Waterton

We spent the weekend hiking in Waterton, taking advantage of the generosity of Ryan's parents.

August 17th, 2013

Ryan's father recommended Avion Ridge, which would be a long but fairly easy day through an area that most people seem to either backpack through or make easier by mountain bike.

We started out by visiting Lost Lake, which was just a minor detour from our planned route.

Lost Lake

The trail up to the ridge was quite gentle, and as soon as we got above treeline the famed Waterton winds kept us cool and free of bugs. The rock was very rotten and didn't inspire a lot of confidence for climbing.

Bonsai tree along Avion Ridge

The walk along the ridge was fantastic, with views beyond the northern boundary of Waterton. We saw a couple of peaks that looked like easy scrambles, but we still had a long day ahead of us so we didn't take any more detours.

Reaching the end of the ridge, about to drop down to Goat Lake

Goat Lake seems to be a popular destination for day hikers, with a few families and some fishermen lounging around the shore. We sped through as beers and steaks were calling to us.

Lots of little waterfalls both feeding into and out of Goat Lake

The last little bit back to the parking lot was quite long and uninteresting, and kids were swimming in the canyon which had been empty in the morning.

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/232220837/3101909

August 18th, 2013

The plan for this day was a ferry trip starting outside the northern park boundary, hiking into Oil Basin, then crossing into Horseshoe Basin via a pass just west of Lakeview Peak.

Starting in the prairies

The start of the trail involved a bit of mud, some bushwhacking, and squeezing through barbed wires. My kind of adventure! We lost the trail for a bit amidst tall grass, but the pass that we were aiming for was fairly obvious.

Lunch on the pass

Dropping down into Horseshoe Basin, the trail was much better defined and we ran into two other groups hiking in the other way. I'm guessing that the hike ends at the pass, then returns back the same way.

Horseshoe Basin itself was relatively flat and easy, and we made very fast time through this area.

Over the last pass, we can see the Waterton townsite

The last drop down to Indian Springs was a bit bushy as well, and we did a lot of tick-checking along the way.

http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/232951140/3101909