Life in Hinton, Alberta
June 30, 2015 9:57 am Leave your thoughts
For me, one of the greatest uncertainties before the summer began was the fact that I would be moving to a completely different province. I had never been to western Canada except for a short trip to Vernon, B.C. Nevertheless, I was very excited to get a chance to see the Rocky Mountains and experience living in a small town.
Prior to arriving in Hinton, my Supervisor Pat was very supportive in helping me to track down accommodation in a private home in Hinton. I live in ‘the hill’ neighbourhood of Hinton, with a nice view of the Rockies and the Athabasca River Valley from the house. In addition, I am just minutes from a maze of mutli-use trails, including the Beaver Boardwalk, which winds its way through a beaver-built wetland. Hinton is also home to a high-quality mountain bike park, complete with downhill trails, skills areas and dirt jumps. The plentiful green space accessible right from town makes it easy to enjoy nature after work or on days off.
Since I arrived, the residents of Hinton have done so much to make me feel welcome. Within days of my arrival, a friend had tracked down a bike I can use free-of-charge for the summer. In addition, Hinton is home to a unique hiking group called Peak-a-Week. Every weekend or two whoever is available meets the designated hike leader in town and we carpool out to the trailhead in nearby Jasper National Park and other areas. The great thing about a group like Peak-a-Week is that it is an excellent way to meet like-minded people in a new community, it provides access to trails for people like me without a vehicle, and you get to take full advantage of local knowledge, seeing cool places that are ‘off the beaten path’ so to speak.
On our first trip in early May, we attempted to hike up the Sulphur Skyline trail, but were soon defeated by three feet of snow- it was crazy! On our next hike, we decided to try a new trail in nearby William A. Switzer Provincial Park, which afforded excellent mountain views and great ridge walking. On the third hike, we walked into a steep-walled canyon to ascend a ridge, and had to rappel down a cliff using a chain bolted to the rock. Finally and most recently, we hiked the Cardinal Divide, a height-of-land separating the Arctic and Atlantic watersheds. Braving a grim forecast, we thoroughly enjoyed the alpine ridge-walk, treated with exceptional views in between mounting clouds.
The tundra-like environs were also home to numerous wildflowers, some tenacious spruce and one large marmot. And like any other hike in the Rocky Mountains, it wouldn’t be complete without an impromptu snow squall! Or two snow squalls! It was wild- June 14th and it was snowing like January! Needless to say the Cardinal Divide is a beautiful spot, and a little crumby weather can’t ruin the experience. All in all, living in Hinton has been fantastic. It is a smaller town full of friendly people and endless opportunities for recreation steps or minutes from town- take your choice!