to go? Much of the Kananasksis area including virtually every road access is closed due to all the flooding of last week. One hike that is accessible is Mount Lady MacDonald, which we last climbed back in October, 2011. It's bigger and more ornery that we really wanted as a season opener, but it's what's available.

So up we went on Canada Day, a day that turned out to be the hottest day of the year. It was 24° at 10:30 AM when we started walking, 29° at the top up 880 m (2,890') at 2 PM, and 33° back at the car at 5 PM.

There's lots to like about this hike -- with the best being the increasingly good views as you climb -- but it is indeed a relentlessly steep uphill slog.

There were a couple of spots to see the destruction wrought by the floods.

Red house dangles 

And this is after it has been partially cleared up

You can't park at the "normal" trailhead; that parking lot has been washed down to Calgary. Instead we parked up in Silvertip and got to the trail via the Montane Traverse.

Given that it was Canada Day, all the way up we could hear marching bands playing, which is an interesting way to be in the wilderness.

The parade's down there 

KC and Monty take one of many, many breaks 

Looking up into Banff 

The Town of Canmore below. Didn't look like this last week. 

The Three Sisters

As usual, we quit at the soon-to-be-demolished tea house and helipad. At least 5 others continued the additional 300 vertical meters to the dangerous knife edge ridge and the summit.

4 people in this photo; 2 on the summit, 2 on the right ridge

Given how much is closed, it was busy on the trail. We ran into a total of 12 people coming down who had camped up there overnight, a guy going up to camp, a pair of mountain bikers working their way up (camping and mountain biking are illegal on this trail) -- and a paraglider heading up to launch from the helipad.

Not much wildlife today. Too hot for the pikas to be out. One lone visit from a Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel who tried to steal my lunch.

Surveying his domain 

Getting mad at a dog

The last time we did this hike it was only about 15° and sunny, and we made it up in 90 min. This time it took 2.5 hrs to get up. I blame the heat. Being the first hike of the season had nothing to do with it.

The destruction at Dead Man's Flats

We as we continue to do small projects (clean up the mess, dry out the studs, disinfect the floors, re-light the water heater, etc), I had time today to get over to Dead Man's Flats to see the havoc wrought there. And on the way there.

A small creek east of Canmore covered the TCH in rubble

Truckloads to remove

Pigeon Creek flowing over the road 

Pigeon Creek flowing over the TCH

Pigeon Creek has been re-diverted to flow over the TransCanada because it plugged or blew up its own culverts under the TransCanada and the side roads.

The water lifted it... 

...AND the water then cut right though the road...

...and then cut a new path around this bridge.

Generally, our condo property was unscathed. No water got into any units. But... the creek cut a brand new, 8' deep, 15' wide channel. Right under the deck of one of our buildings, completely exposing the foundations and collapsing the decks.

Dangling decks 

Exposed foundations 

The view from the old creek bed 

A backhoe works in the background 

Trees knocked over into the collapsing decks

There's mud all over the place.

Units 31 & 32.

The reason I had to got to the condo was because the MD has already initiated work on putting the creek back where it belongs. Three backhoes were working in the creek bed attempting to put the creek back in the channel it used to occupy, and build a berm on either side.

Working away 

A short finished section of one side of the berm

While a noble effort, and one that will "work" during low flow, to me it's not a long term solution. This is an alluvial fan. The creek moves, and this storm proves that (not that proof is needed). The creek's 10's of meters from where it used to be. A man made bank will erode even if protected.

Our "protected" bank, and the rip rap that was washed away 

The rip raps out there somewhere 

Two chunks here. And some pallets

There were pallets everywhere, all of which came out of the Thunderstone Quarry up the creek about 2 km. As did a bunch of their rock.

I took a walk down past the playground...

A mud pit

...past the bridge that used to cross the creek but now crosses basically nothing, because the creek's miles away...

On the bright side, the bridge is still standing

...to the mud filled campground.

A campsite no one will be using soon 

Another 

Campsite #8 

This used to be a creek

On the way home, I stopped at an overlook where you can see most of Canmore. And some of the destruction caused by Cougar Creek.

The wrecked homes on the edge. Note the pedestrian bridge 

In the back the pedestrian bridge. In the front, the TCH bridge 

Yes, that's actually the Trans Canada Highway bridge

The highway is missing. Just missing. The bridge used to be 10's of feet above the creek, now it's 5' or less. The pedestrian bridge, remarkably still standing, shows where the creek's banks used to be.

Pallets in the trees

Man, I always knew that water was powerful, but wow, to see it in action is something else.

And the repairs commence

The water has stopped coming in the walls, and the smell of nastiness has commenced. So we knuckled down and got down to tearing out the ruined drywall. I found a couple of pros on the 'net who said you could actually dry it in place, but I'm really not confidant that was possible in our case. After much debate, we started with a technique to cut the wall 16" off the floor (the top of the wet line), tear the wet stuff out, then do a finish cut 20" above the floor in the dry section of the drywall.

Step 1: Mark 2 lines, cut the lower one 

Step 2: Push in

Step 3: Start pulling 

The piece come 

Ready for final cutting

KC cuts...

...and kicks...

...and pulls.

And so it went. We quickly quit doing the double cut, and started just cutting at the 20" mark, using cool little drywall saws that KC found. Soon the wet stuff was disappearing.

Working away down the walls 

Mostly done 

Large spaces cleared

We found a few horrors. In one area, the smell got worse and worse as time progressed and we got closer. We pulled the wall off, and found a mouse cemetery.

One recently dead one in the upper corner

Our hope is that these are the ones who have been eating out mouse poison, dying and drying up. We would like to believe that they only started to smell because they got wet. We would like to believe they're the only ones left in the house. We would like to believe that we will win the $10 million lottery next week.

We found poop of some animal, though what kind we don't know.

Pine martin? Cat? Dog?

We found a bunch of mold, especially around the back of the furnace. I didn't stop to take many pictures of the black splotches on the drywall. But I did get pictures of the wood it was attached to.

Black wood 

A close up

The mold was old (hey, that rhymes). It's clear the basement flooded in the past, and someone tried to dry it in place (and failed). We sprayed the moldy wood (and the mouse cemetery) with a LOT of bleach. Here's hoping.

Now, we're running a lot of fans and the basement is finally drying. There was a bunch of moisture behind the walls that will now dry -- including the base of the fireplace, which is in the centre of the house, meaning the water was coming up from underneath, too.

Moisture at the bottom

The bad stuff is gone, and the drying will take a few days. So tomorrow, we're going to take it easy.

On a separate note, I had to go out and get supplies today. The roads are returning to normal (though travel between Banff, Calgary and Canmore is challenging). On my way to Canmore, I saw this. Last week, it was a creek channel. Today, it is the aftermath of the floods, and it's no longer a creek channel, it's just a pile of rubble.

There was a creek channel there last week 

That wasn't there 

Also not there

I saw mud in Canmore in places mud shouldn't be. But the mess is getting cleaned up.