Day 14 - Waterton to Calgary

Unfortunately we had to leave Waterton. We set off animal spotting (we'd come to call them game drives in Africa) along the Red Rock Parkway. We saw one black bear & nothing else. At least we saw a bear. After breakfast we packed our gear into the car & set off back to Calgary. We stopped for a photo opportunity at Cameron Falls (below) on the edge of town. We stopped once more at the edge of the upper lake (above) before one last drive along the Akamina Parkway. The animals were already hiding in the forest, but finally Cameron Lake (below) was in the mood for being photographed. The cloudless, windless day was identical to the wonderful weather from the day before.

Sadly we left the park but not before a lap around the bison paddock. Parks Canada maintains a small herd at Waterton for the benefit of visitors. These guys look like passive grazers, but I assure you they are way more bad tempered than your garden variety moo cows.

We took a different route back to Calgary to the east along Hwy 2. A 15 km divert bought us to the world heritage site, Head-Smashed-in Buffalo Jump.

It's a slightly disturbing (if your an animal person like me) but very interesting site that has an interpretive centre that helps you to understand how the native people used to hunt these creatures on mass.The actual jump site (above & below) doesn't look like much as but erosion has filled in the valley a little. The cliff is still high enough to kill bison. Thankfully he practice stopped long ago.

The drive back to Calgary was uneventful to the point of being boring which is why we tend to use Hwy 22 that runs alongside the mountains.
Just when we thought we would have a peaceful evening relaxing at Shane's, we were ambushed by some of the work clan who wanted to catch up for a beer. Quite a few of them couldn't make it for drinks the previous weekend. Who am I to be a party pooper?

Day 13 - Crypt Lake

We woke up a bit sore in the legs after the Forum & Wall Lakes hike. I dragged myself out of bed to go animal spotting early but couldn't manage to convince Kerri. I headed out along Red Rock Canyon without too much luck. The elk were still out in the open, but soon moved on. I saw one black bear way off on the side of a hill (below), but it was hardly worth stopping for.

On the upside the cloud had cleared & the wind non-existent. Looking along the parkway Mt Anderson (below) was lit up with the morning light. By the time I'd returned to the room, Kerri was up & about. We went for breakfast & grabbed a couple more hiker's lunches. Today we were going to do the Crypt Lake hike for sure!

The boat carried nine hikers (including us) & a large number of people who were just cruising the lake for the morning. They would end up at the far end of the lake & step onto US soil at the border post. We had cruised the lake before with our friends Jim & Sandra in their boat just before we left Canada just on 2 years previous.The cruise wasn't for us. 15 mins after leaving the wharf we were at the trail head. It was the start of a 7 hr, 18km round trip. (Trail map above). The Crypt Lake trail is supposed to be one of the top three hikes in Canada. Along with some spectacular scenery there are also a number of unique challenges particularly toward the end of the trail.

The trail immediately started to gain elevation as it zig zagged up through the cool forest along a number of switchbacks (below). The forest floor was covered in wild berries (above) that are a magnet for bears. We were constantly making noise & looking for signs of them.Eventually the switchbacks broke through the dense forest & opened out to some wonderful views of the lake & surrounding peaks (Mt Richards below).

The trail flattened out a little for a 2 kms or so before reaching the first of three waterfalls at kilometre 3.5. Twin Falls (below) is just a taster for the much more impressive cascades further along.The trail continued up the valley through the forest occasionally crossing side valleys & little waterways (below). The sky was still so clear & blue & didn't change the rest of the day! The disappointment the day before with the boat not running was all forgotten. Things sometimes happen for a good reason & the day was spectacular.

Eventually the forest thinned out making way for more rocky terrain & short shrubs.

At kilometre 5.6 we caught our first look at Burnt Rock Falls (below). It was by far the most interesting of the falls. It's easy to see the colour in the surrounding cliffs that give the falls their name.Closer to Burnt Rock Falls, the trail started a series of steep switchbacks across loose scree. It was the start of a couple of kilometres of tough hiking. The Crypt Lake Trail is a challenge not so much because of the distance, but more for the elevation gain & the tricky sections at the end. The majority of the elevation gain is done in the last 3 kms between Burnt Rock Falls & the lake.

From the top of Burnt Rock Falls we could see both the valley we'd hiked up (above) & the Crypt Falls (below). Our destination (Crypt Lake) sits in the basin behind Crypt Falls. At the end of the switchbacks the last section has a tunnel & a ledge that can be seen to the left of Crypt Falls if you know what to look for (far left of picture).

At the end of the countless switchbacks the trail crosses a small creek before traversing a scree slope to the tunnel (below). The narrow path was a little unnerving with the steep slope below us, but it was nothing compared with what was about to come.

To enter the tunnel you have to climb a short (but skewed) metal ladder bolted to the rocks (below).

The tunnel is wide enough at the entrance but quickly narrows until you nearly have crawl.

Right where you're stooped the most with your backpack & camera in front of you, the tunnel ends abruptly with a ledge! (below).

What makes the ledge more terrifying is that it opens out to the Crypt Falls amphitheatre and the shear drop to the right (below). To put some perspective on it, Crypt Falls is 175m high!

The last trick the trail has in store is the narrow angled ledge (below) that has a steel rope to your left hand & a sheer cliff to the right. It was terrifying, but not as bad as coming back down the same ledge a little later! It was at that point I was very glad we weren't trying to clamber along this ledge in the 40 knot winds of the previous day.We turned the corner off the ledge & the trail was back to normal again (below).There's a side trail that lets you look over the edge at Crypt Falls but the main trail heads over the rim of the cirque lake basin to Crypt Lake (below). After three & a half hours, we'd made it! The lake was gorgeous & the photos just don't tell the story.

While we were having lunch in this beautiful setting, some of the wildlife joined us (below).

The avalanche slope on the far side of the lake was home to mountain goats (below) but were even further away than at Wall Lake the previous day.A little closer to us on the escarpment to the left, a small group of big horned sheep (below) were happily going about their business.

After 45 mins at the lake we had to set off back down the valley. We had to get back to the trail head to catch the boat at 5.30pm. We knew it would take nearly 3 hours to get back so it was time to go. From the top of the ledge, the view back down the valley is breathtaking.

The decent was nowhere near as exciting as the ascent, but at least it was downhill. We stopped a few times to admire the view & give out legs a break. It only took us 2 hrs 40 mins to reach the lake shore. We took off our boots & cooled our sore feet & legs in the cold lake. We were very glad to see the boat come around the corner to pick us up.

Even later in the afternoon the sky was still cloudless & there was just a gentle breeze to cool things off. What a great day! It would have to be my favourite day of the Alberta part of the trip. I think part of it was the challenge, part the scenery & part the fact that it was new territory for us.The next day we'd have to leave this wonderful national park & head back north to Calgary.