Travel Letters: Canadian Rockies, Hiking + Painting

4 Sunday afternoon- To continue - I caused quite a sensation at Lake Louise by appearing in my kilt but it really is a good thing to walk in though I seem to be the only person to have thought of it. We all gathered after breakfast and finally left at 8.30 9.00 I think it was. We walked pretty steadiluntil lunch time with only one or two stops and beside Lake Annette the sun was out very little and it looked like rain . We went up Paridice Valley at at one had lunch just below Sentinel Pass. We had been there about half an hour before te second party caught up to us. Som were quite slow but I thought everyone did surprisingly well. Its quite a stiff climb up Sentinel Pass first over snow and then up a steep rock slope but the view from the top is l lovely. We looked down on our camp ground in Larch Valley where we camped with Vic last summer and the Ten Peaks were lovely. Then we had a good shower of rain to go down in. There were some fine patches of snow which are great fun to slide down. Your feet act as skies and you use your stick to break you speed. You can go quite fast. It cleared off quite a bit later on and Moraine Lake was the loveliest deep turquoise I ever saw. I wish you could have seen the flowers. The Alpine Meadows are like gardens just thick with flowers.

We didn't reach the camp until nearly six so it was quite a day having had no exercise

5 {Centre aligned, printed header} LAKE O'HARA CHALET-BUNGALOW CAMP HECTOR, B. C.

since May. I expected to find it hard or at least feel stuff, but we weng fairly slowly and I didn't feel tired at ll. The men had teepees and we were in [.ab..s] beung ladies - When we first went in I spied a wasp crawling round and pointed it out to the others, where upon he flew to his nest i. the ceiling and disappeared inside. However he never appeared again.

We had a fine supper and then sat around a big open fire in the camp ground, where we sang a bit and told stories and then were all glad to turn in early as we were to leave at seven o'clock next morning. They woke us at six and we did get an early start which was lucky. Again it was an over cast day but cleared very nicely around nine or ten and then the clouds blew in again. We walked from Moraine up the valley, over Wenchemna Pass, down into Prospectors Valley up over Opabin Pass and down to Lake O'Hara. We reached the Eagles Eyries in Prospectors Valley at lunch time, and had finished our lunch by the time the rest arrived. It started raining then we went on and were lucky for we ran oyt of the rain until we were on the Glacier near the top of the Pass

6 and then it came down in sheets. The others were in rain from the time we left them until they reached the camp about four hours kater. It was rather miserable going for them. The snow was still good when we went over it. but was pretty slushy for them. You can imagine how soaked we were by the time we got in. Some were wet right through, but such a lot of drying clothes as there were in the kitchen. We crossed lots of really red snow on the other side of Opabin, its very pretty to see.

This morning wasnt much better than yesterday, the clouds are still low but so far it hasn't rained which is something. I went with a group who went to Lake McArthur this morning and the clouds were so low that it really was loveley and the lake an unusually beautiful hue. Now most everyone has gone to Lake Oesa to see that and I am getting so sleepy I can't write any more in fact I am afraid this is a very stuoid letter.

{Change to blue pen} Banff. Haven't time to reread this now or finish it but will write soon. Will look up Davey Baker. Carr-

Loads of love

Catharine.

{Top left, handwritten in pencil: '19'} Banff - Thursday Aug 1, 1935.

Dearest Mother,

We have had the rottenest weather so far and terrible for sketching today & yesterday it has rained hard and we only hope it will clear tomorrow for the Trail Hike. We go rain or shine for four days. Walk ten miles a day, over thirty of us, and it is through lovely country. You won't hear from me for some time but will know its because we are in the mountains.

We asked Mrs Vaue? down to tea yesterday & her son George and had a very pleasant time all talking "to our" Mr Fobes who was there last winter & went to Skoki with us (& Dot Newman) is here again & came in to tea too. In the evening we tried to have some others down who we had invited to come rather indefinitely, but they couldn't & Edwiner Moore came instead & we showed her our acquisition from the trip last year! The night before we had two girls in after the movies, so really we are getting all our

entertaining done in the poor weather. Oh yes, yesterday morning a very good photographer from New York came over in the morning to see Pete's [firea] pictures. He had some of the best pictures we have ever seen and gave us some vety valuable information about making prints, names of papers etc and we are to see him next time we go to New York. He was with some German boys who were climbing.

Your last two letters were from Rockport. I'm so glad you got away at last even for only a few days, as a change & salt air is always good for one. It sounds like such a nice place, couldn't you run down again for a few days later on. When the Mayors get to [Am.ir..arn]. Why not take Elinor Johnson, or Mrs Sohim? or someone with you. For I do hate to think of you all alone. It was nice Mrs Aarmstrong & Josephine & Kitty could go down one day. How long do you think they will be in Concord?