We got up around 7am or so and had our site packed up by 8:30am. It was raining while we were packing, which made it difficult to keep things dry. We said our goodbyes to the Quebecers and got water near the bridge crossing before the campground and set out.

Not too long into the hike, my shoulders were in pain again and were excruciating by the time we reached Birdwood. It was the first time that I was worried about being able to finish the hike as I couldn’t picture being able to endure that much pain for several more days. We spent a significant amount of time adjusting my pack and I took some Ibuprofen. The time spent making the adjustments was a good investment as it worked and I was much happier.

Our feet were very wet today. Both pairs of socks were damp so we chose the least damp pair to start off our day. They were quickly soaked in the rain and the water from the damp brush. Oliver changed his socks part way through the day, but I kept mine on as my spare were too damp for it to have mattered.

The trail was pretty flat with some short climbs, but nothing that would have drained my energy. We sang songs as we passed through meadows and walked through the denser forest to alert any bears of our presence. There were no creek crossings that needed to be forded today and any water in our path we could easily jump over or it had a bridge.

There were more signs of moose, but saw no wildlife. Outside of Birdwood, was an unoccupied ranger cabin with a Canadian flag blowing on the flagpole. It was shuttered, but clearly well maintained.

As we walked, we sent a message on our Garmin to family to ask for help to make a reservation at Big Springs as we were ahead of schedule and would need a permit to stay at the campground. Luckily, they were able to secure a site for us and we were all set for our arrival later that day.

It rained off and on keeping us slightly damp. When we reached the Spray Lakes area, the trail changed to wide and graveled paths, with the odd trail cam strapped to the trees. This was when we started to see people and those we talked to were coming from Mt. Assiniboine. We were cautioned about “Bruce” the 3 year old resident grizzly in Wonder Pass that liked to hang out beside the trails. They told us he was used to people, but you needed to navigate around him as he dug up nearby ground squirrels.

With permits to Big Springs in place, we got campsite 5 (the best one, in my opinion) and started to dry everything out after our arrival around 2:30pm. It was time for a nice, restful afternoon. Camping spots were spacious and we were right next to a creek. Food lockers were all the way down the hill and not a climb you want to make often with sore muscles. With the afternoon to do whatever we wanted, we took a short walk to the spring that fed the creek, which proved to be a little challenging in crocs, which I had changed into at the campsite.

We had dinner with a couple were on their way to Mt. Assiniboine and we decided to hike together tomorrow to increase our hiking party to four for when we ran into Bruce the grizzly. The rain hit and we all retreated to our tents by 7pm.

Read more:

GDT C – Day 4 – Big Springs to Magog Lake
GDT C – Day 5 – Magog Lake to Porcupine
GDT C – Day 6 – Porcupine to Sunshine Village
GDT C – Day 7 – Banff (Zero Day)
GDT C – Day 8 – Banff (Floe Lake Trailhead) to Floe Lake
GDT C – Day 9 – Floe Lake to Tumbling Creek
GDT C – Day 10 – Tumbling Creek to McArthur Creek
GDT C – Day 11 – McArthur Creek to Ottertail Trailhead