26 August 2016, Friday

We are again up at 6 am, this time to ensure we catch the shuttle up Akamina Parkway to the start of the Carthew-Alderson Traverse.  Waffleton supplies our early breakfast of buttermilk bacon waffles with maple syrup. We manage to get our gear organized and show up 10 minutes early for the 8 am departure.  The two shuttle busses are full but many people get off at earlier stops for other hikes. We are the “sweepers” of our group, as usual. It’s pretty nice being at the end of the crowd. They scare away any bears and we get a nice quiet hike.

There are three women having a good time together a little way ahead of us. Cameron Lake, near the start of the hike is obscured by mist. We climb the forested slopes into the sunshine and soon shed our warm layers. The threesome has paused to pick huckleberries along the trail and offer some to us. They are sweet-tart and bursting with flavor. There sections of the trail that smell like blueberry pie as the berries warm in the sun.  

As we ascend, the trees get smaller and the view becomes more and more spectacular. We are soon above tree-line. Far ahead we can see tiny figures of hikers ascending the wall of the arete. Others are outlined against the sky on top of the ridge. The wall we ascend is steep and covered with loose slate, but the path itself is well-packed down although narrow. I concentrate on the trail in front of my feet, pausing now and then to look up and admire the view and trying not to get dizzy. Soon we make it to the top of the ridge. The trail is a bit wider here, the sun is bright and the breeze is light. This trail is closed in high winds because you can be blown right off the ridge. By the time we arrive at Carthew summit, most of the hikers ahead of us have moved on. Only the three companions and O and I are up top. We take turns taking summit shots of each other and then enjoy our lunch on a great rock slab just behind the summit and our of the wind.

Now it is time to continue our traverse back to Waterton. O and I pause many times to take photos and the three women are soon out of sight. We descend to the beautiful Carthew Lakes and continue along a mountain stream. As we round a bend I see a squirrel-like animal browsing at the base of an enormous boulder. We’ve finally spotted a marmot! We quietly stalk the creature around its boulder, trying to get a photo. After many attempts I have one that is acceptable. (We later find out it is actually a Columbian ground squirrel.)

O and I continue down the trail. Hikers from the 10 am bus are now passing by as we take our time, enjoying the day. A pause below treeline to shed clothing layers in the warm afternoon sun grants us a sighting of a young snowshow hare. It has a small white patch in the middle of its forehead.  As we continue downward we hear a loud voice calling, “Hey, bear!” It is a young couple backpacking with a baby and their dog. They spotted a black bear on the trail on the way up. O and I begin calling “hey, bear” as we proceed. By 5:45 we are safely back in Waterton Village. It’s our first day without a bear sighting. We have dinner in town and then start back up the road to camp. We stop in at the Prince of Wales Hotel to see what it looks like and to check on their breakfast menu. It’s an impressive 1920’s building with a window covering an entire wall looking out over Waterton Lake. We plan to stop here for breakfast before our Sunday morning departure.

Back at Crandell Campground there are now no vacancies. The weekend crowd has arrived. Two or three campsites away loud music is playing. Thankfully, a park employee stops by and asks them to turn it off. The music stops for a bit, but soon resumes at a much lower volume. We are hoping those campers will get cold and go to bed soon!