On the 4th Day of HIking (Lake Oesa)

Our fourth day of hiking in the Canadian Rockies began with a quick breakfast at Cathedral Mountain Lodge. As we ate, morning drizzles came and went, leading us to dither over what to pack and what to wear. After a drive back up Kicking Horse Pass to the parking area for Lake O'Hara, we waited with others at the shelter for the morning lodge bus.

Also waiting there was a couple we had met last September at O'Hara, Jeanette and Brian (spellings are approximate!). A parks ranger was greeting visitors and explaining the O'Hara system to walk-ins (11 km on the fire road). She told us that there were fewer walk-ins than the previous year, the year of free parks passes celebrating Canada's 150th year.

At the lodge we received trail lunches and our cabin assignment, #1, which would be available after 1:00; Joan and I planned to be on the trail well past that. We headed for Lake Oesa, but a few yards out we encountered a shower and returned the lodge porch to don rain paints and otherwise prepare for precipitation. By the time we'd done that the shower was over!

Soon we could look across O'Hara at the cabins; our #1 is the leftmost in this photo.

After several switchbacks we arrived at "lunch rock," as we call it, the top of a bluff overlooking the lake.

On the way we saw evidence of a rough winter, with avalanche tracks of downed or bent timber. Several trees had been turned into mere stubs at lunch rock.

As we hiked on Joan and I heard distant pikas and small birds, but no marmots. A faster, younger couple passed us, who held reservations for Abbot Hut tonight, now cancelled due to the closure of the hut for foundation repairs. Parks Canada does not want it to slide off the side of the mountain.

Our path wound through a couple of boulder fields before reaching the bottom of the Grassi Steps,

named for their builder, the coal miner and one-man trail crew, Lawrence Grassi. This plaque is at the top of the stairs:

I think of this waterfall as the "curve." Here the trail,

after climbing steeply, takes a sharp bend and levels out. Immediately after is Victoria Lake, and a cutoff trail in case you want to reach the Yukness Ledges without taking the loop past Lake Oesa.

After a bit more climbing and another small lake, one of the favorite moderate-hike destinations at O'Hara: Lake Oesa.

It wasn't crowded on this chilly and overcast September 9th. Joan and I found a very congenial rock to sit upon for lunch.

As we departed another shower began, mixed with ice pellets, so we pulled out our pack covers and decided to take the direct route back, not the Yukness Trail/Victoria Cutoff loop. A while later the shower stopped -- it was that kind of day. At the Yukness Pool we saw a pika!

Back at lunch rock, Joan posed for me.

Below, on Lake O'Hara, canoers.

The weather had improved, so we decided to reach our cabin by continuing around O'Hara. The foot of the lunch rock bluff had some kind of monitoring station.

The apex of our loop around O'Hara, the southern end, created a good photo framing.

We had plenty of time to unpack and clean up before dinner. Joan and I were seated at a table for six, including Jeanette and Brian. We were all looking forward to tomorrow.

Smoke and Snow: Yukness Ledges and Seven Veils Falls

At breakfast on the 12th the sky was overcast with mixed brightness. Will it rain? Joan and I set off for the Victoria Cutoff below Lake Oesa. Along the way we spotted dried and withered leaves of butterwort -- a carnivorous plant -- at a wet drainage (it was September). At Victoria Lake we took the cutoff,

and climbed up to the big intersection, passing a group of five, some newbies and some who hadn't been to O'Hara for ten years.

It was still cloudy but sans rain, so Joan and I decided to continue on the Yukness Ledges. These ledges aren't the highest at O'Hara, or the most difficult, but they do offer spectacular views.

This photo of the Group of Five coming along behind us offers some perspective on the first leg of the ledges.

As we proceeded we crossed the "midline" above Lake O'Hara.

We were graced with another pika audience.

The trail gradually bent south, bringing the Opabin Plateau and its golden larches into view.

We met an earnest photographer from Canmore who was lugging a menagerie of lenses. Then the sky began to spit. Joan and I did the right thing for once, and put our pack covers and rain paints on (it takes me a couple of minutes) and were truly squared away before a blast of wind and rain hit. Hurrah!

The Group of Five passed us, but several experienced difficulty with the boulder field at the western terminus of the Yukness Ledges trail, and so we leapfrogged them again. The air had turned quite cold, and I suggested to Joan that we have our trail lunch in our cabin rather than hunkered beneath our favorite shelter-trees on Opabin, and she agreed. Thus we had a dandy lunch on our cabin porch, out of the rain, about 2:00.

It was time to hang up gear to dry, which required more places to hang things than the cabin's hooks allowed, so we employed lamps and the edges of window frames in addition. Fortunately at this altitude things dried out quickly inside the warm cabin.

It was cloudy with occasional sun as Joan and I headed for breakfast the next day, the 13th. Plan A: if the weather continues to improve, we'll tackle Wiwaxy Gap to Huber Ledges to Lake Oesa. But it was starting to rain as we left breakfast, so discuss. Plan B: Linda Lake, a forested route rather than a high route that demands good footing. As we geared up and waited on the porch to see what would happen, it alternately showered and sprinkled in waves,
with a few minutes of cessation here and there. For a moment there was a rainbow, then more rain came, and it grew colder still. We adopted Plan C: to go up and down the two side trails of the Cataract, the outpouring of water from Lake O'Hara, followed by a loop around O'Hara to take in the new trail to the Seven Veils Falls.

Along the cataract Joan and I encountered a toppled tree's huge root mass.

A closer looks shows a botanical showcase hosted there, mosses and other green things (click on the image to enlarge).

Decades ago the Seven Veils Falls were along the way to Lake Oesa, but that section became so overused and degraded that the first stretch of the Oesa trail was relocated away from the falls. Just this year a new trail was opened to Seven Veils Falls, leading to two stonework terraces with stunning views, rain (today) or shine. There's even a bench at the upper terrace.

Joan and I returned to our cabin for lunch. Late in the day the weather began to clear.

The photographers emerged from their dens.

Our traveling companions appreciated the view; they don't care to hike in wet weather and didn't head out with us today.

Don't worry, piggies, tomorrow ought to be better!

CR2016: Lake Oesa via Victoria Lake Cutoff

The next day was introduced by bright sunshine. A short drive up Kicking Horse Pass took us to the Lake O'Hara parking area and bus stop. The fire road up to Lake O'Hara is forbidden to private vehicles, including bicycles; only the Parks Canada buses and the Lake O'Hara Lodge bus are allowed.

Bilingual signs at the bus stop shelter.

The lodge bus arrived and disgorged the departing guests and their luggage, then Joan and I joined the group headed up. We passed a surprising number of hikers walking the 11 km to Lake O'Hara.

We checked in at the office, grabbed our trail lunches, and set off for Lake Oesa, always a good introduction to Lake O'Hara hiking. The Oesa trail split off from the the lakeside trail, at 7,000' altitude, and after several switchbacks that tested our legs began a more gradual climb that includes several boulder fields.

The trail passed by Yukness Lake, the first of several small lakes that precede Lake Oesa.

When the trail approached the gap between the Yukness and Huber ledges there were rock faces to tackle, but with steps,

courtesy of the legendary Lawrence Grassi.

A closeup of the plaque.

Soon we encountered a waterfall, the outflow from Victoria Lake (and ultimately of Lake Oesa).

Around the corner we stopped to observe a young raven bathing in a small pool. It ultimately flew off to a bluff on the other side of the stream, where it made an embarrassingly awkward landing.

There were plenty of flowers to observe; late July is late spring up here, "up" encompassing both latitude (51.35° N) and altitude (Lake Oesa is at 7438'). Joan and I saw beard's tongue, alpine mountainsorrel, fleabane, butterwort, and purple asters along this trail.

We decided to make a small loop from this point, rather than go directly to Lake Oesa. There is a cutoff trail that crosses in front of Victoria Lake and climbs up to join the Yukness Ledges trail. This map shows the loop we made.

First we gazed awhile at Victoria Lake.

Across the stream we went on stepping stones, then along a rock slab.

On the far side we had to climb among the boulders cast down by Yukness.

We could look out towards the Yukness Ledges,

and back down to Victoria Lake.

We reached the Yukness Ledges trail, and

turned towards Lake Oesa. We clambered up rock faces and through gaps between boulders, following the alpine blazes (two yellow stripes on a blue field). In this photo we're about to crest,

followed by our first glimpse of Lake Oesa.

Joan and I continued south towards Oesa. One more satellite lake, Lake Lefroy, appeared on our left. Lake Oesa is just behind that last bluff.

There were a few trailside chats along the way.

We reached Lake Oesa. Its wide expanse and rock slabs make it a favorite lunch stop. The small figures, center, provide a sense of scale. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

Joan and I were observed by gray-crowned rosy finches as we ate.

Clouds began to return, but our hike back to cabin #9 was pleasant and uneventful. Flowers hung from a basket on the porch.

 Our pig companions for this trip, Margie and Rita, immediately headed for a front window.

Time to clean up and head for dinner! Tomorrow, Lake McArthur.