I spent most of my childhood living in Waterton Lakes National Park. Long winters roaming the snow drifts of the nearly abandoned town, and summers swimming the frigid waters of Marquis Hole. Other years were marked by other tales, like canoeing through the streets during the flood of 1995, watching huge Lake Trout dart underneath your skates below the crystal clear ice of Emerald Bay, or rescuing salamanders from the highway on cool summer evenings. Through all the years in Waterton, our elementary teacher Lisa Lenz played an instrumental part in our growth. I thought I’d put up a couple photos from the old days in Waterton, including our school photo. There were six of us in the elementary school, and we were all taught in the same classroom. Soon two more would join our numbers before the school was shut down for lack of funding.
The reason this came to mind was because last summer I made a trip back to Waterton with my parents and brother for the retirement party of Mr. Watt, a long time Parks Canada employee and old colleague of my Dad’s. During the party I commented on how I was just about to miss an amazing sunset on the mountains, as I had been hoping to take a few shots as the sun fell. Mz Lenz jumped to offer to drive me up on the hillside overlooking the famous Prince of Wales Hotel. Her enthusiasm and excitement over it was a reminder of why she has been, and continues to be an inspiration to myself and ‘her kids’ from Waterton Park School.
This is a photo from that evening, thanks to her excitement and support.
The first photo here is our school photo from 1993. I’m the little guy on the top left.
Another from 93′
And the snowdrifts of 1997. Photo creds to my Mom.
- Brian
