Exploration in the Canadian Rockies 



89 



much trouble, and we could only make 

 one or two miles an hour by having 

 two axemen ahead to cut timber con- 

 stantly. We camped near the pass 

 which, according to our aneroids, is 

 6,440 feet, or sixty feet lower than 

 Dawson's estimate.* Exactly opposite 

 the pass on the west is a large gap, 

 from which the source of the Elk River, 

 a large and muddy stream, comes into 

 the broad and nearly straight depres- 

 sion, forty miles long, occupied by the 

 upper Kananaskis and Elk Rivers. I 

 was anxious to explore this, but three 

 miles of impassable timber intervened, 

 and this region was postponed till after 

 the Kananaskis Lakes were reached. 



The next day was warm, and we were 

 annoyed by numbers of mosquitoes and 

 small black flies, which rise in swarms 

 from the grass and bush. They are not 

 so bad till the bush is shaken, and con- 

 sequently those in front of the proces- 

 sion suffer little, while those in the rear 

 can hardly see or breathe at certain 

 times. I found three mosquitoes on 

 different occasions carrying the pol- 

 lineum of some kind of orchid, prob- 

 ably one of the common species found 

 in every swamp, attached to the head. 

 No doubt these mosquitoes had been 

 imitating bees or other insects by draw- 

 ing nectar from the blossoms. 



It required nearly six hours to reach 

 the Kananaskis Lakes, which we first 

 saw from a wooded ridge three or four 

 miles distant. Camp was placed on the 

 large river connecting the two lakes. 

 It was with not a little pleasure that we 

 settled ourselves at length on the shores 

 of these lakes after fifteen days march- 

 ing to reach them. Here for the first 

 time our folding boat was set up for the 

 purpose of exploring and fishing trips. 

 It looked frail, but we found it to work 

 well and capable of holding three men 

 safely. Bryant succeeded in catching a 

 number of fine trout in time for dinner. 



*For map see p. 167, May, 1902, NaT. Geog. 

 Mag. 



Our camp was picturesquely located on 

 a wooded bank of the river, which has a 

 large volume of water and is perfectly 

 clear. The neighborhood seems to 

 abound in every kind of game, and 

 made an acceptable change from the 

 comparatively lifeless region which had 

 recently been traversed. Wild ducks 

 and geese flew constantly by our camp, 

 using the river as a route between the 

 two lakes, and several flocks of ducks 

 were constantly visible on the lake from 

 our camp. The bottom of the lake near 

 the shore is covered by several species 

 of water plants, whose long stems wave 

 gently in the current of the inlet stream, 

 and the surface of the water is con- 

 stantly ringed by trout rising to flies. 

 We were startled at evening and after 

 nightfall by the melancholy cr3' of the 

 loon, the hooting of owls, and other 

 mysterious sounds made possible by 

 lynxes or mountain lions. 



A week was spent at the Kananaskis 

 Lakes, in which our time was vety fully 

 occupied in survey work and explora- 

 tion of the surrounding region. On the 

 second day we moved camp to the upper 

 lake, 'which is not half a mile distant. 

 It is 60 feet higher, and separated from 

 the lower lake by a long rock ridge. 

 From our tent we looked out on a rev- 

 elation of beauty hardly equaled any- 

 where in the mountains. This lake is 

 pear-shaped and about two miles in di- 

 ameter. It is encircled by very high 

 mountains of the main range of the 

 Rockies, and has four large islands and 

 several small islets, all densely wooded, 

 which give an endless variety of view 

 from various points. The water is per- 

 fectly clear, but not very blue, like most 

 mountain lakes, and the shores, where 

 not abrupt, are lined with a black shaly. 

 gravel. No fish were ever seen or caught 

 in this lake, while the lower lake abounds 

 in them. 



I had planned for a trip to the Kana- 

 naskis Pass on the 20th in order to 

 learn its location, altitude, and other 



