On July 27th Joan and I departed from the Cathedral Mountain Lodge, first driving east to the Icefields Parkway, then north for about 25km to the parking area for the Mosquito Creek trail. Today's jaunt would be a moderate out-and-back hike on our way to the Lodge at Bow Lake.
After a short climb, the trail curved and steered us towards the creek.
Joan inspects the way ahead. Crossing the creek would require a bridge.
Forty-five minutes later, voila!
Another half-hour, and we reached the popular campground Mo5.
Bear (ursine) safety is important here, and your gear and food are stored as aerial items.
As we saw.
We wandered further along for a while.
A "variable checkerspot," Euphydryas anicia, was taking a break.
We drew closer to the mountains, with Molar Mountain illuminated by the afternoon sun.
Now it was time to turn around and drive to the Lodge at Bow Lake and check in. (Historical note: in working with Indigenous consultants and Elders from the Stoney Nakoda Nation, it was found that the original name, “Num-Ti-Jah,” was not officially gifted to Jimmy Simpson, its founder, nor spelled correctly. At the Elders' recommendation, the new stewards of The Lodge decided to remove it from the name.)
The lake is enormously popular for many reasons -- to start a hike, for wedding photos and receptions, and so forth -- so the new owners established a private parking area for guests near the highway; when you park there, call the front desk. Someone will arrive to ferry you and your gear to/from the lodge past the road-clogging masses. This year, in addition, barriers were installed to prevent vehicles from parking along the road leading to the parking area. Here are two photos from our 2024 visit: first, the main buildings.
This was the scene from the top (fourth) floor. No elevators; we had to walk, but the views were worth it!
And nearby a 17-room extension is under construction.
We had a wonderful dinner and sleep. Tomorrow's goal: an ambitious but spectacular hike to Nigel Pass.
