One of the hardest things about planning adventures in the Canadian Rockies throughout the fall or “shoulder season”, is all of the constant unknowns. Weather systems in the Mountains can change very quickly, regardless of season; but shoulder season tends to be the most unpredictable and it is never easy nor fun to bail on an adventure! 

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When hiking in the mountains, many things are taken into consideration. I have lived in Alberta my entire life and a lot of that time has been spent in the mountains however, it wasn’t until adulthood I really took a liking to hiking. Normally I do include my dogs on my day hikes or overnight trips, and it is very rare that I find myself on trails not suitable for their abilities - both of my dogs are considered small, but they are always happy to be outdoors and have truly done well keeping up on any adventure over the past four years.

Regardless of if my dogs are joining me on an adventure or not, I always take three things into consideration - Terrain, Distance, and Weather. 

Terrain can vary on every trail, I personally have a vendetta with shale (as do my dogs and their paws) - so I tend to avoid hikes if the majority of the trail is covered in shale. 

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Distance is considered when pack weight is a factor for both my dogs and I. Backpacking is still a new hobby for the three of us, so finding the right balance is still in progress but day hikes have proven to not be a challenge regardless of distance!

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Weather is always the ultimate decider and usually results in last minute decisions when setting out for any type of adventure. I learned very young that the weather in the mountain ranges can never be trusted 100% - I have seen snowfall in the middle of July many times (even at low elevation)!

This fall I was supposed to complete an incredible backpacking journey to Assiniboine, which is part of British Columbia park systems but can be accessed by walking across the Alberta/BC border. This backcountry site is super popular and difficult to obtain reservations for.

In the park you also have two choices in accommodations; the lodge or backcountry camping. To reach Assiniboine National Park you essentially have two options; one is to hike in, which works out to be approximately 25 km (16 miles) one way from any access point. The second option is booking a helicopter ride one way or both which ends up being expensive.  

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The week leading up to my scheduled trip into Assiniboine, I was keeping a very close eye on the weather. However, different websites had different forecasts… One website stated high of 19 degrees celsius, low of 5; the other said high of 2 degrees, low of -15. On top of the unpredictable forecasts, that entire week leading up to the trip the weather at Assiniboine had been rainy, cold and had poor visibility. 

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Seeing the poor visibility and discrepancies in weather I was feeling very mixed emotions of defeat, fear and disappointment.

Deciding when to bail on an adventure or when to push through can be incredibly difficult and many scenarios were running through my mind. 

• What if we go, and get caught in bad weather - this would put us in such terrible moods. Being damp and cold is never enjoyable. 
• What if we don’t go and the weather ends up being beautiful - then we're going to miss out on such an amazing experience. 
• What if it is -15 degrees overnight, I don’t have proper gear for that type of weather. 
• What if I don’t get a reservation next year and this is my only chance. 

So. Many. Different. Scenarios. 

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Ultimately, I always resort to looking at situations from a safety perspective; for myself, my dogs, and whoever else is accompanying me. Hiking 25 km with an extra 35 pounds on my back in bad weather has a lot of safety hazards, and personally hiking in poor weather is also not enjoyable. I am an avid hiker, but this would have been my longest backpacking trip to date, so I also found myself considering if I am even physically capable of completing this trek by myself - especially in the event of bad weather. My gut was telling me no. 

Knowing when to bail on adventures can be incredibly hard, most outdoorsy people seem to have a common problem; the fear of missing out.

Over the years, I have learned to listen to my gut, because it is usually right - whether it's at the start of a trail head or halfway through a hike.  

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Not continuing on an adventure doesn't make you less outdoorsy. Bailing on an adventure is always acceptable when something doesn’t feel right. 

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Bailing on the backpacking trip did not hold my dogs and I back from pivoting and finding a different - yet more suitable adventure. Over the week my dogs and I managed to still get outside and hike a total of 44 km - split between three separate hikes in various parks. The weather was remarkably manageable and the daily commitment felt reasonable; but completing that many kilometers in one week, did open my eyes to how possible Assinibone, or other treks might be in the future! 

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