I First saw Assiniboine in 2017 when I was in a helicopter ride. I was told that you could hike through that valley and I knew in that moment that I wanted to hike to this beautiful spot. At the time 54km seemed like an intimidating distance.
Before taking off:
For food we brought dehydrated beef and veggies, noodles (Kate has a dehydrator). We had noodles and meat for dinner. (We brought a mini flask so we can spike our tea at night, definitely worth the extra weight).
Alternatively i know a lot of backpackers love Backpackers pantry, which you can purchase at MEC for about $8 each
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5046-447/Mexican-Cowboy-Beans%26-Rice
Cliff Bars/ Tuna packs / Trail mix for snacks
Oatmeal for breakfast and instant coffee/ tea
Day 1: Kate and I stated at Sunshine, and would recommend starting this was instead of Shark Mountain, due to its less elevation, not as many steep up hills going this way.
Kate and I are lazy hikers and started around 12:30 from sunshine to Porcupine Camp site (FYI its a free first come first serve campground). We hiked 13km and arrived around 6:30pm
Day 2: 17.5km to Magog Lake, This was a stunning day full of amazing valley views and then feeling like you’re in an episode of Game of Thrones! Did i mention that Kate and I are lazy hikers? we left Porcupine around hmm 12pm or 1pm and arrived at Magog around 6 or 7? honestly wasn’t checking the time. Too busy looking at the stunning views and worried about setting up camp and getting dinner ready.
Kate and I had a good system going, I set up camp – tent and our beds. Kate made dinner.
Day 3: We had 2 nights at Magog so we spent our free day Hiking up The (must do) Nub. The Assiniboine Lodge is stunning, a little FYI bring cash! The lodge does “Tea Time” for the hikers at 4pm were you can purchase tea, beer and cakes. It’s a good time to meet other hikers and drink a well deserved beer.
After our hike up the Nub we enjoyed some lake side snacks, giggles and naps.
Day 4: The reason Kate and I don’t speak .. joking, but we hiked out from Magog straight out to Shark via Wander Pass. SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY BUT OH MY GOD its roughly 27km out, so it’s a big day!
Lake Gloria