Back to Canada: Paradise Valley, Lake Annette, and Beyond

On the morning of July 27th, Joan and I drove down the access road from Moraine Lake to the Paradise Valley trailhead.

We aimed to see how far we could go up the valley, to and beyond Lake Annette, which we reached in 2018 ... in the snow. This was the valley's appearance then.

Several destinations can be reached from the trailhead.

After a few twists and turns, some split off.

Mount Temple was lord of the valley's western slopes.

At our feet, elephants-head flowers caught our eye. They're named for the "trunk" that emerges from the bloom -- click on the image to enlarge.

To the east, another striking mountain, likely Haddo Peak.

We crossed the stream several times.

This was the view looking up the valley.

Inspecting the ground as we walked, Joan and I met a butterfly atop a flower.

A critter or multiple critters had scoured this tree.

Then we reached the trail split,

crossed the stream yet again,

and after a series of ascending switchbacks, Joan and I stood on the shores of Lake Annette.

In 2018 we attempted to go further than Annette, but the steep ascent and snow soon forced us to turn around. Today we kept on, and gained in altitude. This view looks back the way we'd come.

We were now high enough that occasional remnants of snowbanks greeted us.

Up and up we went, and then, boom! Joan and I emerged into the open.

We walked into the middle of this stony zone,

and decided it was time for lunch. Our view across Paradise Valley left us in awe.

Behind us loomed a rock wall.

We could see in the distance, near the head of the valley, a waterfall formation known as the Giant Steps.

The steps are a popular destination, but Joan and I decided to forego the extra descent and re-ascent that would incur. We basked in the sun and finished lunch. Even here in the rubble field, flowers bloomed, such as this fireweed.

I convinced Joan to pose, emphasizing the scale of this mountain setting.

The final descent back to Lake Annette.

We weren't the only ones to pause there.

The water, the rocks, and the sun's angle cooked up a perfect combination.

On the long walk down the valley, a sign of winter storms.

And of spring's regrowth.

We had a perfect day for this extended hike.

Back to Canada: More from Moraine Lake

On July 26th, Joan and I explored several areas at Moraine Lake, starting with the Highline trail, which goes for many miles down to the Paradise Valley trailhead, roughly paralleling but separate from the access road. It's the green dashed line in the map below. (Click on the image to enlarge).

We had the shared bike/hike trail to ourselves. Early on, these swirled, feathery branches caught my eye.

Although we were in the woods, we could hear traffic on the access road below, and occasional viewpoints bade us pause.

We had good views of the Tower of Babel, with our perspective changing as we proceeded along the Highline.

There is no trail up the Tower, but those willing to tackle scree and gullies, plus loose rocks large and small, can make it to the top. One description of the infamous route is here, but note that private parking no longer exists at Moraine Lake; you must register for a shuttle. Through our binoculars we could see successful scramblers enjoying the view from the Tower. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

I took a picture of this butterfly but didn't notice, until I was touching up the photo, that someone had lost a ring here; enlarge the image and look at the tip of the right wing.

This bird refused to face me.

After going for a few miles on the Highline, Joan and I decided to return to Moraine Lake and check out the attractions favored by the throngs. First, a view of the Rockpile at the lake's mouth.

A trail, composed of steps, takes you to the top and its scenes. Here's looking up the lake.

Down to the lodge, canoe livery, and the logpile, dead timber that can't squeeze through the outlet creek.

There were various plaques and monuments up here, including this one to Don Gardner, whom we had met on a Lake O'Hara trail in 2018, when he was in his early 70s. What a wild man he was in his youth!

We descended from the Rockpile. I paused, waiting for a break in the crowds, to take this photo of visitors taking photos.

Joan and I hiked along the lakeshore trail as far as it went. Here, paddlers face the spectators atop the Rockpile.

A flotilla of rented canoes beneath the peaks.

Reaching the stream that feeds Moraine Lake.

Looking back down the lake, we noticed submerged rocks in the clean, glacially tinted waters.

The trail ends here.

On the way back to our cabin, I photographed the scene around the canoe livery.

This was a day of gentler exploration. For the next day, July 27th, Joan and I planned to tackle the Paradise Valley trail, which had been a snowy slog in 2018. We hoped to get further this time in the excellent weather.

Back to Canada: Eiffel Lake

We chose the hike from Moraine Lake Lodge to Eiffel Lake (and back) for July 25th. It was a much sunnier day than our snow-plagued visit in September 2018.

As you can see in the above map, there was a steep climb via relentless switchbacks until Joan and I reached the junction where the Eiffel Lake and Larch Valley trails separate. On the way a gray jay inspected us,

and after it flew up into a tree, we checked it out with camera and binoculars.

Half an hour later, we came across a golden-mantled ground squirrel.

Now we were on the Eiffel Lake trail. The ramparts and glaciers on the other side of the valley began to emerge from the trees as we ascended.

Ants were busily boring a new home in this tree trunk.

With the late spring, flowers were still in bloom, including this coiled lousewort,

and some western columbine.

The path went ever on and on ...

The thinning of the trees revealed the Valley of the Ten Peaks.

Joan and I began to encounter patches of snow on the trail, deeper when it dipped in and out of ravines. With our boots on, these patches were walkable if we were careful.

Of course, we weren't the only hikers on the trail. In this image, Eiffel Lake is visible below Wenkchemna Pass.

The trail does not dip down to the lake, but loops past it on the way to the pass. Snowbanks became more frequent.

Joan and I decided to snack and then begin our return trip. Because we were facing east, the various peaks and glaciers were visible for a long while.

The upper reach of Moraine Lake put in an appearance, dressed in glacial blue.

The Larch Valley trail rejoined us, and we began our descent on the switchbacks. This spruce grouse (male) surprised us partway down. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

At the lakeside, we rejoined the throngs at Moraine Lake and made our way back to our cabin, well-satisfied with our day.