Hiking (and scrambling) up Mount Bertha ...

Google Earth map of our hike - Waterton Lake to the summit of Mount Bertha ... it even shows where we went paddling in Bertha Lake!  In total, we hiked 18 kilometres with an elevation gain of 1100 metres

On Saturday, we spent a lot of time with Bertha ... we visited Bertha Falls, Bertha Lake and summited Mount Bertha.  I wondered who Bertha was.  It turns out that Bertha, whose silver framed picture was nestled next to a cairn on top of her mountain namesake, was a local outlaw.  In the early 1900s, Bertha was known for writing fake prescriptions for alcohol.  Based on this, I'm guessing that Bertha spent a considerable amount of roaming around her namesakes in nature as she hid from the police.

A grey and cloudy Waterton Lake

Bertha Falls

C.'s friend, E. was responsible for choosing the path we hiked on Saturday.  The trailhead was just outside the township of Waterton and gradually wound its way around one mountain and up the side of another, crossing over Bertha Falls in the process.  The hike up was fairly easy.  The end point of the official hike was Bertha Lake, where one can choose to complete a 4 kilometre circuit of the beautiful lake.  We stopped here for lunch with a stunning view over the Waterton Lakes.  Into the distance, you could see the prairies.  Over lunch, E., a super fit mountain man, innocently suggested that if we were feeling good, then we could climb to the summit of Mount Bertha.  "Sure!" was my response. 

First glimpse of Bertha Lake

Bertha Lake up close

We walked part of the way around the lake before leaving the track to scramble up the side of the mountain on our way to the summit.  The scramble consisted of, as the name implies, plenty of scrambling up loose scree, clambering over rock cliffs and more bushwhacking than I've done since I was 10 years old.  Most of the time, there was no track to follow and we blindly followed E. and his fancy GPS system (which provide the Google Earth picture) up the mountain.  The steep slope required plenty of breathing and rehydration breaks, which also gave us time to admire the stunning views.

And another shot

A noisy trickle comes down the mountain

Once we reached the summit, it took several moments before I was able to regain my breath sufficiently to fully appreciate the view.  In one direction, the Rockies stretched out towards the US.  In another, the Rockies gave way to small foothills and then stretched out into the prairie.  And, in a third direction, the view looked towards mountain high lakes surrounded by snow-capped mountains.  It was spectacular.

View from our lunch spot - looking out towards Waterton Lake, our starting point

And another view ... looking down towards Bertha Falls

After much admiration, a photography session, lots of water and some snacks, we headed back down the steep mountainside.  There was little conversation on the way down as we all concentrated on placing our feet in safe spots and avoiding a tumble.  At the bottom of the scramble (and after a few wrong directions, resulting in some serious bushwhacking in serious bear country), we soaked our feet in the chilly mountain lake, before strolling back down to the trailhead with nothing but cold beer on the mind.  Bertha would have been happy. 

View from the side of Mount Bertha - Bertha Lake is on the right, Waterton Lake towards the upper left

The guys leave the rock cliff and begin bushwhacking

The hill we scrambled up

View over Mount Bertha, half way up the mountain

... and a bit higher

... and even higher

The view we were rewarded with at the summit

A portrait shot of the same view

Looking towards Waterton Lake

The tribute to Bertha

View away from the lakes

"Look Mum! It's America!"  Looking towards the mountains in Glacier National Park in the USA

Heading back down

A refreshing paddle in Bertha Lake

No, we're not looking for bears, we're eating the delicious wild berries ... that's the mountain we climbed in the background