Banff Three Peak Challenge
In September 2014, I climbed to the summit of my first mountain. That mountain was Mt. Rundle, in Banff. I had looked to the top everyday from the moment I arrived in Banff, knowing one day I would stand on top. Little did I know, this experience would get me hooked, and I have been scrambling up mountains ever since.
It was an early weekend morning when myself and two friends, Steve Henderson and Olivier Roy Martin, set out from the Fairmont Banff Springs golf course. Four hours later, after a hot hike through the forest, and a long, slow climb straight up a steep, scree covered slope, we stood upon the summit, overwhelmed by the beauty that surrounded us.
Fast forward to October 2014. I was talking with a friend from New Zealand as we hiked to a summit in Canmore. He put forth this crazy idea of summiting the three big peaks around Banff, in one day, before he left Canada. I was intrigued by this, and inquired around with some locals to see if this was feasible. I was told many people had done this by driving to each trailhead, hiking the mountain, and then driving on to the next. It was a big day, with over 40km to cover.
I figured this could be something I would do. It was something I wanted to do. But, with hiking season all but over, I decided that I would take the winter months to train and build my fitness level. I had always wanted to go to the gym, but I never really felt motivated to do so. Now I had something to train for, and that was what I needed to get started.
I began going to the rock climbing gym more often, and started a running regimen to build my cardio level. It was at this point I started running up and back down Tunnel Mountain. I figured that running on level ground was too easy, and I had seen a few locals running the trail and thought I would try it out. My first go saw me speed walking the majority of the 2.4km trail, but I did try to run the more gently graded sections. Upon reaching the summit, a feeling of relief came over me. I had made it to the top, the view was amazing, and I didn't puke. The best part was that I knew the rest of my run was downhill!! I zoomed back down the trail with the wind in my face; it almost felt like flying. I was back at the bottom within 15 minutes, already planning when I would be back to do it again (the next day).
It was sometime during the early days of my trail running that I began to ponder if anyone had run the big three mountains around town. I started to do some research into this question, and stumbled upon the blog of Paul Wathan. Here I discovered what he called 'The Banff Three Peak Challenge'. Paul's challenge included Cascade Mountain, Mt. Rundle, and Sulphur Mountain; the big three peaks I was training for. One little difference was the fact that the challenge did not allow the use of a vehicle to travel between trailheads. Just one man and his legs vs. the mountains. Could I take on this challenge? Is this something I wanted to try?
HELL YES!!
This brings me to today. I have started this blog to tell my story. Over the next month or so I will post about my adventures, training sessions, and everything in between. I must wait until snow and ice cornices fall from the upper slopes of Cascade Mt. before the path is clear and safe to the summit. Once this happens, the window for my attempt will open. Many other factors will dictate the exact date I make my attempt, but until then I will continue to train, and ready my body and mind for this challenge. I only hope that you will continue to follow my progress, and support me along the way.
Please visit 'The Challenge' page to learn more about the route, as well as my 'Fundraising' page to support in any way you can.
THANK YOU!
Brett Rayner
