Lineham Creek Falls

This trail led to the end of a valley where we could just make out a 330 foot falls. One of the realities of hiking in autumn is that many of the waterfalls are either just a trickle or have dried up completely. The trail was wonderful and like many Canadian trails got us right up close to the mountains.

We got am early start, so early that we were on the trail just after 8:30 am, and we could see the moon setting behind Mount Lineham. Mt. Lineham continued to dominate all the way up the valley.

At one stop along the trail we took this picture of the end of the canyon. It turned out the the waterfall descends down the face of the precipitous cliff at the end.

And there it is, at least you might see the bottom of the falls. The top half is meager and hidden in the cliff shadow from the sun.

To the right of the falls is Mount Blakiston, the highest peak in the park.

We took a rough trail extension beyond the end of the official trail and got a bit closer to the falls. If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you can see the falls more clearly.

 

The full view of Lineham Falls.

To the left of the trail going down are the massive peaks of Buchanan Ridge.

For part of the way the trail follows Lineham Creek which provided views of a number of small falls and cascades.

A full view of Mount Lineham from the trail - same mountain the we saw the moon disappearing behind in the first picture.

It is now a little past 12:30 pm, and we are soon on our way to Calgary, about 3 hours away. We have an appointment at the Calgary Mercedes-Benz dealer tomorrow to have our break pads examined. For the past few days the "Check Break Pad Wear" warning has been coming up on the dash. We'll go out to dinner in Calgary, stay overnight and then return to Waterton Lakes tomorrow afternoon. But, we did manage to get in a wonderful hike today!

Hike statistics:

Length - 6 miles

Elevation gain - 1,290 feet (162 floors on the Fitbit)

Duration - 2 hours, 58 minutes

Rowe Lakes Trail

There were 3 Rowes that we took in on our first day of hiking in Waterton Lakes National Park - Rowe Meadow, Upper Rowe Lake and Lower Rowe Lake. It is also the first time we have seen horses, and not just the evidence of horses, on the hiking trail.

The main trail begins off the Akamina Parkway, a kind of Going-to-the-Sun Road that takes you to the trails that lead to the backcountry. We chose to head right up to Upper Rowe Lake and not take the little spur trail that would deliver us to Lower Rowe Lake until the way down. It was a moderate climb to Rowe Meadow, pictured above. One of our trail guidebooks says that this meadow, surrounded by amphitheater-like cliffs, is home to boisterous ground squirrels and to swarms of horse flies. We saw neither - regrettably the former; and thankfully the later.

From Rowe Meadow the trail climbed strenuously up the valley wall for 0.5 mile, then crested a rise and climbed onto a high shelf filled with subalpine larch. We then reached the north shore of Upper Rowe Lake. This tarn sits in a high, windswept basin. 

We walked along the shore of the lake until we found a spot that was protected from the wind that whistled across the lake. This is our lunch view with golden larches ringing a sort-of meadow.

The blunt summit of Mount Rowe rising above the south shore of Upper Rowe Lake.

After lunch, as we were exploring for the un-named sister lake of Upper Rowe Lake, we came upon this group resting their horses after the steep climb to Upper Rowe Lake - Barry & Wendy from Calgary, and Dee Barrus, the wrangler and owner of the horses. These were the horses that produced the need to "step around" on the trail. We had a brief visit and Wendy directed us to the sister lake which she said was disappearing.

We found it and it is indeed disappearing. Wendy said that when they were up here in the spring the water level covered the red rocks and reached the trees. 

Coming back down the trail, half-way to Rowe Meadow, we stopped to take this picture that shows the creek.

The cliffs surrounding the meadow.

On the way back we took the side trail to Lower Rowe Lake walled by the east ridge of Mount Rowe and dammed by a rockslide.

After 5 hours of hiking we arrived back at the trailhead just as Wendy and her party arrived. 

Hike Statistics:

Length - 9.2 miles

Elevation gain - 2,040 feet (229 floors on the Fitbit)

Duration - 5 hours, 10 minutes

Chief Mountain; a Model Klippe

We woke up Mr. Spock this noon because, on the way to Canada, along the eastern boundary of Glacier National Park and a few miles south of the border crossing, is one of Montana's 4 geo-sites - Chief Mountain. Although he had been enjoying his summer hibernation, he was thrilled to observe and learn about this exception to the principle of superposition which posits that in an undisturbed sequence of strata, the oldest beds are positioned on the bottom and to see this model klippe - an outcrop isolated by faulting and erosion.

Standing 9,006 feet high with 1,500 feet of relief, Chief Mountain is constructed of sedimentary rocks that are of a different age and environment than the rocks of the underlying terrain. 

Mr. Spock told us that a well drilled from the mountain's crest would first engage a 1,300-million-year-old green shale and then 1,450-milllion-year-old tan and red limestone. But then, the drill bit would penetrate sandstone and shale beds deposited a mere 100 million years ago.

Yes, in Chief Mountain, ancient rocks overlie much younger strata. How is this deviation from the venerated principle explained?

Mr. Spock told us, and the cattle who came to learn, that as the forces compressing the crust in this region increased in intensity, during the building of the Rocky Mountains, the faults became overthrusted upon each other, much like the arrangement of cedar shakes covering a roof. 

The rocks of Chief Mountain were thrust up and over younger rocks sometime between 170 million years ago and 70 million years ago. During this 100-million-year time frame, a massive slab of rock was transported eastward an amazing 50 miles along one of the largest thrust faults in he world. Since then, erosion has altered the slab so that today, Chief Mountain stands completely isolated.

We are now back in Canada, in Waterton Lakes National Park. This is our view from our dinette windows, and...

this is the view out the kitchen window on the other side. This is so Canadian, putting a campground right in the middle of the mountains. Beautiful!

Last evening we observed the lunar eclipse from our Montana campground.

The "Blood" moon (looks like Mars).

Firebrand Pass

Who can resist a trail that travels around the north shoulder of Calf Robe Mountain or, this time of year, one that also travels part-way along Autumn Creek Trail? Not us; not today - it's where we hiked on a clear, blue-sky, but cold, day.

The trail is located in the southeast corner of the park, kind of on the outskirts because we entered the trail off one of the perimeter roads. We began by traveling through pockets of aspen and...

after 1 /2 mile we joined the Autumn Creek Trail with views of some of the ruggedness of the east side of the Continental Divide.

After traveling around the north shoulder of Calf Robe Mountain we reached a beautiful basin below Firebrand Pass, the dip at the center of the picture.

From on top of Firebrand Pass, the dip in the previous picture, looking east, back down the basin.

Looking west across the top of the pass.

It was incredibly windy on the pass, in fact, I had to get the camera ready by crouching down behind that stone cairn. Frederick thought the winds were sustained at 60 - 70 mph (I thought it was more like 120!).

There was no way we could eat our lunch on the pass so we descended about 100 yards to a spot that was sheltered by stunted trees - it was still pretty windy and cold, but I have mastered the art of eating a sliced apple from a plastic bag with my gloves on.

Heading back down the trail through the basin with the pass at the top of the picture and some old silver logs by the side of the trail.

The trail around the shoulder of Calf Robe Mountain heading through a lodgepole forest.

One of the pockets of aspen and...

another pocket near the end of the trail.

As we were driving the one hour drive home along a very curvy road above Two Medicine Lake, we encountered the TravelingPiano. Danny, the Piano Man, and Mo, the Piano Dog, travel the country playing the "Piano on the Truck" wherever they want to. 

At the turn out above Two Medicine Lake. Danny told us that he played at First Night in Providence in the late 80s, early 90s. He sure was having a good time and we sure enjoyed meeting Danny and Mo.

Hike statistics:

Length - 10.52 miles

Elevation gain - 2,210 feet (261 floors on the Fitbit)

Duration - 4 hours and 52 minutes

Hidden Lake

This is Jake's number one trail on the list of 0 - 5 mile trails and #5 on his overall list. We did the first part of the trail on Thursday, September 10 (blog post for Hidden Lake Overlook Trail), when we were still on the west side of the park. When I look back at that blog post I'm impressed with the amount of snow that shows up in the pictures. I remember that we went up to Logan Pass, where the trail begins, a few days after an early snowstorm that had closed the pass for a couple of days. Today there was no snow on, or near, the trail and the weather was mixed clouds and sun - and windy.

Just outside the Visitor Center, at the trailhead, you can see the preparation for winter/snow plowing. I think most of the poles at stripped pine trunks.

Just past the Hidden Lake Overlook as we were beginning to descend the trail to the lake, we encountered this mountain goat ambling along in the opposite direction.

Hidden Lake from the trail which descends 700 feet to the lake. That's Bearhat Mountain rising from the far side of the lake.

A view down the Sperry Glacier basin from the Hidden Lake trail.

Near the lake, at the end of a switchback, we came upon a mamma mountain goat and her youngster. Maybe you can see the horns on the baby just beginning to emerge.

Hidden Lake and Bearhat Mountain from the shore of the lake.

Our lunch spot, and yes, there was a little chipmunk that came looking for his lunch.

On the way back, sunshine began spreading from Sperry Glacier basin.

Returning to Logan Pass we could see the Garden Wall. That the Going-to-the-Sun Road just below the midline of the picture and you just might be able to make out the Highline Trail angling up at center right.

Back at the Visitor Center we had some fun with the life-size replicas of a big horned sheep.

Two selfies - one with the big horned sheep, and...

one with a mountain goat. We are wearing our rain jackets because they are gore-tex and work really well as wind-breakers.

Hike statistics:

Length - 5.46 miles

Elevation gain - 550 feet (176 floors on the Fitbit)

Duration - 3 hours, 12 minutes