Day 36 Waterton Lakes National Park

The mountains are calling, and I must go according to John Muir. I certainly heard the call this morning when I opened the door to brilliant sunshine. Poor David, we believe has been bitten by a chigger! They are nasty little things and can cause an allergic reaction. We gave him Benadryl last night after we finished driving but, as we learned during cancer treatments, he really reacts to Benadryl and was out of it for most of the evening. Today we tried Claritin and that seemed to settle it enough to get him out to enjoy his day. Now the other thing that David does not enjoy is heights. Yes, I know, we are hiking in the mountains! There are so many trails here and so much to see that it won’t really be a problem, except…the first trail we chose this morning was a narrow path along the side of a mountain. It wasn’t immediately apparent, so we were a bit along before I suggested we turn back. It was clear he wasn’t enjoying it. He is usually a pretty good sport, but the irritation of bites was about as much as he could tolerate. We sent Jonathan and Jenna on their way, and we came down off the mountainside. As I said, so many options here it isn’t really a problem and we spent the rest of our day hiking, wandering, driving, exploring… how blessed we are that we can have a day’s plan derailed and have an absolutely marvelous day that we would never have had if we stuck to Plan A!  Blessed as we are, we could still do without this horrible, blistering, rash!

Just a little guy
Pretty cool. The water that flows down from this crown of the continent form rivers that travel to the Atlantic, Pacific and Artic Oceans!
The moon still standing at the top of the mountain
Jonathan hiking our mountain path
The burned trees make way for an abundance of fireweed
Rockslides are not uncommon here. This piece of mountain makes it clear to see how the rock would fracture.
So many waterfalls
So many deer!

Roads that wind between the mountains. There are so many lookoffs. It's clear to see why!
Maybe not quite as many as on the prairie, but there are loads of grasshoppers.
Even the erosion on the banks of the river are pretty!
Ground squirrels are far more timid here than in Grasslands
The rivers cutting between the mountain ranges
The 2017 wildfire path was very evident
So many Saskatoon berries!
Beautiful wildflowers
Mountains that grow up past the clouds
Snow!


Red Rock Canyon hike

The canyon narrows at the trailhead
The bright green at the base of the burned trees are two-foot pines, emerging to replenish the forest.
More snow!
More local delights!
Vimy Peak - I am starting to learn some of their names. It really is amazing how learning the differences between the mountains helps you get your bearings.
The cutest RCMP detachment ever!

After our adventures and Jonathan’s and Jenna’s 10km hike up a mountain, we all came back for an afternoon nap! The evening was so beautiful we couldn’t resist going back to do another hike. This time the Prince of Wales trail led us from the hamlet of Waterton on a trail that brought us spectacular views of Waterton Lakes and the surrounding mountains and peaks. Countless wildlife encounters (including grizzlies!), and wildflowers galore. I can’t help but realize, had we been here before the last wildfire, we would have experienced a very different National Park. The profusion of Saskatoon berries, fireweed and other wildflowers that have taken hold here is simple beautiful. The bright green, two-foot pines that are emerging among the scared and barren trunks of mature trees destroyed by the fires, are sure a tangible sign of nature’s resilience, and the tenacity of hope. Just like today did not unfold as planned, this incredible landscape has also had to change and adapt! Change means loss, but it also offers incredible new opportunities!

Even with babies they are not at all skittish. I learned apparently the Momma deer with fawns are known to stay close to town. People it seems are less risky than many predators in these parts!
Another one munching Saskatoon berries
Beautiful in the changing light at the end of the day
Asters
Found the red chairs looking out on Vimy Peak
Rainbow rocks at the lake
Magpies are very pretty birds (and noisy!)
A much bigger bear than we saw earlier. What I couldn't catch was the grizzly running across the open field behind him.
Day is done

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