Sunday, July 20, 2025
End: Fay Lake
Route (km): 34.6
Total (km): 34.6
Hours: 12.4
Total (hrs): 12.4
GDT Northern Terminus
The path which I followed was to visit the GDT Northern Terminus, which was in itself an exciting moment, and then to follow a marked trail to rejoin the tote road. This short section was quite wet, the marked path being a stream half of the time. But it was worth it to see the marker of the end of the Great Divide Trail.
Swampy Tote Road
The path from Kakwa Lake North is along an old tote road. I was disappointed to find that this tote road was often a bit of a swamp. I had hoped that it would be smooth hiking given its proximity to Kakwa Lake, and its status inside the provincial park. It was not horrible, given that the path was still clear, but it wasn’t what I expected.
Twin Lakes “Trail”
The point that I call “Between the Ponds” is apparently called the Twin Lakes area or trail. It isn’t particularly easy to pick out where the trail departs the tote road heading North, although given that it is between the two lakes which are close together, it shouldn’t be too difficult to find if you are paying attention.
This is a little-used trail. Most people going into the Jarvis Lakes area appear to be doing so in winter, and cross the lakes on ski or snowshoe. People arriving on horse seem to come more often from Alberta along Jarvis Creek from the East.
The trail has a lot of deadfall and is quite overgrown. A few steps in from the tote road, it goes right into a tiny pond, and does so again a few steps later. It takes serious concentration to follow where the faint trail appears among vegetation, and where deadfall obscures the faint trail. The going gets much better once the trail descends to a ravine.
Wrong Turn at Jarvis Creek
At Jarvis Creek, there are horse trails along both the North and South side of the creek, as far as I can tell. I accidentally went West along the South side of the creek before realizing my mistake and backtracking. There is a bit of vegetation to push through to get to Jarvis Creek, but it isn’t too bad.
Simple Beauty of Jarvis Creek
I actually think that Jarvis Creek was a real highlight of the trip. Coming into the meadow where the creek calmly meanders about, it was easy hiking without much worry of running into a swamp, and the scene just seemed ideal. I quite enjoyed Jarvis Creek.
Horse Trail to Jarvis Cabin
The trail all along the North side of Jarvis Lakes is marked and well-trodden, mostly by horses. It can get a bit muddy at times, but beggars can’t be choosers in this remote area. The worst part of this trail is when it descends directly into a lake, which it does on more than one occasion. Presumably the trail used to be on the lake shore, which has since eroded.
Jarvis Cabin, Last Outpost of Civilization
What a treat it was to be at Jarvis Cabin. I had seen photos from previous trips on the Great Divide Route, and was not let down with the brilliant scene looking out on the lake. The highlight for me was opening the log book and seeing that it is possible to go back a decade in just a few pages. Many recognizable names appear from their Great Divide Route hikes. The cabin is well-stocked with pots and pans, and has a solar panel.
The Trail Goes Cold
It is an odd feeling when you are walking along the trail, and concentrating hard to stay on it, and you lose it. Soon you pick it up again as you reexamine where it turned under a pile of fallen trees, and you follow it for another hundred meters until you lose it again, but this time you a bit less sure when you find what you belive is the trail again. Soon the trail enters a meadow and you aren’t at all sure where the trail appears on the other side.
Soon you are questioning if it might not be better to simply start hiking West and forget about where the trail might be. Perhaps the effort it took to stay on the trail would be better spent finding the best route through the thick deadfall. And so, you begin the off-trail portion of the Great Divide Route!
Easy Climb in Beautiful Burn Area
The climb up to Moonias Pass is through an area of standing dead trees, presumably due to an old forest fire. It’s a different kind of beauty to see the mass of gray husks, still standing. I don’t remember a lot of overgrowth here, and I think it wasn’t too difficult to climb up to Moonias Pass.
Moonias Lake, First of Many
I made a mistake when I arrived at a small lake right at Moonias Pass, thinking it was Moonias Lake. Actually there are several other small lakes near Moonias Lake.
Many of the beautiful photos published from hikes on the Great Divide Route are of the glacial lakes. Moonias is the first of these, and it did not disappoint.
I was in a hurry to make the climb over the wall behind Moonias Lake and continue on. My brief pause on the shore of the lake was interrupted by mosquitos. I didn’t see a lot of great places to camp, the spot I had picked out previously seems a bit more sloped than I would have liked, and the grass a little taller than I had hoped it would be.
Climbing to the Ridge Behind Moonias Lake
In some ways, perhaps we could say that the climb up from Moonias Lake is the first really difficult climb of the hike. If you can do this climb without issues, then you should be able to do the others on the Great Divide Route. I was pullling on vegetation and using the rocks of a dry water drainage to find sure footing. It wasn’t an easy climb, but it also wasn’t the insane feat which I had prepared myself for mentally, after reading the accounts of previous GDR hikers. It’s relatively short, and a decent representation of the types of physical challenges which the GDR contains.
Fay Lake
I found it difficult to find a spot to camp at Fay Lake. The whole shoreline seems to be bushes and rocks. I retreated to the North and found a decent spot. The lake itself is beautiful, though perhaps some of the beauty was lost on me as I was tired and ready to end my day.