Approach: We were thrilled to be hiking on nice National Park trails and not have to deal with any trees and shrubs past Lake Helen; that guaranteed fantastic views and marmots galore! We reached Lake Helen in a little over 2 hours. The air was crisp, there was ice on the trail and fresh snow on mountaintops; not for long though, the sun was rising and so was the temperature. After a break, we continued past the lake, up the ridge and back down towards Dolomite Pass. The landscape is delightful and the marmots are indeed numerous. From the pass, we were happy to see open terrain down the valley. Dolomite Creek appeared shallow, crossing it would be much easier than Molar Creek's ford. We continued on the trail and it led us to some rocks strategically placed across the creek; we stayed on the trail until it veers across the creek again, we needed to stay on the east side to start climbing towards Lake Alice's outflow. The landscape is lovely and grants pleasant trekking to the lake; in total, it took 4.75 hours to reach the lake.
We dropped extra gear and ate lunch before heading out through a boulder field that is both short and easy to navigate; we climbed a moraine to gain the glacier. We strapped on the crampons and skirted the glacier, climber's left, on perennial snow alongside a buttress. The laid-back angle is nice, we were still mindful of possible moats. Above the buttress, we committed to the glacier in order to gain Watermelon's south ridge. The climb, sometimes on bare ice, is straightforward and no crevasses were visible. Once on the ridge, we scaled loose rubble to a highpoint; moderate scrambling across the ridge leads to a saddle that precedes the summit block. Atop a wide notch, we had the summit in sight. We casually walked to the top where we had a fantastic summit stay. We enjoyed the warm weather and great view while Charles took a nap; we were in no hurry to return. The register revealed few entries, about a visit every four years. That's surprising as this objective is easily accessed and can be done as a long day trip by strong hikers. Back at the lake, we wished the clouds away and watched the sun set before retiring for the night. The next morning, I threw in the idea of climbing Bobac Mountain before heading out but was quickly shut down by both Fab and Charles. Fabrice suggested we come back and do it as a day trip some day; that appeased me, I actually didn't mind the thought of coming back this way. Our return was very casual; we took tons of pictures and had lunch at the tarn below Cirque Peak. Lake Alice is a primo destination and Watermelon Peak is a sweet climb; can't wait to come back for Bobac!
