CR2015: On to Mistaya Lodge

It was the last day of July, and Joan and I were on our way to Mistaya Lodge, our first visit to this family-run hiking and skiing resort. We arrived early in the morning at the Alpine Helicopters facility in Golden, checked in, and our baggage and our selves were weighed. Renee and Edith, who we had seen several times at Lake O'Hara, arrived on an incoming helicopter ferrying passengers back from Purcell Mountain Lodge. After a brief reunion with the Swiss couple, Joan and I queued up at our helicopter.

As you can see, it was a sunny day, and the sun-lit side of the chopper quickly became hot. But the views were great.

Here is a video, in three parts, of the helicopter activity that day: from inside the aircraft as we take off, from outside watching it land, and watching it take off.

Helicopter Ops between Golden and Mistaya Lodge from Ben Branch on Vimeo.

At the lodge we had another reunion, with Wood and Chantal, who we had met a few years ago at Talus Lodge. Then our first activity was taking our luggage to our room.

The view from the window looked south to "the lake."

Then it was time to fix our packed lunches and head out on a guided hike to Boomerang Glacier. In this screenshot from Google Maps, Mistaya Lodge is the red roof circled in yellow (click to enlarge), and the glacier is at the lower left; we're heading towards the face noted in red. Its curved shape gave it the name "Boomerang."

First we walked down to the braided creek below the lodge, where a mini-hydro electric generator is located.

Then it was up the first moraine, skirting the right edge of the small lake circled in blue.

We continued to climb closer to the faces of the peaks. This one displays a huge slab of fossilized stromatolites, mounds created from mineral grains glued together by cyanobacteria in shallow water. The tectonic forces that created these mountains have forced the ancient seabed (as much as 3.5 billion years old) almost vertical.

From this same location, a rest stop, I took a panoramic photo to the east.

Just a few minutes after starting up again, we encountered a mama ptarmigan,

accompanied by three chicks.

Up and up we went, generally bearing north (this photo looks south).

Then we reached the front of the glacier,

 and dropped our packs.

The photography geeks marched up to the glacier's foot to take pictures, despite warnings from our guide, Sandra, that ice melting in the July sun might let loose a rock at any time. I used a zoom to take this photo; I suppose if the shutterbugs weren't there for too long, the risk was low.

Here several of us gather around Sandra for a talk, perhaps about the geology of the area.

Far below us, part of the trail home passes through a grassy area.

A narrow ridge gave Sandra an opportunity to offer a photo-op to any of the participants. We took her up on it.

We were well and truly tired by the time we returned the lodge, and an excellent supper was appreciated by all. This final photo takes in the view of the lake by the lodge in the early evening light.

Tomorrow Joan and I must decide whether to take the all-day guided hike to West Mistaya Peak, at 9500 feet, or an easier alternative.