{"id":787,"date":"2015-05-11T19:53:51","date_gmt":"2015-05-12T01:53:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=787"},"modified":"2020-11-24T13:35:39","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T20:35:39","slug":"book-review-aint-it-hell-bill-peytos-mountain-journal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/?p=787","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Ain’t it Hell, Bill Peyto’s Mountain Journal"},"content":{"rendered":"

A spring snowstorm hit the Black Hills, SD\u00a0on May 9-10, 2015 putting Lupe’s planned Expedition No. 129 on hold.\u00a0\u00a0The G6\u00a0wasn’t going anywhere in this weather.\u00a0 Lupe’s options were\u00a0down\u00a0to romping around in the snow in the back yard, attacking the snow shovel when SPHP went out to shovel the walk out front, or snoozing and warming\u00a0herself by the fire in the fireplace.\u00a0 She did some of each.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe\"<\/a>
Lupe’s back yard on May 10, 2015.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Lupe<\/a><\/p>\n

So instead of a trip report on\u00a0Lupe’s postponed Expedition No. 129, it is time for a book review!\u00a0 SPHP’s spouse bought and gave the paperback book “Ain’t it Hell, Bill Peyto’s Mountain Journal<\/em><\/strong>”\u00a0to SPHP while on vacation in the Canadian Rockies in July, 2003.\u00a0 The\u00a0edition SPHP has is the 3rd\u00a0printing, 2001\u00a0(ISBN 0-9699732-0-9) and says it is available from EJH Literary Enterprises in Banff, Canada. \u00a0The book was originally copyrighted in 1995 by author E. J. Hart.<\/p>\n

Ain’t it Hell<\/em> is largely based on a\u00a0journal Bill Peyto kept only sporadically from 1895 to 1921. \u00a0Hart\u00a0gathered additional information from many sources; “not enough\u00a0for that\u00a0biography, but plenty for a work of historical fiction\u00a0using the known facts as a basis around which to structure the story.\u00a0 Ain’t it Hell<\/em> is Bill’s story, as closely as I can recreate it over 50 years after his death.”<\/p>\n

\"Banff<\/a>
Banff was a wilderness community served by the Canadian Pacific Railroad\u00a0back in the 1890’s when\u00a0Bill Peyto used to have his guide and outfitting business here on the Bow River.\u00a0 Now Banff is an upscale tourist destination.\u00a0 This photo looks N along\u00a0Banff Avenue from just S of the\u00a0bridge over the Bow River towards\u00a0downtown and\u00a0Cascade Mountain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ebenezer William Peyto was born in England on February 14, 1869.\u00a0 In\u00a0early 1887 he left England, and by late March or April of that year was working for the Canadian Pacific Railroad near Kicking Horse Pass in the Canadian Rockies.\u00a0 From then on “Wild Bill” Peyto spent most of his rough and varied life in the Canadian Rockies.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The Banff Springs Hotel was built in 1887-1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railroad to attract tourists to the Canadian Rockies.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He\u00a0soon knew as much or more about the\u00a0mountains as almost anyone else around.\u00a0\u00a0Bill Peyto’s\u00a0usual base of operations was Banff, and he became Banff’s most legendary mountain man.\u00a0 Bill Peyto was a hunter and trapper,\u00a0prospector, guide and outfitter.\u00a0 Eventually he became one of the early wardens for the national park service.\u00a0 After marrying his first wife, Emily,\u00a0Bill built a small cabin for her\u00a0in\u00a0town along the Bow River.\u00a0 He\u00a0continued to spend a lot of time, though, at his\u00a0other hideouts in the mountains, most notably one near a copper mining claim in an area he called the “Bookrest”.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at the Banff Springs Hotel in July, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Prior to the 1890’s, many of the peaks of the Canadian Rockies had never been climbed.\u00a0 Tourists and alpinists were just starting to arrive on the scene in significant numbers.\u00a0 Bill Peyto’s initial fame grew mostly out of his work as a guide and outfitter for climbers like Walter Wilcox<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, Dr. J. Norman Collie<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, Edward Whymper<\/span><\/strong><\/a>, and Reverend James Outram <\/span><\/strong><\/a>who either were or would become famous mountaineers.\u00a0 Many years later, as a park warden, Bill Peyto helped find and rescue Mrs. Stone alive from a ledge on the slopes of Mt. Eon eight days after her husband, Dr. Winthrop Stone, fell to his death.<\/p>\n

\"Banff<\/a>
Banff Park and Cascade Mountain<\/a><\/span>\u00a0(9,836 ft.)<\/span><\/strong>, July 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe in Banff Park, July 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe in Banff Park, July 2014<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Twice Bill Peyto left Banff and the Canadian Rockies to go to war on behalf of the British Empire.\u00a0 In 1900, he was wounded fighting the Boers in South Africa.\u00a0 Despite being 46 years old, in 1915 he enlisted again.\u00a0 By 1916\u00a0he wound up as a machine gunner fighting the Germans in Europe during WWI.\u00a0 Bill tried to enlist\u00a0a third time\u00a0in Calgary following the outbreak of WWII, but was turned\u00a0down\u00a0at over 70 years old.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at Bow Falls just downstream from Banff in July, 2013.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ain’t it Hell<\/em> is full of stories from Bill Peyto’s life.\u00a0\u00a0Once he brought a live lynx into a\u00a0bar in Banff.\u00a0\u00a0After his first wife passed away, a\u00a0photo of\u00a0Bill that\u00a0won an award at the Toronto Fair eventually brought him a second wife.\u00a0 He slept outside in minus 30 degree weather to keep from getting soft.\u00a0 Ain’t it Hell<\/em> is also\u00a0full of references to\u00a0famous mountains, lakes, and rivers in the Canadian Rockies and\u00a0to his experiences dealing with climbers, explorers, other guides, prospectors, businessmen, and politicians of the age.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
Bill Peyto’s storage building on the grounds of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff.\u00a0 His old cabin is also there near by, and can be toured.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bill’s life was not easy.\u00a0 The mountains were wild and spectacularly beautiful, but there were also very real dangers and\u00a0almost none\u00a0of the amenities providing the comforts of life we take for granted now.\u00a0 He was a tough guy and frequently tough to get along with, living in a time and place\u00a0where self-reliance was necessary\u00a0to survive.<\/p>\n

Bill Peyto died of cancer on March 24, 1943 at the age of 74.\u00a0 He is buried in Banff Cemetery next his first wife, Emily.\u00a0 Bill Peyto’s cabin and a small log storage building he used\u00a0to own have\u00a0been moved from their original locations along the Bow River\u00a0to the\u00a0grounds of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies<\/a><\/span><\/strong> in Banff.\u00a0 Bill Peyto is also commemorated by a\u00a0restaurant named Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon<\/a><\/span><\/strong> in Banff.\u00a0 Near Lake Louise, is Bill Peyto’s Caf\u00e9<\/a><\/span><\/strong> at the International Hostel and Alpine Center.<\/p>\n

However, it\u00a0seems likely\u00a0the tributes that would have pleased Bill Peyto most are\u00a0farther N.\u00a0 Along Icefields Parkway No. 93,\u00a0on the way from Lake\u00a0Louise to Jasper,\u00a0is\u00a0Bow Pass a few kilometers N of Bow Lake.\u00a0 Just to the W of Bow Pass is Peyto Lake, fed by the melt waters of the Peyto Glacier coming down from the Wapta Icefield below Peyto Peak.<\/p>\n

\"Lupe<\/a>
Lupe at Peyto Lake 7-28-14<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At 224 pages including the introduction and epilogue, Ain’t it Hell<\/em> is a pretty easy, quick\u00a0and fun read.\u00a0 SPHP has read Ain’t it Hell<\/em> several times over the years, and each time gets more out of it.\u00a0 On her summer vacations in 2013 and 2014, Lupe went to see quite a few of the lakes, rivers, mountains and passes mentioned in the book.\u00a0 Having been there with Lupe, it is even more fun to read about the events that once took place in the beautiful and dramatic\u00a0locations mentioned in Ain’t it Hell<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Peyto<\/a>
This view of Peyto Lake is from a lookout deck accessible by a relatively short paved trail.\u00a0 The turnoff to the trailhead parking lot is at Bow Pass on the W side\u00a0of the Icefields Parkway Hwy No. 93 a few kilometers N of Bow Lake and the Crowfoot Glacier.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Is Ain’t it Hell<\/em> a book you might enjoy?\u00a0 Your reaction to the following\u00a0May 15, 1910 entry from Bill Peyto’s mountain journal featured on the back cover of Ain’t it Hell<\/em> is probably a good indication:<\/p>\n

“I headed downslope to where the cubs were feeding and came up at them, hoping to scare them into one or another of my mining shafts for protection.\u00a0 It worked perfectly, as they ran for the nearest dark hole, and I went in with my ropes on the ready to see if I could catch one.\u00a0 I could hear the little fellows squealing in the dark and I paused a moment to let my eyes adjust.\u00a0 Just then I heard a tremendous roar and knew the sow was coming on the run looking for her wayward offspring.\u00a0 It didn’t take her a moment to pick up the scent and she headed straight for the mouth of the shaft bent on destruction.\u00a0 I knew the jig was up for sure if I lost my head and so very deliberately drew the Colt from my belt and waited for her to find us out …”<\/em><\/p>\n

Want more?\u00a0\u00a0Subscribe free\u00a0to\u00a0new Lupe adventures and reviews<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span>!<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A spring snowstorm hit the Black Hills, SD\u00a0on May 9-10, 2015 putting Lupe’s planned Expedition No. 129 on hold.\u00a0\u00a0The G6\u00a0wasn’t going anywhere in this weather.\u00a0 Lupe’s options were\u00a0down\u00a0to romping around in the snow in the back yard, attacking the snow shovel when SPHP went out to shovel the walk out front, or snoozing and warming\u00a0herself … Continue reading Book Review: Ain’t it Hell, Bill Peyto’s Mountain Journal<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":785,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[1335,135,32,133,30,31,137,1336,138,134,139,136],"class_list":["post-787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","tag-aint-it-hell","tag-banff","tag-banff-national-park","tag-bill-peyto","tag-canada","tag-canadian-rockies","tag-dr-j-norman-collie","tag-e-j-hart","tag-edward-whymper","tag-peyto-lake","tag-reverend-james-outram","tag-walter-wilcox"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/adventuresoflupe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/P1060251.jpg?fit=1651%2C1238&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=787"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29891,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787\/revisions\/29891"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adventuresoflupe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}