On the 7th/8th day of Hiking (Linda Lake)

Not every day can be a sunny day, especially so during September 2018. Today, the 12th, Joan and I first thought, given the patches of blue in the sky, that today could be the day to tackle Wiwaxy Gap/Huber Ledges, a climb to about 8,000 feet and much of it exposed. A few minutes after setting out we could see weather coming in, and reversing course, changed our destination to Linda Lake. We were too late to catch the 9:15 bus for a dropoff that would save a couple of kilometers on the outbound leg, and took the Morning Glory route towards the lake.

The MG route is rocky and rooty, but Joan and I plugged on, changing our outerwear every so often in response to the fluctuating conditions. We were glad to have donned our rain pants while in the cabin!

On the way we crossed paths with two grouse. Finally the trail curved sharply to the south-west and began a descent to the Morning Glory Lakes. From there Joan spotted a mountain goat on the flanks of Odaray Mountain, lifting our spirits. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

The next phase was a climb of many switchbacks up the Beeline trail, a warming effort. I had unzipped anything I could by the time we hit the top.

We reached the shore of Linda Lake and Joan was soon dispensing trail advice on routes both well-marked and incognito, using a map to assist a group of four and another of two, both new to the O'Hara trail system. The situation at Linda Lake is especially confusing ...

You can make a circuit around Linda Lake, but whether the leg on the eastern side exists or not is mystifying to the newcomer. The trail on the southern side is narrow and sometimes at the water's edge, but easy to follow, and takes the hiker to a rock pile that in better weather is a fantastic lunch spot with views of Linda Lake and resident pikas on parade.

Joan and I found a quasi-sheltered spot for lunch at the top of the rock pile among a thin stand of trees. There were waves of ice pellets, but none so strong as to accumulate or keep us from our sandwiches and cookies. I slipped when standing up from lunch, but no harm done!

One disadvantage of my point-and-shoot camera is that there is no lens guard, and when powered on it sticks its snout way out. Thus, I'm reluctant to use it in weather like we had this day.

Afterwards we hiked a short distance towards Vera Lake, and caught this view of the heights on the north side of Duchesnay Basin.

On our return we crossed the north side of Linda Lake and continued downhill to the crossroads with the Lower Morning Glory trail. The Lower Morning Glory was so free of foot snares (roots and rocks) that we must have traveled twice as fast as our incoming pace. We encountered a solo grouse, who was much warier of us than the pairs we'd met so far. Perhaps it was the survivor of a pair.

This route took us through the campground, and we admired the level gravel pads and supplementary tarps strung above many of the tents, covering much of the pad. Rather than continue up the road Joan and I crossed to the trail along the east side of Lake O'Hara's exit creek, which we'd done once before. We caught a few minutes of heavy rain before reaching our cabin and hanging our stuff up to dry. There were no bats. This was the view from our cabin; no mountains in sight.

The meteorological situation hadn't improved the next day. Snow had fallen overnight on the middle and upper altitudes, and ice pellets rained lightly before and during breakfast.

Joan and I decided to wait and see what developed. Soon after we returned to our cabin it began to snow intensely, but with light wind. By lunchtime there had been two waves of heavy snow bracketed by calm times and light precipitation. We caught up on some reading as our traveling companions, pig and frog, looked out the window.

We ate lunch on our porch, accompanied by pipits, a yellow-rumped warbler, various small mousy critters, and a hopeful squirrel that we discouraged by foot stomping. Later in the afternoon Joan and I circumambulated Lake O'Hara in the snow to get out of the cabin and get some exercise.

Then it was time for dinner, a first-class experience at Lake O'Hara. We arrived early and I captured this view from near the entrance of the dining room.

The sun began to make an apologetic appearance during the meal, sinking lower but offering a promise for tomorrow.