Stop #5: Stromatolite Village

 

After the intense succession of switchbacks the trail flattens out, giving you the first views of the Crypt Falls; a 180 m (600 ft) waterfall dropping over the edge of the hanging valley where Crypt Lake resides. You may wonder how on earth your going to get there, as the trail seems to disappear into the rockwall beneath the hanging valley, and after 8 km (5 mi) you will find your answer after discovering the stromatolite village. Here, massive boulders of limestone that are chock full of stromatolite fossils have been brought down from the Siyeh Formation in the mountain above, settling out alongside a streambed at the foot of the rock wall. Stromatolites are the oldest known (visible) fossils, and the ones found here are around 1.4 billion years old. Stromatolites are mats of cyanobacteria that have the ability to bind with sediment in solution to create a kind of skeleton to protect them from the effects of waves and tides in the shallow warm waters in which they form. I say this in present tense, because these ancient organisms can still be found today in the Shark Bay of Australia. After you have had a moment to observe these beautiful fossils and catch your breath, prepare for the most intense part of the trail. The trail leads out over a ledge that is no wider than a meter, then by way of a small steel ladder you must climb into the entrance of a tunnel through the side of the mountain! This tunnel is only tall and wide enough to allow one person through at a time and is around 30 m (100 ft) in length. Upon reaching the other side you ascend the remaining distance to the hanging valley by climbing up a series of ledges with the assistance of a steel cable bolted into the mountainside.  Try and watch for other hikers as this is a tricky place to have to try and get around someone!