Medicine Lake: Mystery of the vanishing lake

What's up Peeps, ready for a hike?

A forest fire tore thru this region of Maligne Lake Road in July of 2015. The charred sticks are still there as they decompose but being aware of the loose stuff is imperative, they can fall without much warning.

Ok, I did promise you a fall leaf peeping post at some point sooner rather than later, I'm going to try to not get distracted and let it all hang out. Maybe I exercised my word brain enough now. I haven't been in the mountains this summer but I do have some posts I was really excited about but never became while my old account was locked and didn't have this one yet. I can't say for sure all the reasons why I haven't felt like doing anything, sometimes things inside me break and the pieces fly away and I have to find them again. Oh where have my words gone? I couldn't find them all so I built new ones I guess, I just take what flows and roll with it, like the water in the rivers I visit. Can I drain the lake and find them perhaps?

Alberta is considered Wild rose Country with it being our official provincial flower and is found just about anywhere across the province, while many trees just turn yellow here, one of the rare trees that offers a full fall spectrum.

As I look outside, summer has gone by and all the leaves are turning yellow. Summer is over, not officially but for us it is. With temperatures dipping in the single digits at night, the writing is on the wall. Maybe that's why I can't put them in the page? Did my mind explode? Do I have to pick them up off the wall letter by letter? Did they somehow get stuck in the trees and I have to wait for the leaves to fall and rake them up to deliver them to you? If anyone sees my words, can you kindly tell them I have been looking for them for a while?

Last year or the year before, I don't remember as my mind gets cluttered fast, I went to both Banff and Jasper to go leaf peeping. The color change in Alberta is a little boring compared to the beautiful multi colored maple leaves I used to see when I lived in Eastern Canada. Here it's just yellow. Sometimes it gets cold so early it doesn't even make it that far, the leaves just fall green before even having a chance to transform.

The family owns a maple sugar plantation near a lake and twice a year there was a major gathering, in the spring to tap the trees and boil the sap to make maple syrup and in the fall to make wine. I don't drink but it's still fun to be at the cabin and socialize. the rest of summer it would be used as a really cool vacation spot. I haven't been there since childhood because of family stuff but I do miss that one part. That was more an activity when my Grampa was alive. I wonder if it's still in the family? It was originally bought by my Great Grand Father long ago as a family heirloom to pass down, to keep the family connected. I suppose this is irrelevant to the post, colored leaves just made me think of that little tidbit, no point in trying to understand how my mind scatters.

Although the leaves stay one boring color, they look pretty cool next to giant snow capped mountains, maybe it's the mountain factor. One of my favorite spots is the Maligne region, I could talk about it's beauty all day long, if I cold only visit one Mountain region for the rest of my life and no other, it would probably be that one. No need to fret, it's a long drive with so much to explore, far beyond what the eye can see. There isn't enough time one 1 lifetime or 10 to see it all to truly explore it via the trail networks. I have barely scratched the surface yet it's probably where I spend most of my mountain time. The 4 day long internationally coveted SKYLINE TRAIL is part of said network. That parking lot/trailhead is always overflowing.

The Maligne region was the birthplace of Jasper National Park. The reason for it's existence. Someone thought it was the most beautiful place and it needed to be protected for generations like some family heirloom but for the world. It is indeed that precious. Still becoming a tourist trap with time but not quite as bad or busy as Banff National park makes it more enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, it's still busy. during the covid lockdowns, we had the place to ourselves, like my own personal playground. Maybe that's when I went leaf peeping, hotels were dirt cheap out of desperation and work was funny. My brain was funny to after almost being wiped out among other things like my stamina.

Actually, that's partially one of the reasons I don't write much anymore, my brain was wiped out words and all, got the words knocked right out of me as I got left with neurological issues, maybe I slept them away and they left me for someone else? Maybe it got wiped out to put new knowledge in. Maybe that's what happened with my ladybug account, new flimsy brain = new account?

Anyhow, we generally stay at this charming motel called "the Pines Motel" in Hinton, nothing fancy cute little affordable place to rest our head in between hikes and drives in the backcountry. the drive to Maligne Lake is close to 120km and takes about an hour and a half to complete but realistically, longer because we take our time and stop randomly everywhere for random stuff. Enjoying ourselves I suppose. A popular stop along the way is Medicine Lake. With all my bible talk from the last 2 posts and ancients not understanding phenomenon that are out of the norm due to the lack of science to understand what is actually happening, this is one of them anomalies that is a little tricky to wrap our brains around even with today's scientific advancements.

What is the anomaly? over 20 meters high of water just disappears every fall, literally, like magic. Ancient Indigenous tribes feared it, "The Medicine Spirit" such a feat could only be magic of the most powerful kind, like an omen from a great and mighty unseen spirit. How does such a large lake just disappear time and time again? Have we angered the Great Medicine Spirit? Well I suppose that's probably how it got it's name. With the help of science, mankind has been able to solve the mystery as to why it disappears but not entirely where it actually goes. We do know in part but not entirely.

Driving up to Maligne Lake, we drive along one side of it for over 20 minutes on a tiny winding road that hugs the mountain. It's a bit creepy to drive around, knowing how deep it is and knowing there isn't much protection from actually driving into the lake in never ending avalanche areas as the weight of such infrastructure would collapse it's banks into the lake taking everything with it. Things you try to not think about while you are on this road. Actually most visitors probably have no idea of the actual hazards. Just blindly absorb it's beauty...Ignorance is bliss. The frightening thoughts don't stop me tho, we're all gonna get out of here someday...sooner or later.

Here the Alberta locals, we refer to it as "The Bathtub" of Jasper. The science behind it is still pretty magical tho. Explorations have determined, it's North-America, potentially the world's largest network of underground river system hidden by almost invisible cracks in the limestone bed and landscape. A portion of it resurfaces 17 km later in the Maligne Canyon but only a small fraction, with dye test, they have observed it drain as far as Red Deer, located just an hour or so outside of Calgary, not even in the same part of the province. Jasper is located west of the province while Calgary is more southern. Once again, still only a small portion. Even science can't determine where much of the water even goes, it's that massive and strange of a phenomenon.

When spring rolls around the corner, glaciers begin to melt, faster than the river can carry as it gets overwhelmed and pools into this massive lake. As the melting accelerates in the warmer summer months, the lake just continues to rise and rise to the point where it drowns many of the trail around it, submerging tall trees entirely until all you can see is the tip. The highest I have ever seen it at it's peak level, even the stairs to access it's shores and trail network are partially claimed by the Great Lake Spirit, the stairs are pretty high up I might add making it impossible to access anything around it. Maligne is the French word for "wicked". In other words, the wicked water system, things are mighty and powerful here indeed and it wears it's name well like a badge of honor.

Obviously the lower photo is taken on a different trip taken in the summer but I chose to post it to show you the dramatic effects of the "Bathtub" or "Disappearing Lake". Both taken from a similar angle, the cluster of trees that are in the middle of the left side of the picture is the same patch and the lake isn't done draining yet.

Later in the summer, early fall as the glaciers slow their melting rate, the trail network on one side of the lake is accessible along with it's stairwell and shores but one side being too low, continues to be submerged until later in the fall, when the lake has a chance to drain a bit more without new melts added turning into nothing more than mudflats, a ghost of the lake that was. Naturally, winter starts earlier at the mountain top and glacier elevation, I wouldn't be surprised if it's about to start snowing on the mountain tops in the coming weeks.

Wait? Where the lake go? 😲😱😳 This is a front view from the road but it would be the right side of the 2 other pictures where the lake is visible. See how tiny the people are in the second picture? Just to give you an idea of how large this lake actually is. When I first moved out here, I didn't know about it's vanishing abilities and saw a gorgeous lake that I worked really hard to look for in a fall trip, I could never find it and I thought I was bonkers...I could have sworn there was a lake here? 😂

during a visit during color change season, a new trail revealed itself, one I never knew was even there until just a few years ago as it is always submerged, I decided, well why not see where this goes. How many chances will I get and the area looked so beautiful with the tall grass having this weird mix of color from a little green left, yellow orange and even taking a reddish tone, like the maple leaves I suppose. I didn't know where it went past what I could see as it disappears behind the tree line, I never looked at any maps since I had no prior knowledge of it's existence. Follow the edge of the lake and I'm sure to find my way back pretty easily no mater what.

Being in bear country, having a few preparations is important...bear spray is an asset while traveling on these less visited parts of the park. Not too many venture these obscure areas making it popular with the wildlife getting fat before hibernation. Better be safe than sorry. Naturally, water is a must although I didn't go to far, just enough to get a good taste of it. The daylight disappears fast as winter approaches and don't like being stuck on an unknown trail after dark. Accounting for time and the return trip is also a huge part of safely exploring the backcountry, some forget and can get trapped tho, maybe a flashlight just in case.

Just had to add some fluff to my post, these things can be found all along the side of the road and around the lakes especially Maligne Lake.

The walk was incredibly beautiful. First starting on the edge of the lake on the rocky banks, the narrow trail lead my to this incredible meadow where rocks left behind from the once glacier that occupied this landscape, as mentioned, it was my first time seeing this since it's generally covered by water or non visible from the road. Driving by we generally see an eagle's nest, although I can hear them, I can never see them as they prefer to hide from people especially the young ones. eaglets stay in the nest for approximately 2 years before they are ready to leave their parents. Not the greatest picture but it's one for now. This trail took me right passed the nest, a much closer view than from the road.

I walked for about an hour and turned around so I could find my way out easily before darkness hit. I didn't anticipate taking a hike here, I don't fully remember what brought me here at this time but if I were to make an assumption, I most likely was stopping by after an even longer hike around Maligne Lake and this was only supposed to be a quick stopping point to admire the view. How could I not! Look at this place! It was mostly uneventful, didn't encounter any wildlife besides from the road. Obviously I plan on posting the Maligne Lake hike...eventually. Maybe?

Speaking of fluff, we often encounter some "Good Boizzz" but it's important to keep them secured in the event of an animal encounter, dogs tend to get in protective mode causing animals to attack and some pets are lost especially to bears.

Maligne Lake Road is filled with various fluffies especially soon after sun up or an hour before sundown. Driving carefully is an asset. with the twists and turns in the road, they are not always easy to see until the very last minute, especially moose. with their darker colored fur, they blend in well with the low lighting, doesn't exactly help with visibility. I have to say, just about anytime I am on this road I have the opportunity to find at least one, often times even more. I'm not sure how many are in the area but I often come across a mother and calf almost every time. With the road being nearly empty from tourist, I can sit in the road poking out the sunroof and just enjoy the show, they don't generally get overly bothered by vehicles and stay in the middle of the road blocking traffic anyway.

Baby and momma generally like to hangout in the road to lick the salt, probably their favorite treat. Everybody is in stiches when the winter sign to not allow them to lick the cars as it goes viral around the world but the dangers are real. Perhaps not to us but to them. It attracts them to the road and seeing vehicles as food is really dangerous if they loose fear of them, in other words, habituated.

Mother and calf, born in the spring, will spend the winter with his mother but highly susceptible to wolfs being a small easier target than his mother. They are a bit skittish at that age and unsure of themselves. Being still and quiet increases the chances for the young to stick around and not scare him/her to run from his mother.

Many other critters live here and come out of the woodworks, keep in mind, approaching them is dangerous, I have good camera gear like a 300mm that gets me nice close ups but never do I get close to them or their path of travel, staying safe in a vehicle is an asset for safe viewing of large wildlife. They are mostly ok but are unpredictable in behavior, a random sound can spook them and alter their behavior in the blink of an eye. Meet the other residents you might encounter during the drive or on a trail:

Big horn Sheep, aka Ram, often confused and called mountain goats, they are not tho. Mostly mild in nature but their favorite sport is headbutting one another. Probably a good idea not to irritate them too much. They dislike car horns to get them out of the way is a patience game or they will attack the car without hesitation. they are generally found at higher elevation as they love to climb rocks and sheer cliffs.

My spirit buddy, the Elk, akin to a Deer but bigger and darker. They are mostly mild tempered but have little to no fear of humans. They can mostly be found at the low level portion of Maligne Lake Road grazing in the fields but do make their way up the mountain especially the males. This one is a young one with hos mother, was born in the spring. They often travel in herds with a mix of several females and other babies until fall, then they are joined by males.

Meet Teddy, this photo was taken on an older trip and posted under my ladybug account but he indeed lives there and was taken on Maligne Lake Road. His favorite pass time is to munch on over 200 000 buffalo berries per day but when he has a taste for flesh, the local Elk and Moose, or whatever he wants for that matter can become a delicacy, especially if there is a slower sick animal that he deems easy to take down. Obviously don't approach this guy, not as pet-able as he looks. Grizzlies can be found just about anywhere on that road both at the bottom in the fields or at elevation all the way to Maligne Lake, he generally hides a little better than this tho.

Old big big Moose! Males are the ones with the horns, this guy looks like he was travelling a little light, most likely lost his second horn in a fight. I wonder if he feels unbalanced. In rut season they fight head to head for territory and the ladies. They are vegetarians but this dude can seriously mess someone up. We generally determine their age by their antlers, unlike Deers, they get less points as they age, a moose in his prime has a bigger rack with more points, I'll save the nicer one for the Maligne Lake hike.

Images taken with Nikon z6 with 300mm lens (wildlife) or 18-55mm (landscape)

Thank you Great Medicine Spirit for helping me find some of my words back, did you pick them up from the bottom of the lake for me? Perhaps it was the medicine for the soul I needed. Thanks for stopping by EVERYONE! xox 😍