Came out from a 3 day "Little Wapta Traverse" Bow Lake - Bow Hut - Peyto Hut - Peyto Lake yesterday. Given the low residual snowpack from last winter on the glaciers and an unusually warm and dry June, about 40-50% of the glaciers on the Wapta Icefields have lost their snow coverage already. The remaining snow is fairly "young", largely the result of a more recent cold front and water saturated, which created cumbersome and "swampy" travel conditions for us between the Onion and the Thompson Rhonda Col on day 2.
A few observations that are important for anyone travelling around the Peyto Glacier:
1) Descending from Mt Thompson to the Peyto Hut on the far descender's right (a route I commonly used in the past due to lower angle) now involves an interruption in the ice coverage and requires negotiating a rock step - better stay in the center of Peyto Glacier further left (west) (see image) when descending to the Peyto Hut.
2) Since the end of June 2022 (and as previously reported) it is no longer possible to exit from the Peyto Glacier tongue as it ends in a large glacier lake now. Rather one has to depart the glacier higher up and traverse descender's left above a rock cliff (see image taken from close to Peyto Hut). Sometimes the descent from there requires 50-60m of downclimbing in snow. Alternatively, a friendly colleague has established a rap station with two bolts. Currently, however the descent is easily negotiated in a water-carrying gully between the melting snow field and the rock buttress (see image).
3) We crossed Peyto Creek close to the Lake. The alternative spot where the descent trail first hits the creek could have worked on the relatively cold day (knee high) but we had too many little people in our group and consequences of wiping out are dire. Side-hilling the left (north) side of the creek worked well and takes about 15-30 min longer. A group we met at the Peyto Hut who crossed Peyto Creek higher on a warmer day was in hip-high and said they would not do it again. Sure makes me miss the bridge that was washed out with the floods in 2013!
4) Both Peyto and Bow Hut were very clean and had seen recent maintenance. The Bow Hut has new wooden tables and benches which adds a lot to the ambiance!

Overall, the speed of the glacial recession, namely on Peyto Glacier, is shocking.