Eagle Pass Preview.

I'm smiling because I think I'm funny.

      If you head south on Highway 1 from Revelstoke it's about half an hour away. Drive through the Three Valley Gap with it's infamous Chateau and slow drivers.  Pass the Enchanted Forest where I presume fairies must live in the cute fairy-tale tree houses and dwarves in the Castle, yet the parking lot is overflowing with rented motor-homes and minivans and kids begging their parents to buy them ice cream. Dads get in for free on Fathers Day!

      Keep going.  Go over Crazy Creek with it's billboards warning you about their commercialized hot pools and pay per view waterfalls, but slow down.  In a kilometer or two, take a sharp right onto the Crazy Creek forest service road and head up the hill for 13 kilometers and you're almost there.The Eagle Pass trail head is accessible enough that I thought I would start my hike at 3 in the afternoon.  After all, it's a 7 kilometer round trip and the sun was shining and nobody told me that there would be hills!

      Now, 7 kilometers is 7 kilometers, no matter the incline, so I charged up the hill. Huffing and puffing,  in less than an hour and a half  I made it to the top with enough time to enjoy the view, but no time to worry.

When I arrived at the top I walked about, gawking in awe for a few minutes, then proceeded to take way too many photos.  There is a little stone hut built on the foundation of an old firetower.  The view from this place is amazing.  From this high up I could see a plethora of peaks.  Around me, the Kootenays, a bunch of tall, fat, forested mountains with snowy caps wrapped up in alpine meadows.  Farther afield to the East, the peaks are taller, more jagged.  I'll call them the Rocky Mountains.  To the south, the peaks have been rounded over time and the mountains interlace along a valley. At sunset they adopt an artful gradient with fifty shades of black and blue. Imagine the lazy river rolling through these fertile low lands into the sunsoaked Shushwap lake.  Add another blue hue to the mix.

I sat down in what I deemed to be the most peaceful spot on the ridge.  I put down a big flat rock for a seat with the hut blocking the wind and a beam of sunshine peaking around the corner and a view like the photos below.  I sat with the intention to meditate.  I figured that being high in the mountains would put me closer to the heavens where I might be struck by a thunderbolt and finally find peace.

Two minutes after taking my seat and just moments away from Enlightenment, I heard a faint buzzing in the distance, growing louder.  I opened my eyes to see a speck of a helicopter in the distance, and heading my way.   I quickly diverted my attention from my breath, and sat back to watch the aircraft.  On it's first pass it came close enough to see that it was an army helicopter.  The green and black camouflage is not so sneaky in the sky.  It flew by and then they turned around and flew directly over me.  Then they turned again, coming from the side.  They flew down to my level and past, close enough to make eye contact and exchange friendly waves. The chopper kept circling around for 5 or 10 minutes.  They even tried to land on the other end of the ridge.  I thought maybe they were going to offer me a ride back to my car, but they buzzed off and left me there on the mountain top.  I thought to myself "There's the army, wasting resources and disturbing the peace again..."

At this point I was getting hungry and cold and so I got up, stretched my legs  and bumbled over to my backpack to get some food.  To my dismay, I brought an apple, a banana, and  half a long english cucumber for lunch.  When I go grocery shopping I usually eat the fun stuff first, and I hadn't been to the store in a few days.  I munched away patiently, enjoying the apple first - so crispy and sweet. Then the cucumber for refreshment and a cleansing of my palate before the final banana, that special fruit whose creamy texture and full flavor hold a special place in my heart. I enjoyed every last bite, However,  I recently learned that it could have been even better because word is that "Eating a banana sideways makes it taste nicer, or more 'banana-y' due to the orientation of the fibers"
                                                                                                       (lol Source)

      Aaannyways.  I had a very nice time upon that mountain.  And I made it down before dark.  I would say it's pretty good for a day hike, but don't just take my word for it.  Get outside and see for yourself!

(Find actual directions and serious reviews on RevelstokeTrails.com .  )