Berg Lake to Whitehorn Campsite

July 1, 2011. Day 5

We got an early start again today. We left the Berg Lake campsite at 7:30 AM. The weather was fair. Where the trail traverses the talus slope I noticed chunks of ice strewn about. The chunks were fist sized and were scattered. I called Jim's attention to this but be could not conclude where the ice would have come from. Our best guess was that it fell from higher up, but what is higher up is not visible from the trail. I think a person would not want to be on the trail while the ice was falling.

I first learned about the Rock Rabbit or Pika when I was studying Biological Sciences at the Northern Albert Institute of Technology (NAIT). For me to learn of such an animal that was familiar to the mountains of Alberta and BC but to have never seen one was intriguing. Hence I have always enjoyed seeing these some what secretive creatures. I have recently learned that Pika put up hay for the winter, possibly the only other species besides man that does, and it does not hibernate. Wikipedia says "They show their peak activity before the winter season. Pikas do not hibernate, so they rely on collected hay for warm bedding and food. Pikas gather fresh grasses and lay them in stacks to dry. Once the grasses dry out, the Pikas take this hay back to the burrows for storage. It is not uncommon for Pikas to steal hay from each other.

Not far beyond the end of the talus is the Emperor Falls Campground and a little further along is the Emperor Falls trail. I think it was at the Emperor Falls trail that we met our first hikers of the day. Two ladies on their way to Berg Lake. This time Jim and I took the time to hike into the falls. Photos and words won't do the falls justice. My notes say "spectacular!" but really You just have to go see them. To visit these falls will certainly validate why you did the hike and make every step worth it.

We arrived at the Whitehorn Campsite at noon. Had lunch and set up camp and then took a rest. We met quite a few hikers on their way up the trail. This time we actually met hikers who were closer to our age. Our tent was near the trail and during my rest I could hear hikers passing by regularly.

That afternoon the park ranger, Anne, showed some people where water welds up. She says this water is pure and is not part of the river flow so it does not need to be filtered. The evening was warmer than the ones at Berg Lake and there was no precipitation so it was a much more pleasant time here. A good opportunity to look around and explore. Jim and I went for a bit of a walk that evening. We crossed the suspension bridge and hiked the horse trail on the other side of the river. We found White Ladyslippers.Jim showed me a plant with a Larkspur like flower that had sticky leaves. The stick leaves will capture insects and the plant then consumes the insect.
It felt good to be back into a little warmer air and to be dry.