Back to Canada: Big Larches and Odaray Highline

July 16. Joan and I spotted a pair of mergansers on our way to breakfast at Lake O'Hara. (Click on the image to enlarge).

The contrast between the illuminated mountains and shadowed lake was intense.

When we first set out on today's hike our goal was Lake McArthur, starting with the Big Larches trail, a good one for spotting marmots or pikas.

A very short detour allowed us to admire Mary Lake on our way.

The Big Larches trail begins with a stair-step climb adjacent to a large scree field, where we'd often seen pikas before. In this photo, we've come high enough to see both Mary Lake and Lake O'Hara.

The rocks are bigger than they look.

Joan spotted one pika's little rear end as it disappeared into the rocks, but otherwise this section was quiet. After the climb, the trail was more lateral with occasional remnant snow patches.

We passed by the trail to All Souls Prospect and arrived at Schaffer Lake.

From here, we had a choice of paths. Joan and I took the right-hand option, through the "meadow" to the sign-in kiosk for the Odaray Highline trail. Nearing the kiosk, we saw a family of marmots foraging, including a youngster perched atop a huge rock, a boulder, that always seemed marmot-ed.

Although we were headed for McArthur, we were curious how many groups had signed in for Odaray, which has a (voluntary) limit on how many groups per day use the trail -- four at this time of year -- for it is a known grizzly bear route. There was only one group signed in! This called for a change of plans, to take advantage of this opportunity.
 

There were pikas galore on this trail.

How cute can you get?

From a brief stretch of trail the distant Goodsir mountain range was visible to the west.

A cluster of western anemone, with visitors.

We reached the point where the Highline ends,

and the Grandview trail begins its steep, narrow uphill slog to a spectacular viewpoint. Given conflicting reports of how much snow cover lay on that challenging trail, we chose this as our turnaround point.

Joan and I found a good sit-spot for lunch, a few yards up the Grandview trail, with a view of lakes O'Hara and Schaffer, with the All Souls Prospect between them.

Let's zoom in on O'Hara ...

and Schaffer.

Lunch finished, it was time to mosey back. A view along the trail.

I took a photo of this host boulder back in the gap between Odaray and McArthur.

For the sake of variety, we decided to take the other trail down from the gap to Schaffer Lake.

There's a better view that way.

A group hiking up this trail alerted us to mountain goats on the slopes of Mt. Schaffer! This is a critter we don't often spot.

They are in the middle of shedding their winter coats, and look rather ragged. There's a youngster amongst them. Here's another photo of the goats, after they'd moved. Don't forget to click on the image to enlarge.

Pikas, marmots, goats, and views -- what a hike!

 

To add even more to the day, it being a Saturday, after dinner the O'Hara staff put on a show. The cast:

Snapshots of a few of the acts. We had music, dancing, and humor.

A clogger.

The skit of the Three Wise Men. An audience member shouts out a question, and the three wise men must answer by each adding a few words, with suppressed giggles in-between, back and forth until they end up having constructed a rambling, humorous, or nonsensical response.

The show wrapped up a marvelous day.

CR2015: Lake McArthur and Odaray Highline

July 26th began overcast, but not particularly threatening. Joan and I decided to head for Lake McArthur, using the Big Larches trail for the first part of the approach.

In this photo we have emerged from the woods at left, and will be climbing a staircase-like trail at far right.

In a couple of minutes Joan spotted mountain goats on the flanks of Mount Schäffer (click to enlarge). We also caught up to a couple, Edith and Renee, whom we knew from this and earlier years. After chatting briefly they marched on ahead.

We tore ourselves away from goat-watching and continued, past the All Souls Prospect trail, and past Schäffer Lake. We took the meadow route to the junction with the Odaray Highline trail,

where there's a kiosk to sign in to limit the number of parties heading further on that trail. It almost always fills up early; however, today there was only one party. So far. We continued towards our original goal, McArthur.

Soon there was a decision to be made, because there are two trails to Lake McArthur, the Highline and the Low Level. Joan and I chose to make a loop, entering via the Highline and leaving via the Low Level. On the Highline the trail led through scree and boulders,

and there are a couple of high steps that might look intimidating at first, but even tykes can navigate them with a bit of help.

We followed the Highline,

 to the web of trails at the shores of Lake McArthur.

Both we and the family ahead of us lunched here.

A passing marmot caused the littlest to scream and run for Mom, but otherwise they appeared to be having a good time.

After our cookies were all gone, we wandered down to where the Low Level trail meets the lakeside. This year, the lake's waters were normal or a touch low,

in contrast to our 2012 visit.

On reaching the lip of the McArthur basin, the Low Level trail plunges.

This view is before reaching the low point of the Low Level trail. Hikers must regain some of the lost altitude to complete the loop.

Joan and I returned to the Odaray kiosk.

There were still remaining slots to visit the Odaray Highline today, and we decided to go. Soon we were hearing and seeing pikas and hoary marmots.

We reached the end of the Highline.

Beyond, the Odaray Prospect has been closed for decades in deference to the grizzly bears that favor it.

The way to continue would be the steep path up to Odaray Grandview, but there had been intermittent light sprinkles, and the clouds were thickening. We knew the wind would be fierce at the top. Joan and I had climbed the Grandview last year, so we decided to return the way we had come. Even without extending our hike to the Grandview, the scenery was wonderful.

This picture zooms across the valley to show the exposed switchbacks of the All Souls' Prospect trail.

We returned largely the way we had come, except we took the alternate route down to Schäffer Lake. Descending the Big Larches trail, we enjoyed an even better view of the mountain goats spotted in the morning.

There was a light rain for the last twenty minutes of the hike, but it didn't detract from another rewarding day at Lake O'Hara, and we looked forward to tomorrow. If the weather holds, perhaps we'll tackle Wiwaxy Gap.

CR2014: Big Larches and Odaray Grandview

On July 23rd Joan and I decided to hike to Lake McArthur by our favorite route, the Big Larches Trail. We find this trail more scenic than the eroded, switchbacked trail that leaves from the Elizabeth Parker Hut. To help you follow today's meanderings, here is a map courtesy of Parks Canada (click to enlarge).

The Big Larches trail emerges from the woods surrounding Lake O'Hara and Mary Lake and skirts the edge of a vast rockfall, where it begins to climb.

Eventually it turns to the right and dives deeper into the larches for which the trail is named.

We passed the trail to All Souls Prospect on our left, then soon, at the outlet from Schäffer Lake, merged with the trail arriving from the Elizabeth Parker Hut. From here, Joan and I took the route to Lake McArthur that passes near the sign-in for the Odaray Highline Trail, established for the benefit of wildlife passing through the choke point of McArthur Pass. To quote Parks Canada,

Adjacent to McArthur Valley and contributing to the corridor is the Odaray Plateau. Habitat here is used seasonally by several species, including grizzly bears and mountain goats. The plateau is closed in summer to protect habitat and to limit disturbance in the wildlife corridor.

The Odaray Highline Trail cuts across the pass, skirting the closed zone. There is a voluntary program to limit the number of groups that use this trail; when we were there, the check-in station requested no more than four groups per day until August 15th, and no more than two after that. This makes grabbing an Odaray Grandview slot difficult, because hikers in the campground can get started earlier then hikers from the lodge. Note: this Parks Canada web page, updated September 2nd, 2014, now requests only two groups until August 15th, and zero after that.

Because the program is only voluntary, we've seen lots of people violating it, but we do not. The bears were here first. This means that we haven't been able to visit Odaray Grandview for several years. (Many wonder at the efficacy of a voluntary program: how much does it really accomplish?)

This year we were lucky. After passing the guard marmot

we checked the sign-in book, and there was an open slot for us! Lake McArthur could wait for another day.

Wanting to do the right thing, we waited to see if any other hikers wishing to take the Highline would show up. We could form a single group, you see, and all could go. And not long afterwards, a group of two moms and four kids arrived.

They decided they would join us. The Highline, after crossing the pass, makes a right turn, wanders through some rocks, and then begins a gentle climb on the lower slopes of Odaray. The view begins to open up.

Then the trail arrives at the point where the Odaray Plateau is closed. The only way to go is up, to the Grandview, on a steep trail that occasionally demands a handhold. However, it's not exceptionally long, and the view at the top is rewarding. Joan and I pulled ahead of the family group, but for some reason I didn't take any photos until we got to the top.

There, the view is a jaw-dropper.

The valley on the left holds the fire road down to the TransCanada Highway. In the middle is Lake O'Hara, surrounded by peaks. A bit further right is Schäffer Lake and a meadow. Visible at far right, in its bowl, is Lake McArthur. Zooming in, my camera can even pick out hikers atop All Souls Prospect!

There are plenty of loose stones of all sizes on the Grandview's bench. Rock piles created by hikers and climbers have gone far beyond simple cairns in the last decade.

Joan provides scale for this stone windbreak, useful for staying warm and keeping sandwiches in hand when winds come howling up the pass.

We ate our lunch up here, and never saw the family group. On our way back along the bench, before the trail starts seriously descending, we saw them arriving at the descent point from the other direction along the bench. Hmm. We had never been over to the other side. Perhaps something was there?

Yes indeed, a spectacular look into the Duchesnay Basin. How could we have overlooked this?!

In the foreground, there's the best view of the Morning Glory Lakes that I've ever had. Beyond a rise, you can see much of Linda Lakes. On the far side of the basin rises Cathedral Mountain, and below it the mixed rock faces and trees of the Cathedral Prospect, which we've hiked before.

On our return descent we caught up to the family group, and we all stopped for a snack. Then we spotted ptarmigans, at least one parent,

and one chick.

We continued retracing our steps to our cabin, and enjoyed another fine dinner at the lodge. On an evening lakeside stroll, I took several photos of the Sufi Bench,

which I've discussed in detail at the end of this post. My photos of the bench allow Bob to keep an eye on its condition.