Matthias and I visited the campground attendant this morning to switch our campsite to one with a fire pit - and we purchased camp and fire permits for the next two nights. Following a bowl of instant oatmeal for breakfast, we headed into Waterton town to refuel Conrad. The town is a quaint little place which was built up, it seemed, to cater to tourists. We drove around town a bit and identified all of the amenities we might need later.
Waterton Lake became Canada’s fourth national park in 1895. It is situated along the US/Canadian border in southern Alberta and the protected land continues across the border in the form of Glacier National Park in Montana. Wateron Lake’s popular catchphrase is, “Where the prairie meets the mountains.” It’s true; the grassy lands roll right up to the towering rocky hills. Interestingly, the first oil drilled in western Canada was drilled at Waterton Lake (around the turn of the century.)
Matthias, Conrad and I followed the Akamina Parkway out of Waterton town for about 5 miles to the west to a trailhead at Rowe Creek. The trail set off through the forest to a branch where we could follow the trail to Upper or Lower Rowe Lakes. We chose Upper and continued through a meadow, then switchbacks up to the lake. The trail was about 4.5 miles one way. We ate our packed lunch (ham & cheese sandwiches, trail mix) and rested in the grass, then followed the shore of Upper Rowe for a short ways to a creek that flowed out of the lake down to a smaller lake. We walked around the smaller lake, then down a dry creek bed at the end of which was a cliff with a stunning view of the Rowe River Valley and, straight below us, Lower Rowe Lake.
We returned to the car about 4.5 hours after we left it. We drove further west along the parkway to Cameron Lake, but were turned off by the large packs of people milling around so we headed back to town.
The weather was hot and sunny all day. We were tired and sweaty following our hike, so we ponied up for a $2 shower at the recreation center at Waterton Lakes Lodge. Following that, Matthias emailed while I scarfed down delicious triple chocolate fudge ice cream and made a couple of phone calls.
We returned to our hot windy campsite where we started a fire. I read the National Post while Matthias worked on a novel. For the first time ever, a sudoku puzzle stumped me. I turned it over to Matthias, but he didn’t fare any better. So we burned it in the fire. We fired up a two-course dinner consisting of Matthias’ famed Insalata Caprese and canned ravioli. I sorted through the days pictures before crawling into the tent for the night.
We planned to do a day hike to Crypt Lake, one of the park’s most popular hikes, the next day.
Waterton Lake became Canada’s fourth national park in 1895. It is situated along the US/Canadian border in southern Alberta and the protected land continues across the border in the form of Glacier National Park in Montana. Wateron Lake’s popular catchphrase is, “Where the prairie meets the mountains.” It’s true; the grassy lands roll right up to the towering rocky hills. Interestingly, the first oil drilled in western Canada was drilled at Waterton Lake (around the turn of the century.)
Matthias, Conrad and I followed the Akamina Parkway out of Waterton town for about 5 miles to the west to a trailhead at Rowe Creek. The trail set off through the forest to a branch where we could follow the trail to Upper or Lower Rowe Lakes. We chose Upper and continued through a meadow, then switchbacks up to the lake. The trail was about 4.5 miles one way. We ate our packed lunch (ham & cheese sandwiches, trail mix) and rested in the grass, then followed the shore of Upper Rowe for a short ways to a creek that flowed out of the lake down to a smaller lake. We walked around the smaller lake, then down a dry creek bed at the end of which was a cliff with a stunning view of the Rowe River Valley and, straight below us, Lower Rowe Lake.
We returned to the car about 4.5 hours after we left it. We drove further west along the parkway to Cameron Lake, but were turned off by the large packs of people milling around so we headed back to town.The weather was hot and sunny all day. We were tired and sweaty following our hike, so we ponied up for a $2 shower at the recreation center at Waterton Lakes Lodge. Following that, Matthias emailed while I scarfed down delicious triple chocolate fudge ice cream and made a couple of phone calls.
We returned to our hot windy campsite where we started a fire. I read the National Post while Matthias worked on a novel. For the first time ever, a sudoku puzzle stumped me. I turned it over to Matthias, but he didn’t fare any better. So we burned it in the fire. We fired up a two-course dinner consisting of Matthias’ famed Insalata Caprese and canned ravioli. I sorted through the days pictures before crawling into the tent for the night.
We planned to do a day hike to Crypt Lake, one of the park’s most popular hikes, the next day.
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