A closed sign that blocks the trail to Bow Glacier Falls north of Lake Louise, Alta., in Banff National Park on Friday, June 20, 2025.
Khaled Elgamal is still trying to make sense of what happened in Banff National Park. What was meant to be a fun getaway turned into a nightmare that claimed the life of his close friend—and may have taken his too, if not for one heroic moment.
A Friendship Built Across Borders
Elgamal, 28, met 33-year-old Hamza Benhilal through their online MBA program at University Canada West. Though Elgamal lived in Egypt and Benhilal in Morocco, they grew close. Both moved to British Columbia in 2022 and became roommates.
“He was more than a friend—he was like my big brother,” Elgamal said from his hospital bed in Calgary.
Benhilal, an engineer, and Elgamal, now a financial adviser, had decided to take a short trip to Banff. A hotel worker casually recommended Bow Glacier Falls for a scenic hike. It wasn’t even on their original plan.
“We were going to Lake Louise,” Elgamal recalled. “But we went where the parking was easier.”
A Trip Turns Tragic
It started like any other hike—pictures by the lake, a walk toward the waterfall, clear skies overhead. But then came the sound.
“It was like thunder,” said Elgamal. A massive rock slab gave way from the mountain, sending boulders crashing down.
Benhilal was a few steps ahead. He turned and yelled one word to his friend: “Run!”
“I froze. He saved me by screaming,” Elgamal said. That urgent warning jolted him into motion, but he barely made it a few steps before a rock struck his feet.
He fell and looked up to see Benhilal disappear into the swirling dust. It was the last time he saw him.
A Painful Escape
Elgamal blacked out multiple times as rocks pelted his body.
When the fall stopped, he was dazed, bleeding, and in agony.
Somehow, he managed to get up and stumble through the debris. Despite slipping on wet stones and vomiting from the pain, he kept going—drawn by the sounds of people shouting at the base of the trail.
Other hikers rushed to help. They covered him with their jackets, urged him to lie down, and tried to keep him calm.
“I was soaked in blood, barely able to move,” he said.
The Loss Sinks In
Elgamal later learned that Benhilal didn’t survive. His body was recovered the next day. Another hiker, 70-year-old Jutta Hinrichs from Calgary, also died in the rockfall.
Parks Canada said the event couldn’t have been predicted. It was a natural geological occurrence—one of the harsh realities of mountain terrain.
The area around Bow Glacier Falls remains closed.
Remembering a Hero
Benhilal’s mother and one of his five brothers are traveling to Alberta to arrange his funeral. Elgamal, still recovering from fractures and internal injuries, says support from strangers—especially the hikers who helped him—has brought comfort.
But nothing fills the void left by his friend.
“I have nightmares every night,” he said. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
