Baker Lake Hike - Story - Day 1

Lisa and I had a rather late start from Calgary, which got later in Canmore when coffee was needed by some members, which got even later as we waited in line to get past the mud slide that had closed the TransCanada highway.  The highway was only open one way at time.  Lisa did an admirable, if sweaty pitted job, of blocking yahoos that were trying to break into the line.

We eventually got to the Fish Creek parking lot

Fish Creek Parking Lot Half Full

(Nancy and Avery will remember it from their Skoki trip) and started up the access road at about 15:00.  The hike to Baker Lake is on a Lake Louise ski area access road for the first 4km and then trail for the remaining 8km.  A few minutes into our walk up this uninspiring road a ski area van came by and gave us a lift to the end of the road.  A real boon given our late start.  It probably made up for the wait at the mud slide.

The rest of the hike is through subalpine meadows and forest and into some alpine areas.  The one downside to this trail is that it is also used by horses so is quite cut up in places.

Mount Redoubt near halfway hut. Half Full

Ptarmigan Lake from Boulder Pass. Half Full

Nothing very eventful, except for meadows full of flowers,

Alpine poppies Half Full	Paintbrush and valerian Half Full
Wild chive Half Full	Elephant-head Half Full	Moss! Half Full

some sun, some cloud, and a surprising amount of snow for August,

Lisa near Packer's Pass. Half Full

Redoubt Mountain Half Full

until we started down into Baker Lake.

Baker Lake Half Full

On the path was what appeared to be more horse dung, but on closer inspection was bear dung.  Grizzly bear dung.  Quite fresh grizzly bear dung.  We started talking more loudly, clapping hands, singing songs (well, those that can sing) and walked to the campsite without seeing anything other than an osprey hunting over Baker Lake.

At the campsite we talked to 2 women who had come face-to-face with the bear.  They backed up and walked around the lake.

We had just set up our tents when it started to rain (no dinner yet).  Then it started to hail and really rain.  An hour and half later, Lisa and I ventured out to make some soup and wolf down a granola bar in a short lull in the rain.  Pat and Heather finished their lunch in their tent.  We did get our food up the bear pole.

The rain and hail wasn't all bad.  It calmed the mosquito population down.  Alberta is having a very bad year for mosquitoes (from our perspective).  Baker Lake is known as one of the mosquitoest campsites.  Seven with one blow is nothing.  It was more like 15 with one blow.  Thankfully, we all had bug jackets or hats, DEET, and the weather was cool enough that wearing long sleeved shirts was just fine.