Another Birthday in the Bugaboos: Following My Son’s Footsteps

This year, I’ll spend my birthday in the Kain Hut, an alpine refuge nestled in the Bugaboos of British Columbia’s Purcell Mountains, with my son and his friends. It feels like coming full circle.

The first time I ventured there was to celebrate my first Canadian Thanksgiving, just months after arriving in Canada to stay. On the drive to the trailhead, I encountered my first grizzly bear from the safety of my car—a moment both terrifying and majestic that left me forever in awe of these incredible creatures.

When I first brought my son to the Bugaboos, he was only one year old. I have a treasured photo of that little one playing on top of the tables in the hut’s common area. A few years later, he hiked the challenging trail himself, and we spent one of my birthdays there together when he was around nine or ten. This time, the tables have turned—I’m following his lead after he booked the stay with his friends.

The Bugaboos holds a special place in my heart as one of my favorite destinations in Canada. The granite spires are absolutely spectacular, drawing climbers from around the world. The alpine region offers dreamlike hiking, and the hut’s location is nothing short of perfection. As an added bonus, the Kain Hut is one of the few Alpine Club of Canada huts that provides electricity and running water—true luxury in a breathtaking alpine setting.

Don’t let the trail’s modest 4.6-kilometer distance fool you. The steep, exposed sections, complete with cables and a metal ladder, typically require three to four hours to complete. We’ll gain 720 meters in just 3 kilometers! But every challenging step rewards you with increasingly spectacular views of the valley, the soaring spires above, and the distinctive Hound’s Tooth.

I’m continually amazed by how few people know about the network of huts maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada. As they describe on their website:

Staying in a backcountry hut is a shared, rustic experience. Sleeping, kitchen and living areas are communal, and foam mattresses, cooking and eating utensils are provided. Guests are expected to bring their own sleeping bags, food and personal items.

All of our huts are user-maintained, meaning that the custodial work of keeping the hut clean, chopping firewood and shovelling snow is done by the guests. The ACC provides major service and renovations to all of our huts each year to ensure they are in good repair.

The settings are, almost without exception, breathtaking. Most require hiking, skiing, or climbing to reach them, offering rustic luxury in some of Canada’s most pristine and untouched wilderness.

I invite you to discover one of these hidden gems for yourself—you won’t be disappointed.