Heli Hiking the Canadian Rockies

Click any image to view a slideshow. Scroll down to see the video of the helicopter drop off and pick up.

Helicopter Flight into the Canadian Rockies from Cline River Heliport, Alberta

The photos on this page were taken on a heli-hike we did in September, 2007. The helicopter was out of Hinton, Alberta and flew Joyce, our guide and myself to a valley high in the Canadian Rocky Mountains near Mt. Kephala. It was fall there in the mountains and all the ground folage was ablaze with colour. As for wildlife, we saw plenty of Pika. These little creatures live among the rocks above the tree line. They are so fast and shy we had a hard time getting a decent photo of them.

The Pika is a mammal in the Ochotonidae family, including rabbits and hares. Like rabbits, it eats its droppings to maximize its nutrition. The Pika is a cold-weather creature. Exposure to hours of temperatures above 78°F (25°C) can be deadly.