What do you think?
Rate this book
Ain't it Hell
Fact-based fictional diary entries made by Wild Bill Peyto, one of the Canadian Rockies' most colourful early guides.
Travel back in time through the journal entries of Bill Peyto, Banff's most legendary figure. Along the way you will marvel at his accomplishments as an early park warden, be amazed by his adventures as a mountain guide, and be drawn in by his infamously unsophisticated personal life.
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. 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. I could hear the little fellows squealing in the dark and I paused a moment to let my eyes adjust. Just then I heard a tremendous roar and knew the sow was coming on the run looking for her wayward offspring. 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....
- Entry from Bill Peyto's Mountain Journal May 15, 1910.
About Summerthought Summerthought was founded in 1971 in Banff with the publication of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide. We remain a vibrant, proudly independent Banff publisher producing books about the Canadian Rockies. Our writers and illustrators are all locals, mostly experts in their fields, and our books are printed here in Canada.
Travel back in time through the journal entries of Bill Peyto, Banff's most legendary figure. Along the way you will marvel at his accomplishments as an early park warden, be amazed by his adventures as a mountain guide, and be drawn in by his infamously unsophisticated personal life.
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. 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. I could hear the little fellows squealing in the dark and I paused a moment to let my eyes adjust. Just then I heard a tremendous roar and knew the sow was coming on the run looking for her wayward offspring. 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....
- Entry from Bill Peyto's Mountain Journal May 15, 1910.
About Summerthought Summerthought was founded in 1971 in Banff with the publication of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide. We remain a vibrant, proudly independent Banff publisher producing books about the Canadian Rockies. Our writers and illustrators are all locals, mostly experts in their fields, and our books are printed here in Canada.
152 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
4 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 19, 2025
A journal by one of the best known early outfitters in the Canadian Rockies. When not guiding he engaged in trapping and mining. Peyto was contemporaneous with Tom Wilson and Jimmy Simpson, actively guiding before the Brewsters dominated the business in conjunction with the CPR.
Peyto moved to Canada in 1890, settling on a piece of land in the Montreal Valley west of Cochrane. "Canada is everything dear old England isn't freedom to roam in these thatutiful hills seeing no one but the wild things, freedom to say what's on a bloke's mind without looking over his shoulder, and freedom to earn a grubstake by using brains and wits instead of depending on one's station of birth. "
By 1897, he had spent spent significant time in the Simpson Pass area. He set up a cabin there and engaged in diggings for copper ore, naming the site the Bookrest mine.
Peyto guided many of the early climbers. Peyto Lake was named in his honor by Collie and Baker. In 1895, he accompanied Wilcox on a long circumnavigation of Mt. Assiniboine.
In 1901, he provided outfitting services to Whymper and four Swiss guides. He found Whymper to be extremely trying and when paid he reflected on "... how hard earned every dollar had been."
Peyto was a loner and did not get on well with many people. One person he did relate to was Norman Sanson with whom he shared many interests. When Sanson set up the Banff zoo, he engaged Peyto to collect some animals. He eventually captured a lynx, chloroformed it to secure it and had too carry it back to Banff on a backpack as his horse would not carry it. Famously, he took it into the Alberta Bar while he got a drink, causing much commotion and emptying the bar.
After serving in World War II, he returned to his "ramshackle cabin" in Banff, which he named "Ain't it Hell".
In 1921, the guide Rudolph Aemmer and Peyto led a rescue of Dr. Stone's wife from Eon Mountain, for which the two received much recognition.
In later life, Peyto became a Park Warden until his retirement.
From his obituary: ""With the passing of "Bill" Peyto one of the oldest and most colourful links with the early days of Banff Park, and indeed Western Canada, has been broken.... "Bill's" knowledge of the Rocky Mountains area was equaled by few and surpassed by none. Indefatigable when on the trail he gave everything to ensure the success of his party. His knowledge of the wild animals of the district, their habits and peculiarities, was tremendous and fortunate indeed was the hunter who secured his services as guide."
Peyto moved to Canada in 1890, settling on a piece of land in the Montreal Valley west of Cochrane. "Canada is everything dear old England isn't freedom to roam in these thatutiful hills seeing no one but the wild things, freedom to say what's on a bloke's mind without looking over his shoulder, and freedom to earn a grubstake by using brains and wits instead of depending on one's station of birth. "
By 1897, he had spent spent significant time in the Simpson Pass area. He set up a cabin there and engaged in diggings for copper ore, naming the site the Bookrest mine.
Peyto guided many of the early climbers. Peyto Lake was named in his honor by Collie and Baker. In 1895, he accompanied Wilcox on a long circumnavigation of Mt. Assiniboine.
In 1901, he provided outfitting services to Whymper and four Swiss guides. He found Whymper to be extremely trying and when paid he reflected on "... how hard earned every dollar had been."
Peyto was a loner and did not get on well with many people. One person he did relate to was Norman Sanson with whom he shared many interests. When Sanson set up the Banff zoo, he engaged Peyto to collect some animals. He eventually captured a lynx, chloroformed it to secure it and had too carry it back to Banff on a backpack as his horse would not carry it. Famously, he took it into the Alberta Bar while he got a drink, causing much commotion and emptying the bar.
After serving in World War II, he returned to his "ramshackle cabin" in Banff, which he named "Ain't it Hell".
In 1921, the guide Rudolph Aemmer and Peyto led a rescue of Dr. Stone's wife from Eon Mountain, for which the two received much recognition.
In later life, Peyto became a Park Warden until his retirement.
From his obituary: ""With the passing of "Bill" Peyto one of the oldest and most colourful links with the early days of Banff Park, and indeed Western Canada, has been broken.... "Bill's" knowledge of the Rocky Mountains area was equaled by few and surpassed by none. Indefatigable when on the trail he gave everything to ensure the success of his party. His knowledge of the wild animals of the district, their habits and peculiarities, was tremendous and fortunate indeed was the hunter who secured his services as guide."
February 10, 2025
We discovered Bill Peyto during our trip to Banff and picked up this book at a local shop. It took me a while to figure out it wasn't his real journal! Very creative for this author to produce a made-up journal! Its a creative work, but grounded in what is known about Peyto's life and adventures as a guide in the Banff area way back in the day. It was an entertaining way to get a sense of what things were like back then in that area and what the life of a guide trying to make a living out there might have been like. Its well written and you get very attached to Bill as he makes his way through the ups and downs of life. Life on the frontier, separate from family, service in foreign wars, and the adventurers of guiding visitors up on the mountains in the Banff area.
January 24, 2013
Just as good now as it ever was. The language is colourful, the adventures are hillarious, and the exaggerations are plentiful. The perfect book to read before, after or during a visit to Banff.
March 16, 2020
Tough times not so long ago.
His Lake is beautiful!
His Lake is beautiful!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews