Canada (2019) Part Three

Time again for reporting on our September 2019 trip to the Canadian Rockies. This is the third post (the first post is here) and will cover the third and fourth of our five days at Lake O'Hara. There was, of course, no 2020 trip.

September 10th began with low clouds and variable rain.

Joan and I decided to climb the Big Larches trail, after a brief stop at scenic Mary Lake.

The Big Larches trail is a favorite because of its views and the good chances for seeing a pika or marmot, but there was no such excitement today. Our legs felt tired on the climb up to Schaeffer Lake; perhaps it was due to the five prior days of hiking! Deciding a more relaxed day might be appropriate, Joan and I continued through the meadow and then turned around, taking the boring but expedient Schaeffer Lake trail down through innumerable switchbacks and past the Elizabeth Parker alpine hut,

Reservations thru the Alpine Club of Canada

to reach our cabin and enjoy a porch lunch while we dried out.

The volume of rain continued to go up and down. After lunch we shoved off on a counter-clockwise route around O'Hara, observing diminutive and proximate nature, including mushrooms and this mossy log on the edge of the lake, rather than distant vistas.

We took the spur trail to the Seven Veils falls, seeing dippers and fungi along the way. These falls had been off-limits for years to prevent further damage, but a new route had recently opened complete with a small terraced viewpoint.

 

Or, as seen with an assist from DeepDreamGenerator.

These waters orginate from the heights above, including Lake Oesa, and travel largely invisible under thick layers of scree but emerge after hitting an impermeable layer.

Zooming in ...

A video visit to the rushing waters ...


Rejoining the main trail we soon passed a submerged tree, ripped out of the ground and cast into the waters by last winter's avalanches.

Joan and I took a short side trip before completing the O'Hara loop, heading down a trail paralleling the outlet stream, going as far as the first large pond, where we saw several ducks.

This completed a soggy but interesting day.

On September 11th Joan and I got off to a late start, 10:00, and headed for the West Opabin trail again. If the weather held we hoped to climb to Sleeping Poets Pool.

A Lake O'Hara panorama along the way.

The canoes tied up at Lake O'Hara seemed to float on air.

We had good duck sightings on Lake Mary before the climb up to the plateau.

Looking back at Lakes Mary and O'Hara after gaining some altitude.

 We had better pika sightings than last time!

Rather than detour to the prospect we continued south on the West trail, through the rock formations we call the "wrestling marmot stadium" after an encounter during one of our first visits to O'Hara. Joan and I bee-lined for Opabin Lake and gave it a good look.

The vista back through the plateau wasn't bad either.

Click on the image to enlarge; the west trail is just left of the lake.

We returned down the East trail just far enough to catch the Yukness Ledges junction. We executed the boulder-hopping that began this alpine trail, and then tackled the steep, unofficial and unmarked goat track up to Sleeping Poet's Pool. With careful footing and a hiking pole in each hand we eventually reached the ledge containing two small seasonal pools and the larger Sleeping Poet.

GPS reports that we're at 7900 feet. There are a few short ledges before the sheer drop, offering good sit-spots.

 Joan and I settled in for a lunch with a view.

Our sandwiches were in plastic tubs with a green lid, preventing any leakage while hiking. A ground squirrel was attracted to Joan's green lid, but after a couple of squirrel snatches Joan rescued it for good.

The would-be thief.

The only way off was to backtrack, tenderly and carefully, to the Yukness Ledges, a somewhat retrograde motion. From there we continued on the much wider and gentler official alpine trail, heading towards Lake Oesa and treated to a continually changing panorama.

A view down to the Opabin Plateau and Prospect.

From a vantage point further along, Lake O'Hara spread out beneath us.

Zooming in, the trail around O'Hara and up towards Oesa is easily visible.

We continued until reaching the Lake Victoria cutoff; the main trail heads off to the right to reach Lake Oesa. The day was getting late, so we took the shortcut.

It winds down to the left through boulders until reaching Victoria, one of a chain of small lakes fed by the outflow from Oesa.

Proof we were there.

We arrived back at our cabin after 4:00 and gladly put up our sticks and cleaned up for dinner. Tonight's tablemates were good for conversation, and so as often was, we were one of the last two tables to leave the dining room!