Up to the glacier and return to Maclaren Lodge, Saturday 25^th July

The route up the valley was more bush whacking than following a path and involved several stream crossings, some of which would flood your boots but I had both boots for walking and sandals to wade through the streams and dry off as I walked before changing back into boots.

 The vegetation thinned and then the rough piles of debris of the terminal moraine. The valley steepened and I had a view back down the valley. I had set off by myself straight after breakfast. There may be moose and caribou about but no signs of any bears so I felt confident about being alone.

I was ready and some others wanted to go for a walk but I had a 12 mile hike up the valley at altitude and needed to be back between 2pm and 4pm to paddle down the river back to Maclaren Lodge. I had expected others to follow me up the valley eventually but I saw no one else on the trail behind ne.

At the side of the valley was a small turquoise lake.

One of the first of what were to be several sightings of caribou and moose during the day.

At last the glacier, the lake at the front and a selfie.

My trip should have been easy…just follow the same route back but there was too much wildlife with several caribou or moose about so I had to make several large detours through brush. Caribou aren’t as dangerous as moose but I still didn’t want to get to close just in case they hadn’t read the guidebook. But on one of my longer detours I came across some ptarmigan.

 

The canoe descent started as soon as I got back to camp. People were eager to go as it had been raining nd there was a break in the weather so we organised ourselves into groups of three per canoe and those paddling set off and those going back by speedboat waited for it to turn up.

 

My canoe had Zoe at the bows, Helen in the middle with the camera instead of a paddle and me at the aft.

 

We were last to leave but we passed another canoe who having a little difficulty. Left to right, Anya, Tracy and Steve and we passed them again a little later in much better spirits.

 

We got down in one piece without mishap but it was difficult to see sometimes with someone waving a camera in your face.

 

We paddled under the bridge avoiding the rocks and turned to face up river and did a perfect ferry guide to shore.

 The paddling team, Zoe, Helen and me.