Into the wild

This is Casey and one of my students, Ryan. I loved Lost Lake so much I decided to teach a class there the next morning on our way out on the trail. Sitting there in such a beautiful, holy place high up in the Rockies our readings come to life. No longer do the abstractions of conservation, resource wars, and vanishing wildlife seem abstract and far away. Here, in the field immersed intimately with this place our discussions become raw and visceral. This connection, this understanding is the foundation of true understanding and change in my opinion...

It was a great class discussion there on the shores of our Lost Lake, but we have a long hike ahead today. And so we pushed on up beyond a pass covered in snow to cross another boundary line. An old Parks Canada boundary line lying forlorn in the snow foreshadows our passage. We are now in a truly wild and feral place without even the amenities of groomed campsites and well marked trails. This is the Castle Crown Wilderness. Ringed in by high snow capped peaks sloping down to so many thick forested valleys this place is the crown of the continent and ground zero for conservation.

A silent, hidden war is being fought here between conservation and oil and gas development - the bread and butter of Alberta's provincial government. In the middle of it all stands one of the last corridors for grizzlies between the Canadian and US Rockies. Grizzly bear density is high here, as evidenced by the abundant scat piles and paw prints we see on the trail. Pressure from loggers, gas exploration, and hunters is also high here. An explosive and volatile combination.