It was one of those nights where you just want to lay there, eat popcorn, sip pop and watch a show on Netflix (or on free streaming sites hehe..). That is exactly what I was consciously doing. What was not in my consciousness at the moment however was an idea that had been formulating for ages after passing loads of trials put up by logic, reasoning and time management. The idea of going on adventures every week and then writing about it and sharing it with the rest of the world. All of a sudden Netflix was not that interesting anymore more. All of a sudden I picked up my phone and before I knew it I had messaged some friends to join me on a hike THE NEXT DAY. Two responded.
The first was the self-proclaimed “Beast”. I have known Beast for more than a decade now and have been friends with him for about the same. The most central trait of his behind all the workout routines, love with luxury cars, frequent visits to Karachi and did I mention love with luxury cars? Anyway. Behind all that he is an empathetic bear who loves to hug people.. (literally everyone.. literally). The second was someone who is probably the most dedicated volunteer at events that I have ever seen. He excels at telling people that “parking is not available”. He also excels at telling people that “you can’t park there”. This was his first ever hike in life; therefore, we shall call him Newbie. It was Newbie’s first time, so I chose a hike that was not difficult at all but very fascinating at the end.
The halfway point to Banff has a resting stop with a view of a large section of Bow River and a factory just across it. I knew this to be the spot where my family always stops to take a break on the way to the National Park. What I didn’t realize is that on the opposite side of highway one (a few kilometres away) is the start of an absolutely fabulous hike! Once you get to the parking spot for the “Heart Creek Bunker” trail, there are actually two different trails leading to two different hikes from it. What we came to see, lay at the end of the trail that does not start with a “Welcome” sign.
After passing through a trail with many twists and turns, that goes across many dried up streams, views of the mountains as well as some steep parts we finally made it to our destination. The cave is located in an area that is somewhat inconspicuous, and I found out the reason behind that after thorough research and analysis (by which I mean googling). You know that picture showing the tip of the iceberg? That is exactly what it was. Behind the small entrance, the actual cave was massive, with many sections and room enough to hold more than all of my extended family (trust me, it has to be huge for that). It reminded me of the entrance to Farthen Dûr from the inheritance cycle (if you are a fantasy/dragons geek like me).
Now we did what any normal group of young men would do once they come across a cave with a long and dark tunnel not showing any signs of stopping. We tried to find the end. I, of course, picked up a large rock in my hand for protection (just in case of a bear or a scene from the walking dead). It turned out the end of the tunnel lead to another opening, which leads to another large opening with 3 sections. As we were slowly creeping into the dark tunnel, my shoulder was suddenly touched by something long, slippery and twisty. All hell broke loose for a second before we realized it was just a random plastic wire sticking down from the roof. Why it would be there, we had no clue, but it surely gave everyone a little bit of a cardiac arrest (except me of course.. I’m too cool for that.. :S). After exploring every section that could be explored, we made our way back to the entrance and decided that it was a dumb idea :’D. It’s funny how those decisions come after the actual action.
However, this was just half of the action that happened that day, and there was much more to come. I am going to end this post here because I want you my lovely readers (yes you.. that one person who is reading this because life is dry) to join me again on my next post. I’ll tell you a little about the history of the cave (which turned out to be a bunker) and then move on to the rest of the cold.. hypothermic journey at the end of a cold and hypothermic year.
Hasnain Raza Baloach 