In 2 cars, we left Jim’s place in south Calgary soon after 6.00am on Wednesday Jan 20, 2016. After a stop at the Tim Horton’s in Claresholm the “male” car arrived at the Cameron Lake trailhead around 10.15am, while the “female” car was later having taken an unintentional detour to Coleman. However, we were all at the ACC hut just short of Cameron Lake by about 11.30am where we met 4 young ladies getting ready to leave. They had enjoyed a 2 day, 1 night stay and were particularly pleased to have met fellow Ramblers, Ed and Stan, the previous evening. Although no details were forthcoming, we gather that the evening’s entertainment was encouraged by 4 litres of wine and a case of beer consumed almost entirely by the young ladies. They left a note of appreciation:

As requested, Ed and Stan had also left a note saying that they were headed for Forum Ridge. We followed their tracks which ended well up Forum Ridge on the BC/Alberta border. The descent through open trees in 20 cms powder was outstanding. We ended up a few hundred metres SW of Alkamina Pass and because we were out of time, reluctantly returned to the hut which we reached by 4.30pm.

On Thursday Jan 21, all 8 of us headed for summit Lake, following the trail cut by Ed and Stan on the 19^th. From the hill to the SW of the lake, most of us enjoyed 2 runs down to Summit Lake before Stan and then Ed had to leave us to return to Calgary. We had enjoyed their company and were especially grateful for Ed’s trail breaking and knowledge of the area.

Meanwhile the 6 of us enjoyed 2 shorter runs to the south before returning back to the hut by 4.00pm. While the ascent of the narrow Summit Lake trail had taken 2 hours, the descent was less than 30 minutes. Encouraged by Christine, we opened up the spring 20 metres from the hut which was easier than melting snow. However the weather was warming up. The other guests this evening were a young couple also from Calgary, who were very polite and pleasant company.

At 8.00am on Friday morning, it was raining, not hard but still rain rather than snow. After a short discussion we decided to return home with pleasant memories of powder skiing rather than a probable wet last day.

We were back at the cars by about 10.00am. It was a good couple of days/nights with excellent company in a good hut. However, the upper bunks were very hot and an upstairs vent/window would be useful. Also a porch as the snow melted off the roof forming ice right by the door. But a comfortable hut for 8 ($30/night ACC members, $40 non-members). From the log book, most guests are families who really enjoyed the experience. We did also. On good roads the uneventful drive home was interrupted by a stop at Celestial Sweets Speciality Bakery ½ block off Main Street in Pincher Creek. Recommended. Ramblers included: John, Jim, Shirley, Christine, Carmie with especial thanks to earlier trail breakers Ed and Stan from C&S David.