#waterton

[jlepape]

Waterton, Alberta

[state-of-calamity]

Pincher Creek, Alberta

Apr 2014 | R. Clark-Martin

#0066

[tallgh0st]

[cedarboughs]

Hiking Journal: Waterton Lakes NP,

Bauerman/Blakiston Valleys Loop Part II, July 22

We ate our largely flavourless protein-rich oatmeal with its nicer chunks of freeze-dried fruit by the lake as dawn fell down along the east aspect of Avion Ridge. The most ambitious plan for the day had been 10km of up-and-over alpine walking along the top of the ridge, descending via the Castle River Divide to Snowshoe campground. But as morning winds rose, hesitancy prevailed and we opted to return to the low valley road. In the morning light, the unnamed middle peak between Anderson Peak and Mount Bauerman made a cool sight as we came down from Goat Lake the way we’d come up the afternoon before.

Back in the valley floor it was hot again, but thankfully we quickly passed the end of the 2017 burn so the forest was more shaded. I’d almost forgotten what real trees with wide green boughs looked like. We arrived to Snowshoe in time for lunch.

After pitching camp, it was agreed we could try tackling Avion Ridge from the other side, which seemed to be the more popular direction anyway. Some other campers from Goat had taken the ridge and we re-encountered them, telling of a good traverse. So we made our way gradually up through the trees to the Castle River Divide, the edge of the park and border of less-regulated Castle country. From that subalpine saddle the trail up the side of the ridge turned steep, and hot. The views were alright, but it was a slog. We turned around well before the summit and returned to a lazy camp dinner.

[dopescissorscashwagon]

Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada

📸 by @danschyk

[eoinbettencourt]

[sheeps-eye]

Yearning for something simple and somewhere quiet

Waterton - Ricoh kr-10

[skullfuckasswhore]

Me. Waterton. 2021

[lostbelowthewaves]

Waterton National Park. September 2023

[chickenshit-conformist]

no bad days.

Waterton - 2023

[prankprincess123]

Theres a startling number of tourists who come in to the ice-cream shop asking what vegan options we have, and I'm just like "Ma'am, this is a town with approximately 10 permanent residents, where you can buy handmade moccasins next door. We are naught but simple country folks who drink milk and eat meat, both of which came from farms down the road."

[jlepape]

Waterton, Alberta

[kylewon-kenobi]

post-meetup hike to find some peace & quiet.

[tallgh0st]

[cedarboughs]

Hiking Journal: Waterton Lakes NP,

Bauerman/Blakiston Valleys Loop Part I, July 21

On the first day of the backpack we set out from the busy parking lot at Red Rocks Canyon, an interpretive site where families like to splash in the tumbling pools of the scarlet argillite creek bed. The Kenow Fire swept through this valley and many others in the park in 2017. In the lower Bauerman, undergrowth has thickened greenly around the bases of what once was the forest — now a seemingly infinite array of white heartwood posts with blackened patches of bark still clinging in spots. Thick waist-high salmonberry bushes shared the ground floor with sapling lodgepole pines. The serotinous cones of the elder lodgepoles, it was clear, had burst open in the heat of Kenow, spreading the seeds of a new generation. Where not shaded by the young pines, still-blooming wildflowers grew along the path: scarlet paintbrushes fading pink in the drought, pale violet asters, and wild roses. The impression in the distance was of a zebra-striped cloud over green carpet. To the south, our left, the pyramid spire of Anderson Peak pierced the sky.

Little wildlife but birds seen out in the valley heat of midday (and it was hot, over thirty degrees!) but here’s a mother grouse we saw stalking us a bit in brave defence of her three chicks.

There was no water anywhere near the trail until we reached the junction up to Goat Lake. Here we climbed steeply — and hotly! — up the sun-blasted south aspect slope, where a thin waterfall (Goat Creek, I suppose) trickled out of a narrow notch in the cliff band.

From the heights, the end of the burn zone could be seen ahead, an abrupt transition to proper, needled trees. I’d almost forgotten what they looked like.

Here’s the beautiful outhouse at Goat Lake, the first campsite of the loop. The plan for the next day was to do as the sign suggested and follow Avion Ridge to Snowshoe campground. Stay tuned. This first day already took longer to write about than I expected so we’ll see how long the whole thing takes.

[nfornaomi]

The Crypt Lake Trail is rated by National Geographic as one of the world's 'most thrilling hikes' and has been on my list for a number of years. It was about 18.5km round trip and consists of a pretty steady incline up to the lake, along with a few unique things like a ladder, a 60 ft long cave which narrows to 4ft in height in the middle, and chains to prevent slipping off the cliff.

There were some beautiful views, plenty of wildflowers, a couple of waterfalls, a short snowball fight, and even an illegal excursion into US soil (as per picture 8 😂).

Overall we wouldn't rate it as difficult, and I equate thrilling with scary so I wouldn't consider it thrilling either as I felt very safe the entire hike. But it was definitely fun and I would do it again (although it costs $32 per person for a 15 min round trip boat ride to the start point 😅).