CR2014: Two Days at Talus Lodge

July 19th was a cool, drizzly day at Talus Lodge. We first hiked to the overlook that spied down on the valley on the British Columbia side.

The route gradually steepens until the guides decide it's time to suggest staying back from the edge.

This long-toppled tree still grasps one of the stones in its roots.

We then hiked up to the Ptarmigan Plateau as the drizzle grew into a light shower and the wind picked up. I don't have any pictures from this portion of the day, but there are plenty of the plateau to come tomorrow. The plateau is a geologist's fantasy, with many different formations and tumble-down stones from different strata above.

This photo shows us approaching the lodge at the end of the hike. Note that the tip of the Talon, top center, is in a cloud.

The skies cleared in the evening.

As the sun set Nature brought out her color palette.

July 20th was a good hiking day from the start. Here's the view from the deck at breakfast.

The tip of the Talon was brightly lit.

The guests split into two groups. Joan and I joined Chris' group and started out heading up towards the Ptarmigan Plateau. On the way we admired this moss campion.

Soon a hoary marmot bounded across our field of view.

Then the ptarmigans of the Ptarmigan Plateau made a stunning appearance, three adults and five chicks in all. In this photo there is one of each.

Two adults, one chick. Note the reddish eyebrow of the adult on the left (click to enlarge).

Now we see two chicks.

As long as we stayed subdued the ptarmigans were not skittish. In this photo we're being checked out!

A closeup.

As much as we admired the ptarmigans, soon it was time  to move on. After threading among the blocks and crevasses our group reached an outlook with a grand view of the valley to the east of our mountain. The clouds generated a patchwork of brightness and darkness, accentuated by the camera.

We then proceeded around the shoulder of the mountain, heading off to the right (south), and encountered a patch of glacier lilies.

I was compelled to take a closeup of this alpine marvel. Its tubers are a favorite food of the grizzly bear.

We continued south, crunching over snow fields. Suddenly Chris, the Talus Lodge owner and our guide, stopped. He was in front and had spotted a grizzly, downhill and slightly ahead of us. The grizzly rose onto his hind legs and scanned about, trying to identify the disturbance, and then dropped down behind the snow. I was the only one who had seen the bear, besides Chris, being tall enough to peer over the snowbank. The sighting was over in a few seconds, but we bunched closer together, slowly backed away uphill, and then turned around, forsaking the glorious glacier lily field further on that Chris had promised. Better safe than sorry! We returned as far as an overlook, and lunched. Leman Lake and Burstall Pass are in the distance, centered in the photo.

Chris liked the colors of the rain jackets Joan and I were wearing (blue for Joan, orange for me).

We began our return to the lodge by ascending to the High Bench, above the Ptarmigan Plateau. Halfway along we stopped to admire the landscape spread wide before us.

We continued on, finding our way among the fractured blocks,

and the lodge came into view.

Chris found another resting place, from which we could look down on the lodge.

Those who had not been in our group had taken up the challenge of swimming in one of the ponds this afternoon. We could hear them screaming, and with binoculars, could see ripples emanating from a portion of the waters hidden by an intervening moraine. I did take a photo of our aquatic comrades as they picked their way back to the lodge.

Today was perfect: views, flowers, and critters (even if most of us didn't see the grizzly).

CR2012: Wiwaxy Gap, Huber Ledges, and Hail

Our next hike was climbing to Wiwaxy Gap and following the Huber Ledges. I documented this in detail last year, here and here, so this time I took pictures of whatever caught my eye.

Early morning photos of Lake O'Hara are common, but I can't resist sharing this one with you, taken on our way to the Wiwaxy Gap trail junction.

One of the joys of an early-season visit is the profusion of flowers making the most of a short growing season. In this next photo, spot the beardtongue everywhere in the right-hand third (click to enlarge). Also note the alpine trail blaze in the lower right-hand corner; two yellow bars on a blue field.

And then there were these, stonecrop and fringed grass of parnassus.

On an ultra-steep trail such as Wiwaxy Gap, you will pass some people and be passed by others. A cheerful word, even if you're out of breath, and spectacular views remove any embarrassment.

We continued to move higher, taking frequent lung breaks. Another half hour, and we were able to see Sleeping Poet's Pool, which we had visited two days before. This picture was taken at full zoom.

We reached Wiwaxy Gap, cooled down, and caught our breath. I didn't take any photos from the gap this year, but this is such a milestone  that it must be noted, so I'll include the video I shot from Wiwaxy Gap last year.

Scanning Wiwaxy Gap, Sept. 4 2011 from Ben Branch on Vimeo.

Then we began to traverse the Huber Ledges. We nearly ran over a hoary marmot who was intent on eating the dirt in the trail, perhaps for minerals. As long as we stayed more than three feet away he ignored us. After a moment of observation we were forced to disturb him, in order to press on.

Drawing closer and closer to Lake Oesa, we came to a spot that offered us an excellent angle for scanning, with our binoculars, the tilted tableland that forms the corner of the Yukness Ledges trail.

Even on the high ledges we would run across flowers, such as this moss campion, particularly on damp spots where water would be running down from the heights.

This picture, taken as we drew closer to Lake Oesa, shows not only the lake itself but the extensive rocky shelf on its shore. This is a favorite lunch stop and picnic ground, with room to absorb dozens of people. Click to enlarge the photo, and if you squint, you might be able to spot hikers scattered about.

Researchers from the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary are conducting various studies in the Lake O'Hara region, both geological and hydrological. We've seen them up at Opabin Lake, and today some were out on Lake Oesa. Two were in an inflatable craft -- how would you like to carry that up to the lake?

This fellow was definitely not a researcher. He also didn't stay in the lake very long.

We left Lake Oesa by the outflow, planning to take the initial section of the Yukness Ledges trail, and then take the Victoria Lake cutoff to rejoin the Lake Oesa trail for our return.

At the foot of the outflow another team was taking some measurements.

In the next photo, we're looking forward on the cutoff trail, near the unnamed pond in the map above.

The clouds threw down rain and hail twice on our walk back. The hailstones were large and fast enough to hurt when they hit. The white spots you see in this picture aren't flowers, they are hailstones.

Here is a closeup.

Sometimes the smaller hailstones would be stuck in the fingers of a tree.

Twice we sought shelter under large trees when an intense shower swept up the lake, a strategy that helped. We sought a tree on the side of the trail with a dry, or nearly dry, ring around its base. Good ones were not common, and the Lake Oesa trail has many sections open to the sky, so we had little shelter from the first storm. Nonetheless Joan and I made it back to the cabin without any bruises from the hailstones, and ready for dinner.