After coming across a link entitled 19 Secret Places In Alberta To Bring Your Girlfriend This Spring, I remembered a draft post that I wanted to share with everyone on the blog.
Considering today is -45°C (with windchill), here’s a nice reminder that warmer weather is just around the corner, which for many means exploring the great outdoors.
Of the common interests Melissa and I share, it would be a love for the outdoors. Although we live on a prairie, we’re blessed to live a 2-hour drive from the Rocky Mountains in Alberta/British Columbia.
The Bear’s Hump in Waterton Lakes National Park was the first hike we had ever taken together. Here’s what the view was like before the Kenow Wildfire:
Back in August 2018, we challenged Bertha’s Lake. And a rewarding challenge it was! Emphasis on challenge. This was our starting point, which was wildly different from the Waterton we once knew:
Let’s get this straight: I’m completely nonathletic. I get tired just thinking of doing things physical. I love nature walks, and a bit of a hike is something I enjoy too.
Last year, we accidentally did a 10.5km hike on Mt. Baldy loop, which destroyed my knees by the end. Nothing that a beer wouldn’t fix though.
So this time around, our goal was Bertha Lake. For some reason, I didn’t anticipate it to be anywhere near as difficult as Baldy, which is advanced, while this one is moderate. Maybe whoever wrote the guide should re-check the definitions?
Quick stats: 10.4km, 460m elevation, and 4.5 hours. The only stat I considered was the last one. To put that into perspective, my heart didn’t explode on the climb up but I reached 400% of my exercise goal.
I couldn’t believe how hard this was. I think it’s because the elevation gain felt like a solid up, unlike Baldy. After each switchback, I hoped for the lake…and then finally:
This is a lake on the top of a mountain! It was beautiful, which only made the sandwiches and beer we packed taste ever better.
All along the way, we admired the resiliency of nature. The Waterton area was scorched by a massive wildfire in 2017, so many of the areas we’d normally enjoy have been closed off. It made for a beautiful, yet surreal hiking experience:
Another great hike crossed off the ol’ bucket list this past summer.
I’m a webslinger located in Lethbridge, AB. I love all things nerdy, like cartoons and videogames, and am also a bit of a foodie. When I travel, I always keep my eyes out for hot springs and great places to adventure with my wife, Melissa.
We hope to do Bertha this year.
I feel like I’m better prepared to handle something like that now. Melissa wants to do something called “Crypt” next…I don’t know if I should take that as a sign.