Day #1:
We took the Bedwell Lake Trail to Cream Lake, which is much more travelled then the Price Creek route. To get to the trailhead for Bedwell Lake we drove towards Gold River on Hwy 28, but instead of crossing right over the bridge at the half way point, we kept going straight towards the Westmin Mine. From here we went left on Jim Mitchell Lake Rd until we got to a steep, washed out corner that are low subaru impreza could not make it around. Thus, we decided to just park the car and walk the rest of the way. As we started to walk a truck came barreling up the road. We flagged them down and asked of we could hop in the back. They were a couple just out for a drive and had no problem with us piling in. By the time we arrived and got hiking it was about 0945.
The trail up to Bedwell Lake is very well maintained. It continuously climbs up, but isn't overly steep. Along the way there are some great views and the occasional metal ladder to climb. This was a bit tricky with a friend's boxer we brought along on the trip. At about 1145 we made it to Baby Bedwell Lake. It is quite beautiful and the trail pops out on a high bluff overlooking the lake. Here you can camp if you like and there were a few tents.
As we walked the trail to Bedwell we passed a couple groups of people, which meant there had to be a spot or two available for us... We were right! When we arrived there was a big tent pad fairly close to the lake. We arrived here at around 1245. We set up camp and hung around down at the lake, swimming, and sunbathing.
Day #2:
The next morning we got up and headed for Cream Lake. We were on the trail by about 0800 and almost immediately starting running into the odd snow patch here and there, which our dog-friend "Indie" quite enjoyed.
After at about 1030 we arrived at Cream Lake. It was completely frozen over with snow, which made it difficult to sit and enjoy since everything was so cold. We ended up climbing up onto a big rock and watching people slowly make the hike up Mt Septimus, which I regret not doing. We watched a group of 5-6 people make it to the summit in what seemed like just over an hour and slide back down in the snow. They were equipped with ice axes and crampons.
After having a good rest we headed back down to camp. We took a tip from the other hikers and slid most of the way down in the snow. We probably cut our time in half. When we got back to camp we were pretty wiped from all the sun. We took another dip in the lake and then had a few vodka drinks and made dinner. Darryl assumed that we were going to pack up camp and head for home... Apparently we never told her it was a 2 night hike... Ooops! We ended up sharing some food and ensuring her that her family wouldn't get TOO worried...
The next morning we packed up and headed for home. I was sad to say goodbye to such a beautiful area. We descended into the mist and arrived at the trailhead only to remember that we still had a ways to walk on a gravel road. It was no big deal, but did take us around 40mins to get back to the car from the trail. I would love to do this hike again and of course I would include Mt Septimus!