Peaks and People

Sunday Sept. 20. Lower Bow                7 hrs. to Laggan.

Saturday, Sept. 19. Bow Lake                5 to 5½ hrs. drive to camp near Lower Bow Lake.   Met J. Simpson.

Friday, Sept. 18. Wildfowl Camp.                7 hrs. drive to head of Upper Bow Lake.

Mosquito Camp. Thursday, Sept. 17.                6 hrs. 20 m. drive to the lower end of Wildfowl L.   The Sask. has changed its channels too, since the high water – thought we were going to have to swim the last one.   W. went into it carrying Muggins, but the pup got an unexpected dunking, for he was pitched off pretty quick when Peter lost his footing and began to swim.   U. found a place lower down however, where we crossed only knee deep.   Got a bunch of 6 fool hens.   Weather perfect.

Graveyard Camp. Wednesday, Sept. 16.                Weather trying to clear off, but on persistent shower kept right with us for an hour going down the valley.   5 hrs. drive to Mosquito Camp.   Beautiful and warm and sunny when we arrived.   Mts. all covered with fresh snow, autumn foliage and cloud effects very pleasing.   Aneroid 4650.                W. found the Midget after a long search, took his shoes off and let him go again.   There is a new hoof growing on the injured foot, but W. says he never will be any use, except for bear bait next spring.

Moss Camp. Tuesday, Sept. 15.                Heavy rain in the night, continuing more moderately most of the day.   2½ hrs. to Graveyard Camp.   When we got out on the flats after the last bit thro the woods, there, a few hundred yards to the left of the high rock bluff where the trail comes out, stood a teepee large as life and twice as natural with smoke coming out at the top.   We did not see it till we had got way past it down the flat and across the river, and then of course, almost discolated [sic] our necks staring at it, but no other sign of life appeared except the smoke.   There was much conjecturing as to who it might be.   Indians – was the first thought naturally, but then they would hardly dare hunt out of season in one of the main valleys like this, where the game wardens are so much stricter than they seem to be in the Ath country.   Or it might be a Brewster ou...

Camp Parker Monday Sept. 14.                Aneroid when we left, 6600 ft.   4 hrs. 20 m. drive to Moss Camp.   Aneroid at the big hill 6400 ft at the top, 5400 at the bottom.   Weather still very unsettled, with occasional showers.   It looks as if there was forest fire smoke down in the Sask valley and toward the Bow Summit.   As soon as we got over the Wilcox Pass to Camp Parker and could see Mt. Wilson in the distance we felt as if we were very near home indeed.   This made the 6 th . time we have been at Camp Parker.   There has been a new rock and mud slide come down off the cliffs east of the North Fork a little below the big hill, since we went up in June, making a rough bit – sharp stones and mud holes.   We down the river flats as the water was low enough to ford with ease, much to Muggins’ disgust, as it was cool enough for him not to care for so much swimmi...

Sheep Camp II. Sunday Sept. 13.                5 hrs. drive over the pass and down to Camp Parker.   The best day we have had on the pass, but a cold wind blowing and showers near us although we only got a few drops of rain.   No snow lying there at all.   Aneroid at Sheep Camp this A. M. 6900 ft. – Wilcox pass 7800 ft.   Mr. Brown and H. went from their first muskeg camp after leaving us, to Sheep Camp II.   U. thinks they camped at Expectation next.   We did not go up to the camp but he said their horses had been feeding around there.   They don’t seem to have camped here.   Aneroid when we arrived at Camp Parker 6400 ft.   Showery. [Packtrain on Wilcox Pass] Moore Family fonds, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies (V439 / PS - 16)

Camp XIV. Friday, Sept. 11. Off at 9 A. M. 5½ hrs. to Flats Camp. Had expected to camp at the big meadow just below the quicksands, but it only took a little over two hours to get there, so had to keep on the Flats, the next feed. Perfect weather, frost last night, bright sun all day and not a cloud in the sky. Very peculiar and brilliant northern lights, starting with a bright streak right across the sky to the south of the zenith, with short, thick rays from it converging toward the magnetic north. Then all kinds of rays waved over the sky for more than an hour, finishing up with a sort of film over everything so only the brightest stars were visible. Then at 8.30 the moon (full last night) came up, and this show was over. Mount Athabasca, Moore Family Fonds, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies (V439 / PS -42)

Camp XIV. Friday, Sept. 11.                Off at 9 A. M.   5½ hrs. to Flats Camp.   Had expected to camp at the big meadow just below the quicksands, but it only took a little over two hours to get there, so had to keep on the Flats, the next feed.   Perfect weather, frost last night, bright sun all day and not a cloud in the sky.   Very peculiar and brilliant northern lights, starting with a bright streak right across the sky to the south of the zenith, with short, thick rays from it converging toward the magnetic north.   Then all kinds of rays waved over the sky for more than an hour, finishing up with a sort of film over everything so only the brightest stars were visible.   Then at 8.30 the moon (full last night) came up, and this show was over.

Developing Camp. Thursday, Sept. 10.                    2¼ hrs. more to camp XIV.   Looked across at Departure Camp and Hobson’s Choice, as we passed.   The SunWapta is very low, looks as if it could be forded almost anywhere now: and the Poboktan a very insignificant stream.   Showers.

Wednesday, Sept. 9.                Lots of fresh snow down to below the timber line.   A Scotch-misty day.   Travelled 2¾ hrs. and camped at 11.15 at Developing Camp I, crossing the Su-Wapta a little below Developing Camp II, and thereby escaping the bad hole that Brownie got stuck in.   There has been a bunch of caribou up the Su-Wapta this summer – five or six of them, two calves.

Shirt Camp III Tuesday, Sept. 8.                Moved out at 10.30 and camped at 3 P. M. by the “beautiful Su-Wapta” between Matchstick II and Developing II.   A cold day.   Violent snow squalls raging, but we were lucky and only got the edge of an occasional one.   The autumn colors are beginning to be very pleasing in the scrub growing on slides, on the higher slopes.

Monday Sept. 7. Salt Lick Camp II.                Heavy rain all night.   No one up till 8 o’clock when the rain stopped, and did not get started till 11.30.   Travelled till 4 P. M. and camped a little beyond Shirt Camp II where we were on the way down, near the place where M. and I got so many strawberries the day we laid over while the trail was cut out.   There must be a fine bunch of mts. between the Whirlpool and Chaba Rivers.   We had a glimpse of two very good looking ones up the second gap below the mouth of the Su-Wapta, one a single pyramidal white peak, the other, the more southerly, “triple-headed” like Lyell.   There are six distinct mts, between the bend in the Ath at mouth of Su-Wapta and the Whirlpool, and some of those near the Ath are not to be dispised either.   The “Sugarloaf” looks as if it would give someone a good climb some day.   It is in the 2 nd . ...

The High Camp. (Mt. Hardisty Camp.) Sunday, Sept. 6.                Travelled just a short 3 hrs. and camped a little below Salt Like Camp – just about half the time it took us to go down when we were stopping all the time to look for the trail, which only seems to exist in a few spots.   Clear day, but clouds gathering as if for another storm.   Most peculiar glaring sunset effects.

Prairie Camp, Sat. Sept. 5.                3½ hrs. to Mt. Hardisty Camp.   The trail did not seem so bad as when we went down.   To our great surprise the weather was bright and sunny.   I could hardly believe my eyes when I woke and looked out of the tent and saw blue sky.

Friday, Sept. 4.                A three hours’ move brought us to Prairie Camp, off again and on again with the trail.   Another showery day.   We did not get much rain, but it was pouring both up and down the river all P. M.   Great washing and laundry act – one more was after this before we get to Laggan.

Henry House Camp. Thursday, Sept. 3.                Moved out at 8.45 and travelled 4¾ hrs.   The trail was new to us, except just the first part, for when we came down we were not on any trail and were brought up short at the rock bluff at the end.   It led us around behind the rock bluff very neatly, over various high benches.   If it had been clear it seems as if we ought to have seen the top of Robson Pk., for we could look straight up over Yellowhead Pass and mt., but the clouds were hanging low – the top of Yellowhead Mt. even was hidden before we went around the corner out of sight of it.   Poor Dr. Coleman!   We spend quite a good deal of time wondering what he is doing these days, and whether it does not give him a slight jar to think that he might have got there before the fine weather broke up if he had moved on Sundays.   Our trail grew vague after a time, and left u...

Moberly Camp II. Sept 2. – Wednesday                We got off about 9:30 expecting to be able to ford the Maligne mouth by this time.   Arrived there about 11 after rather a funny chase, for we were rush enough to get separated.   W. took an upper trail, supposed to be better than the one by the river that we were on coming down, but the pack horses failed to notice which way we went and kept on up the old trail.   It was all so bushy that U. could not see us at all, so he went sailing on after the packs.   Then when they didn’t come and didn’t come, W. went back, suspecting what had happened.   M. and I waited and waited, hearing strenuous language addressed to “You Blue!” etc., somewhere off it the bush, but getting farther ahead all the time.   We thought we might as well follow before the whole outfit was lost in the distance, so we went dashing along our trail thinking tha...

Swift’s mill for flour , Mary Sch ä ffer Fonds, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies (V527 / PS1 - 97) Swift Camp. Tuesday, Sept. 1 st .                Rain in the night.   While the packing was being done, M. and I went with Swift to see his flour mill.   He has made a most ingenious waterwheel etc., and has quite a system of water works, supplying his irrigation ditches from the same sluice which taps the creek for the mill.   We got off about 10 and by noon the whole outfit was once more across the Athabasca ready to start on the home stretch tomorrow.   John Moberly being at home, put us across this time.   The horses did not make so much fuss about their swim as the first time – the river is 4 or 5 ft. lower and they kept their footing much longer.   We camped below Moberly’s at the place where they put the horses in to swim when we crossed the first time. ...