Jeff and the Jeep of Doom

All I can think is, it just wasn't meant to be.

On Friday, we embarked on our second attempt to hike to Crypt Lake in Waterton National Park. It was a resounding failure!

Team Non-Jeep-of-Doom.

Halfway to Waterton, I received a text from Jeff saying that he was having car trouble, and didn't think he would be able to leave Claresholm. As it turned out, Tom and I were just passing through Claresholm, so we stopped to see if we could offer Jeff and his passengers a ride. Jeff decided he wanted to stay near his Jeep overnight so he could talk to a mechanic first thing in the morning. So he and his girlfriend, Julie, opted to stay in Claresholm.

His Jeep was making what I can only describe as... A death rattle. I did not sound good.  But with Jeff's urging, we continued on to Waterton, with an extra passenger-- Billy!

Waterton Lake.

When we met with Ashley, we decided to abort our second Crypt Lake attempt. Instead, we decided to do the shorter 11.4km hike to Bertha Lake. It was a warm and sunny day, and we took in the horde of people at the trailhead, and snagged one of the last parking spots in the trailhead parking lot. 

Lower Bertha Falls.

Upper Bertha Falls.

Waterton National Park has two main roads-- one road, the Akamina Parkway has been closed due to washout. This means that nearly half of the usually hiking destinations are cut off, so the Bertha Lake hike was particularly busy. Despite this, we powered up the trail. We passed Lower and Upper Bertha Falls, before arriving at our final destination, Bertha Lake, just before noon.

Bertha Lake.

Bertha Lake is quite beautiful, nestled at the top of a series of steep switchbacks. There is also a campsite near the lake that provided an excellent location to enjoy our hiking lunch. We headed back early, but were slowed by the dozens and dozens (AND DOZENS) of hikers heading towards the lake. After a quick shower, we headed back to Claresholm to give Jeff and Julie a ride back home.

We were thwarted this time... But third time's the charm, right? We'll hike Crypt Lake in 2014!

Jeff and Julie managed to check out every possible attraction in Claresholm. They also stayed at the Lazy J Motel, whose claim to fame is hosting Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal while they filmed Brokeback Mountain in 2005.

And what of the Jeep, you ask? Well, it needed some new parts that will take a couple days to acquire.   The Jeep will live to see another day!