Upper Kananaskis and Rawson Lake

The last Forage in to the Mountains for Bri and I.  We really wanted to get back up to the Picklejar lakes but alas the flooding had completely washed out the roads.  We didn't know this starting out so we ended up stopping at the ranger station at 8 AM when it opened - he directed us to the upper kananaskis lake and then to Rawson lake which was a short hike from there (about one hour). We could drive all the way to the Upper Kananaskis and then the hike was on well maintained trails.

Upper Kananaskis Lake

When we arrived at the Upper K it was pretty cold but the water was clear and blue - there was no wind and no clouds.  The trails were clear, and due to our early start and the inability to access many of these roads and lakes, we were the only ones around.  the hike started out with a 1 mile hike around the lake on mild sloping trails.  A couple streams and waterfalls that we had to forage because the bridges were out from flooding.  Then the trail ascended to Rawson lake.

when we got there we couldn't believe how beautiful it was.  Totally calm - like looking in a mirror at the mountains.  We did hear a dog barking so I think there were other there but we couldn't see them.  Later in the day another hiker said that a few minutes after we got there an arriving group spotted a moose in the deep end of the lake canyon

Rawson Lake

We mastered the Selfie - Good thing we're so photogenic!

Brian Jr and I lit up the fly flishing for the first 2 hours we were there.  We didn't bring enough flies unfortunately but we ended up catching just shy of a dozen cutthroat trout.  It was about every other cast that we would catch one.  Because there was lots of foliage and huge fir trees, half my flies ended up decorating the forest.  Bri reeled in a nice one pictured above.  The policy on the lakes was catch and release due to the devastation of the floods.

As we hiked around the lake, Brian found a patch of snow that was still present in the middle of August.  It looked a bit dirty - not the pristine "you can eat it snow".

After 8 hours of hiking this sums it up for junior.  He slept near the whole way home - even when were having to dodge mountain sheep that lined the roads in Kananaskis country.