On the 3rd Day of Hiking (Bow Summit)

Our third day of hiking was also a transit day. Joan and I departed Canmore and Canadian Artisans for Yoho National Park, to overnight at Cathedral Mountain Lodge. Here are Val and Joan as we say goodbye.

Also before leaving I took this snapshot of a small fabric bonsai with an origami crane. Clever and very effective. And low maintenance.

Our mid-day hike was to the Bow Summit Lookout. We had trod this path three years ago, but been frustrated with the views (and photography) due to the onset of showers. Today there were some light sprinkles in the morning, but the day remained dry.

At a few minutes past noon we searched for a place to park among the throngs at Peyto Lake, and of course paid a visit to its viewpoint. We must have heard a dozen languages today, because Peyto Lake has become a must-see destination.

The color, from glacial silt, never ceases to please.

Continuing on the paved path, Joan and I arrived at the point of departure for Bow Summit Lookout. 99% of the crowd didn't go this far.

Much of the trail was unremarkable, a moderate climb with one pair of switchbacks. There was a big dip close to the end, however, so we had a downhill/uphill combination both coming and going.

The valley and the rock formations made this a good place to spot pikas and marmots.

This marmot was enjoying a burst of sunshine. It was the only marmot we saw during our entire trip; many were already hibernating, or preparing to do so.

Beyond the location of the old fire lookout the trail becomes unofficial, a boot-beaten track that took us higher and to a southern view.

Joan and I continued to what we considered a good vantage point. Before sitting down for lunch I accidentally dislodged a rock that spun halfway down the mountainside before coming to a stop, hopping like a skipping stone. Watch your step!

It was a great place to munch and spend time. To the south the Icefields Parkway ran past the drive for Num-Ti-Ja lodge, on the shores of Bow Lake.

A zoom-in on the overflow parking there. Beyond the lake are trails to Bow Falls and even the Bow Hut.

Bow Summit acquired its name from being the highest point on the Icefields Parkway, and the highest for "a major highway" in Canada. This high point of the road was visible in the view to the north.

Above us, two young women had clambered up as far as the cliff face.

Photo taken with zoom.

Then it was time to hike back to the car and check in at Cathedral Mountain. The dip-and-climb looked like this on the return:

Our next day would see us returning to Lake O'Hara.

CR2015: Peyto Lake and Bow Summit Lookout

July 23rd was a transit day between our stay at Canadian Artisans and the one-night "base camp," Cathedral Mountain Lodge, preceding our next multi-night destination, Lake O'Hara. Joan and I decided to drive up the Icefields Parkway and walk to Peyto Lake and the Bow Summit Lookout.

As we consumed Val's always-scrumptious breakfast at Canadian Artisans, she said, "You should never present Bob with a challenge." He had straightened my bent hiking pole! It seemed a sturdy repair, so we didn't buy a new set at the Canmore outdoor store, Valhalla Pure. The unbent pole worked fine throughout the trip.

Peyto Lake is a major tourist destination, with separate parking areas for autos and for buses, and deservedly so, for the wonderful colors of the glacial waters that shift with every alteration in the angle or intensity of the sunlight.

We checked out the crowded observation deck, and I took the above photo, but this wasn't our primary goal. There is an interpretive loop that heads beyond the deck, and at one point an old road heads off for the former location of a fire lookout tower. We were pleased that some of the spring flowers were still in bloom here; the microclimates vary so much in the mountains!

The fireweed was in all colors, including this two-tone.

This view looks back (north) along the valley of the Mistaya River. The weather was highly variable, with potential rainclouds coming and going. (The Bow Summit is so named because it's the highest point along the Icefields Parkway.) On this stretch we heard several hermit thrushes singing.

This photo zooms in on the valley, with sections of the parkway and lakes further north revealed.

The middle section of the walk was unremarkable, but then we reached the marmots. These two were play-wrestling.

As long as we didn't make any threatening moves or approaches, they ignored us.

There was an adult or two, but the youngsters were much more photogenic. Later on, there were several birds foraging. Not enough markings to make an identification for this one, but if you click to enlarge, you'll see he's caught something.

This view looks north from our lunch spot. The old fire tower site is the open pad in the far center (click to enlarge), but a footpath led on to this location, where we could see both the valleys, Mistaya and Bow, at the same time.

Unfortunately I decided to eat lunch first and take pictures later. By the time I ate the last cookie there was heavy rain to the south, with a high wind driving light rain horizontally in our direction. No pictures to the south today. In character with this changeable day, once we started our walk back the rain dwindled and then disappeared. However, driving south on the Icefields down to the TransCanada after our hike, the pavement became wetter and wetter. We were fortunate to have been well north of Kicking Horse Pass! The town of Field had been drenched.

We spent a pleasant night at the Cathedral Mountain Lodge, a location that makes it easy to catch the morning bus to Lake O'Hara Lodge. They weren't full that night and upgraded us to a larger cabin.