Laura at Lake Ann:
“Four bubbly hikers left from the Sexsmith Park-and-Ride to meet up with the remaining two hikers in Abbotsford near the border. It was a fantastic group to travel with and everyone got on well (we laughed till our faces hurt). Reminder to me for the next hike at Baker: Check on the Harley Davidson website for conventions south of the border – we had a 50 minute wait at the border and there were 50-60 bikers all trying to get through as well… Some of them were even queue-jumping, but who were we to go and sort them out??
The weather was glorious, the snow had all but vanished except for a small patch near the lake, and the blueberries were everywhere (so we feasted). The trail was in good condition, albeit a few slippery mud patches from recent rains. A bear was spotted nearby, so this prevented us from taking the trail to the Lower Curtis Glacier. This being the last weekend in September, there was no US$5 fee for parking, something offered ever year. On checking with the rangers, the park will stay open until the first significant snowfall, and the Monday prior to us getting here they already had snow that had to be cleared from the road. Take clothes for all conditions when travelling here. It is a long day to drive and hike here, but everyone on this trip will tell you how it was well worth it. Thank you to David our driver – what a trooper!”
