Canada 2024: Sights and Sounds on the Opabin Plateau

July 14, 2024, was our last day at Lake O'Hara. Joan and I would be taking the 4:00 bus down to parking and, as we often do, chose to explore the Opabin Plateau. This would leave us plenty of time to catch the bus. To mix things up, we went clockwise around O'Hara from our cabin. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

Near the lakeshore, plenty of flowers were in bloom. Here's a delicate rusty saxifrage.

And then, a Davidson's penstemon.

We began to climb the switchbacks of the East trail. It is usually a boring trail, but today we were treated early to the singing of a winter wren. Soon, on our right, the Opabin outflow thundered down.

The red object is somebody's lost water bottle.

A photo towards the west as we trod deeper into the plateau.

Joan and I found a congenial spot for a half-lunch on the High Line route, with good views for our binoculars. Looking down, 

we spotted hikers descending the rockpile.

Then we turned our gaze to the west and the All Souls alpine route, perhaps our least favorite due to the dodgy scree slope between the prospect and the Opabin plateau. This year, there were also remaining snow patches. One couple was attempting it,

but not without the occasional misstep and slide.

Then we continued on to Lake Opabin, now free of ice, for the other half of our lunch.

A ground squirrel was keeping an eye on us, hoping for a discarded morsel.

Patches of snow hosted snow algae.

Joan and I looked at the unofficial and virtually vertical beaten path up to Sleeping Poets Pool. For us, not this year -- we'd been up there in 2012 and 2019.

From the lip of the western descent from Opabin, Hungabee Lake and much of the plateau were spread out before us.

Soon after reaching the bottom, we were treated to a marmot appearance.

Looks pretty young.

All too soon, we reached the descent on the West Opabin trail.

We encountered an Eastern European couple climbing up the trail. The guy was scrambling off-trail, and the gal was distressed at the difficulty of the climb. She asked, "How much further?" Joan and I tried to help, but they had no map and seemed utterly unprepared.

 

Then -- what a treat -- we encountered a pika, harvesting greenery for next winter's food. It seemed to mind us not at all.

Joan and I reached the lodge in plenty of time to take a break and then board the departing bus. Reunited with our car, Moz, we drove down Kicking Horse Pass to the Cathedral Mountain Lodge. The next hike aims for Takakkaw/Twin Falls; our previous visit to these sights preceded this blog by several years, and it was time to visit again.