September 5, 2019, Caldron Lake (Ridge)
Distance: 14.5 kms to lake, plus distance to ridge
Elevation: 1008 m to lake, plus elevation gain to ridge
Early in 2019, Fred and I booked ourselves into the Egypt Lake campground for the nights of September 5th and 6th. I have wanted to hike into this area and climb Pharaoh Peak to get that stunning view of the various lakes and surrounding mountains for a few years now, and I was convinced this would be our year. But as sometimes happen, life doesn’t always unfold as planned. For a variety of reasons, Fred and I reluctantly decided to cancel our 3-day hiking trip and the highly sought after Egypt Lake camping reservations 🙁. It was a blow for sure, and one I was struggling to overcome. However, as is often the case, when a door closes, a window opens. And the window was having the opportunity on Thursday, September 5th to trek up to Caldron Lake (ridge) on a spectacularly beautiful ☀️ day, and not see another soul until we returned to the Peyto Lake viewpoint at 6:00 pm.
Ever since I started to follow some online trip report sites, Caldron Lake-Ridge-Peak has been in my top ten list of hikes I have wanted to do. Knowing this would be a long day because the drive would add over 5 hours to our day, Fred and I once again rose just after 4:00 am, had a quick couple of coffee, took care of the kitties, packed up our gear, and were on the road by 4:45 am. The drive was uneventful, but beautiful as always. The day promised primarily blue skies and brilliant sunshine. Cloud hugged the valleys and the river, while the mountain peaks were crystal clear against the awakening sky. I adore these inversions 😊. We made quick stop at the Bow Lake viewpoint for a couple of photos before we reached our destination at the Peyto Lake parking lot. Not surprisingly, there were already cars in the parking lot – and why not – what a wonderful spot to catch a sunrise. Fred and I made our way up to the viewpoint and were so happy to see we would be lucky enough to catch an inversion further down the valley by Waterfowl Lakes.
Our day began with trekking down 270 metres to lake level – of course no big deal to lose elevation at the start of the day – but as we were heading down knowing we had to climb this section at the end of a long day was ever present in our minds 😲. Peyto Lake was simply gorgeous at lake level. The photos represent what we saw - simple, pure, gorgeousness! As we walked the alluvial fan I could feel myself move into that magical world of nature. All my day-to-day worries, stresses and challenges slipped away. It is why I LOVE hiking in the mountains. Life becomes simple. It becomes about breathing. It becomes about focusing on my feet and where I am stepping. It becomes about feeling incredibly blessed that I am surrounded by such beauty and finding a rhythm that is in sync with my environment. It becomes about enjoying Fred for the beautiful person he is and feeling so, so, so grateful that he is my partner in life ❤️.
Of course, Fred and I, not paying attention to where we were going, missed the OBVIOUS cairns showing a trail that leads up and into the forest that would have us bypass the narrow canyon like section with fast moving water 😂. It was a bit tricky negotiating a path along the water in this section, particularly because it was quite muddy, and I remember thinking I would not look forward to doing this piece of our trek on the way back. Once through this section, we were back on a wider section of the alluvial fan. We could see large rock piles indicating the preferred way to cross about 4 or 5 fast moving streams. I had read a couple of trip reports that spoke about this water crossing – troublesome in the morning – and rather treacherous later in the day. Fred and I quickly donned our Keen sandals and proceeded across carefully, making sure one foot and both poles were well planted before taking the next step. The pictures do not accurately represent the most challenging aspects of this water crossing because when we tackled the deepest (just above knee and surging to mid-thigh) and fastest moving water our cameras were safely tucked away 😉.
Once across these streams, the climbing began. The “trail” was straight forward – we could either see a path or there were cairns strategically placed leading the way. There was another water crossing a tad higher up, which we ultimately negotiated with boots on by jumping rocks because we had tucked our Keen sandals under a bush way down below 😂.
The higher we climbed, the more the spectacular views around us became. Fred and I found it next to impossible to keep the cameras packed away. It was a gorgeous, blue sky, sunny day. Peyto Lake with the mountains behind it, including Observation Peak that we had scrambled up just a few weeks prior was such a stunning view. Peyto Glacier with the old research hut captured our attention to our left, and the roaring and cascading falls from Caldron Lake kept drawing our eyes to the right. The traverse above the waterfalls to Caldron Lake did include some pretty exposed sections. For sure, if one slipped here, it would be game over regardless if a helmet was worn or not. Once past this section, we just had to negotiate another boulder field before reaching the lake.
Caldron Lake is magnificent – with glaciers and white snow patches, tumbling waterfalls, impressive rock and that insane turquoise colour – it is a breathtaking view. Fred and I meandered across another water crossing, passed a wonderfully interesting large rock, and made our way to a perfect spot for lunch. Having taken so long to get to this point, we decided to leave Caldron Peak for another day. With considerable reluctance, we packed up and began the trek back, albeit slowly because we were constantly stopping to take in the scenery, and of course, more pictures along the way 😉.
All too quickly, we were back jumping rocks to cross the first water section and making our way down to the alluvial fan. For some reason I surprised Fred with my bold rock hopping through this upper section. I guess he thought I would take considerable time choosing how I would navigate through the water instead of simply plowing right on through 😆. Once at the primary water crossing of 4 or 5 deeper and faster moving streams than we experienced in the morning, Fred and I had a decision to make. Cross these streams or stay on the same side of the water and bushwhack-scramble a tad until well past the narrow canyon like section and cross way down by Peyto Lake. Hmmm…🤨…Fred and I opted to cross 😲. Water levels were considerably higher and moving much faster than what we experienced in the morning. There are no pictures of our crossing. Suffice to say it was scary and exhilarating, and with the water mid-thigh but surging to above the crotch, I got a tad wet. I found it extremely difficult to plant my poles, which resulted in it taking much longer to cross. And with more time spent in the water – well let’s just say it was pretty darn cold! Fred and I were quite happy to have this piece of the trek behind us 😀.
As I was swapping out my Keen sandals for my hiking boots, I noticed some rather large cairns toward the forest and mentioned to Fred that we should check it out to see if there was a trail. And sure enough there was a trail – one that led us through the forest bypassing the narrow canyon section. When we popped out of the forest on the wide section of the alluvial fan, we noticed the ridiculously, and I do mean ridiculously obvious cairns we missed that morning indicating we should have headed into the forest.
It was incredibly peaceful to walk toward the ever stunning Peyto Lake. But all too soon we arrived at the point where the 270 m climb began. There’s not much to say about this portion of the day. Gaining this much elevation is a hard way to finish a hike, regardless of how nice the trail is. But more picture taking and the numerous mushrooms we were seeing, kept us entertained. When we popped out at the tourist viewpoint, there were a ton of people, with many wondering just where we had come from, particularly given how wet, dirty and tired we were 😆.
I am thrilled we did this trek before the area closes for construction and likely will not reopen until 2021. It was truly a spectacular day in the Canadian Rockies.
