Just beyond Cascade pods is Lake Miniwanka (pronounced Miniwonka). We decided to go for a bit of a hike (3 kms each way) along the edge of the lake and up a gorge. Having been lucky with the weather conditions the previous two days, it finally gave way to haze. The forest fires burning in BC had made it a less than spectacular viewing day. You can see the haze in the photos.
Lake Miniwanka is a popular camping area but is also the place where a female hiker was killed by a female grizzly the week before. There is nothing more aggressive and dangerous than a female grizzly with cubs. The hiker was walking through a blackberry grove where the bears were feeding, startled the mother bear and paid the ultimate price. Most hikers at this time of the year carry a bell on them so the bears can hear them coming from way off and don't get surprised. Walking in groups of six or more also reduces the risk to next to nothing. The more noise you make, the more likely the bears are to take off, or at the very least, don't get startled.
Another tick in the wildlife box.
Big Horn Sheep are another native animal on the parks list. The females look like overgrown goats and the males have the huge horns you see in the photo below. They're a bit ugly in summer and I don't understand the hype surrounding them. Having said that, I'd like to see a couple of males having a head butting session.
It's not a great photo, but it's definitely the animal's better side.
Stuart Canyon
This was the purpose of the 3km hike. Stuart Canyon. It's one of the many streams that flow into Lake Miniwanka. We ended up hiking along the right hand side of this canyon to the fork in the stream. It wasn't overly interesting beyond the bridge we stood on to take the photo below and the mosquitoes were horrendous! They are huge and nearly bite off a limb when they have a go. We had to keep moving otherwise they would carry us off. The bears were far from our minds when the mozzies were about. Mental note to "remember the Aerogaurd & 'av a good weekend" next time.
Unfortunately our little national park tour had to come to an end so we headed for home. Work tomorrow & all that reality bites stuff.
