Hike and Bike

Yesterday we went on the Crypt Lake Hike.  This took little bit of planning....and a little bit of praying.  This hike had a number of things that made me just a little bit (maybe a lot) nervous.  It was a steep hike, with a tunnel, walking on the side of a cliff and holding on a wire.  With our lunch and snacks packed, we arrived at the dock in Waterton at 8:00 a.m.  We crossed the lake and arrived at the trail head, along with about 50 other eager hikers.

We started along the trail, allowing many people to pass as us.  The trail began with gradual switchbacks.

Along the path, were beautiful wild flowers and once we got above the trees, the views were spectacular.

Along our way we crossed a few streams taking careful steps across rocks.

There were a number of falls along the way as we continued up hill to much steeper switchbacks.

I was constantly being passed by faster hikers but my faithful photographer stayed with me to catch every step of the way.

And then we arrived at the place were I needed to put my fears behind me and just do it.  Slowly and very focused I walked along a narrow ledge to get to the tunnel.

Once at the tunnel, we climbed a very narrow ladder and then crouched over to walk through.  My focus was to get to the end.

At the end, we slowly slid down to a little landing and then walked across an even more narrow ledge.

 A wire was along this stretch to give a little bit of security.

And then, yeah!  The lake appeared!

We enjoyed our lunch and then we had to do it all over again.  Doing it all backwards is not always easier.  This time, as we went down the cliff it was harder not to look down....way, way down.

We had to wait along the ledge while some came through the tunnel towards us.  We chatted with the others that were waiting, holding onto that wire.

And then finally it was my time.  Up, up and into the tunnel I went.

And then down the ladder with the help of my wonderful husband and back out onto the cliff on the other side.

And yeah, I did it.  I took a moment to enjoy the view and breath a sigh of relief.

Now it was back down....more views to enjoy, pictures to take and joints to ache.

After 30,000 steps or 20 kilometers, the lake was back in view.

We waited for about 30 minutes and our ride back to Waterton arrived. 

Today, with aching legs, we hopped on the motorcycle and headed to Montana. 

On our way to the park, we had to stop and honk to get some of the locals off the road.

Glacier National Park is connected with Waterton along the border of Canada and the United States.  The Going to the Sun Road opened up just two weeks ago and we wanted to take the ride across the pass.  It is one of the most scenic roads and we never tire of the spectacular views.

This road has everything:  mountains, beautiful lakes, tunnels and wild life.  It wasn't too long before we saw a couple of bears.  They were up in the trees and I couldn't get a great picture and I sure didn't want to get closer to grizzly bears.  We did get some great pictures of these mountain goats.

There were still quite a bit of snow around which meant lots of falls along the road.

It was a beautiful, warm day and a wonderful way to spend some time even with achy muscles.

Tomorrow should be a quieter day.  I think we both need time to rest our muscles and I need to pack to get ready to go to Ontario.  I hate leaving Ron but am looking forward to some family time at the cottage.