CR2016: All Souls Prospect

Sure, the our last morning at Lake O'Hara was beautiful (again), but would it rain later in the day? Rain gear should always go into the day pack.

Joan and I set out for All Souls Prospect via the Big Larches. As we passed by the dock on Lake O'Hara, the water was so clear that the boats seemed to be floating on air.

This was the route as far as the base of the All Souls Prospect trail.

As before, we saw marmots

and a pika in the rocky section of Big Larches.

Then Joan and I embarked on the climb up to All Souls Prospect. We passed the minor bench where we'd stopped a few days earlier, but explored a large bench higher up. We're not at the top yet!

Around the corner was a good lookout over Lake O'Hara.

No time to sit down, though. We resumed climbing. I did pause to photograph this tree, grown into a slender bonsai molded by the wind and rocky soil rather than a pot and wires.

The All Souls trail isn't long but it is relentlessly uphill.

There are one or two spots crossing a rock band where many hikers, including yours truly, use hands as well as feet. If you're headed up and thus facing the mountain, it's not scary. Headed down and facing out, I take a deep breath to overcome any minor discomfort.

At the top we took in the view and fended off little beggars.

Here's a panorama looking north.

To the south the trail to the Opabin Plateau was clearly seen, stage right.

We set off for Opabin.

There were meadows of rocks to go through near the Opabin end of the All Souls alpine route.

From here we could see a group, including some of the folks from our Odaray Grandview hike, taking a breather as they tackle Yukness Col, the saddle between the two peaks of Yukness Mountain, across the valley and higher up. They are the bumps at lower left. Click on the image to enlarge.

The east end of the trail consists of a staircase of boulders, with some big steps in places. This photo looks back, as if we were just setting out on the All Souls route.

We headed across the plateau and went a few yards along the Prospect trail, to a promontory overlooking the cascades. Here we had lunch. The bump in the middle of the valley hosts the Highline trail.

The intrepid Yukness Col hikers had reached their goal by the time we finished eating.

Joan and I crossed the cataracts and started up the Highline trail.

We met more marmots; in season the Opabin Plateau is Marmot City.

From the Highline, Joan and I could look back at our lunch spot, the bluff just beyond the stream, and All Souls Prospect, near center top of the photo.

A squirrel had harvested this mushroom and then abandoned it at the side of the trail. Usually the 'shroom is toted up to the notch of a tree to dry out.

We also had a hummingbird zoom by, and spotted a mountain goat hiding from a rock fall across the plateau, under Mount Schäffer.

After heading down to Lake O'Hara on the East Opabin trail, we decided to take the long way around to the lodge and spotted these mergansers.

At one point on the lakeshore trail a wooden footbridge crosses the outflow from the Seven Veils Falls. A couple of the veils are visible in the background.

At 4:00 the lodge bus took us and other departing guests 11 km to the parking area, where a staff member emerged from the women's restroom. She'd taken shelter after spotting a black bear cub -- where was Mama Bear? -- about five minutes before.

We retrieved our car and drove down Kicking Horse Pass to Cathedral Mountain Lodge, just a few minutes away. We were sticking close to the town of Field because tomorrow, after several years of schedule conflicts, Joan and I will take the guided hike to the Mt. Stephen trilobite beds, a UNESCO World Heritage site that's off-limits except on guided hikes.

CR2016: A Huber Ledges Round Trip

The next day, July 28th, Joan and I began a double Huber Ledges day by heading around the southern end of Lake O'Hara. This photo looks across the south arm of the lake to the peninsula with our cabin.

An overview of today's trails, and our start.

We continued on to Lake Oesa. On the way we saw lots of beardtongue.

A peek at All Souls Prospect. We aren't going there today.

Joan and I took the direct route to Lake Oesa.

Arriving at the lake,

we spotted researchers taking measurements of the waters.

We swung around onto the Huber Ledges trail, aiming for Wiwaxy Gap.

Early on I took this panoramic view back.

This was the way ahead, with Wiwaxy being in the saddle of the ridgeline.

Taken from the same spot, this picture shows much of the Victoria Lake Cutoff on the side of Yukness Mountain, starting with a beige thread through the greenery at the bottom. Click on the image to enlarge.

Zooming in on the junction between the cutoff and the Yukness Ledges trail reveals two hikers in the lower left corner.

The trail blazes on the Huber Ledges helped us avoid taking less desirable routes.

The wet weather of the past weeks had created miniature waterfalls along the trail, and lush green carpets of moss.

Near Wiwaxy Gap we heard and then saw a golden-mantled ground squirrel vigorously scolding and chasing off a competitor. Afterwards he sprawled under a rock and dug out a little dirt.

He approached us, probably looking for a handout.

Here's proof that we reached the gap.

This was the spot for a well-deserved lunch.

Rather than take the steep Wiwaxy trail down to Lake O'Hara, Joan and I retraced our steps to Oesa on the ledges. The view is always different coming from the other direction. There's one location in particular where it's important to stay with the trail blaze, as Joan demonstrated, rather than take the alluring path just below.

This panoramic view from the Huber Ledges covers almost everything: Lake Oesa and its satellite lakes, the Yukness Ledges, the cataract pouring down from the Opabin Plateau just left of the Opabin Prospect, All Souls Prospect, McArthur Pass, and Odaray. Not to mention Lake O'Hara.

Some summer we'll come back to O'Hara and these blocks will be gone, perhaps having bounded down to the Lake Oesa trailside.

At this point the hike became a wildlife bonanza. This is perhaps a young winter wren.

A young pika.

Just after reaching the Oesa junction we saw a Japanese couple taking pictures of rocks, but then we saw that there was a ptarmigan.

At least four youngsters, some still with fuzzy down, popped in and out among the rocks as they grazed (buds, leaves, berries) or hunted (insects).

Mom kept up her various calls, including "I am here" and possibly also "Come to me." This chick wasn't paying close attention.

This panoramic view shows the Japanese couple, preparing to take a selfie with a Canadian flag, and in lower left one of the ptarmigans!

The clouds became denser as Joan and I descended towards Lake O'Hara, but we suffered only a few drops before we reached our cabin at 4:10. Later there was a five-minute hard rain.

That evening was our final O'Hara dinner of this visit. So soon!

CR2016: Odaray Grandview

On July 27th Joan and I made one of our earliest starts ever at Lake O'Hara, 9:20. If that doesn't seem early, you must realize that there's a sequence to breakfast at the lodge. First on offer are serve-yourself items such as hot oatmeal, granola, yogurt, and berries. Then your order is taken for a fabulous main breakfast, and for your preferred lunch sandwich. After breakfast is consumed you join the line to assemble your lunch sack, using your sandwich choice and the other goodies available, especially three varieties of exquisite Lake O'Hara cookies. Today we did not linger to chat with our table-mates.

We launched into imperative #1 for the day, hustling past the Elizabeth Parker hut and dashing (for us) up the utilitarian trail to Schäffer Lake, to arrive at the McArthur Pass kiosk in time to be or to join one of the four parties per day allowed to sign in for the Odaray Highline/Grandview. This is a voluntary program to limit the disturbances at McArthur Pass because it's a major transit corridor for grizzlies and other wildlife. In past years it's been difficult for us to reach the kiosk early enough, but this year the challenge of qualifying for an Alpine Circuit pin from the lodge seems to have siphoned off some of the traffic. Fine with us!

The first leg of the route. You can see that a large area on the flank of Odaray Mountain has been closed to hikers, due to a grizzly bear incident in the 1970s.

Here's a photo of one of the cabins that constitute the Elizabeth Parker "hut."

This is looking back at the hut as we head on.

Two young women passed Joan and me, reaching the kiosk before us. When we got there, another couple was waiting to see if anyone else would show up, which is a great trail courtesy in this situation. The six of us formed one group, the third party of the day. Theoretically there were two additional members of our new group five minutes ahead of us on the trail, but Joan and I never saw them. Here is a photo taken later, from the heights, that includes the sign-in kiosk, the bright spot about one-third in from the right, and two-fifths down from the top. Click on the image to enlarge.

Now it was time for imperative #2, keeping up with the other four in our group. It's difficult and dangerous to keep up a clipper pace without keeping your eyes on the rocky, rooty and twisty trail at all times. Joan and I like to stop to scan for marmots, pikas, or weasels, take photos, and check out interesting flowers.

For a while there was a gentle stretch along the Highline, and I took this photo.

Even from this intermediate height there are good views back to Lake O'Hara.

On reaching the closed area the Highline trail ended and the trek up to the Grandview began.

At this point our group had clearly split into three fast and three not-so-fast hikers, and the fast folks graciously slowed down.

It's not a quick trail, unless you're half mountain goat.

Up and up.

We all reached the Grandview, a wide bench partway up Odaray Mountain. Puffy clouds were starting to appear.

Joan took in the view from a nice flat rock, and we both had a light snack.

Here's a panoramic view centered on Lake O'Hara.

With binoculars or the camera on full zoom there's a lot to see, such as this closeup of hikers atop All Souls Prospect.

Over to Lake McArthur.

Another group arrived, and half of that group plus the other four in our group continued on, aiming for the "Little O," or Walter Feuz peak (2962 m/9719 ft).

We were growing suspicious of the weather's direction, and opted to return sooner rather than later, but with a brief side trip. Not until two years before had we learned that if we picked our way over to the northwest corner of Grandview we could see into the Duchesnay Basin. We did so again. Look at that funny dark cloud snagged on Cathedral Mountain.

A closeup of the Odaray Prospect, once a destination hike but no longer reachable because of the closed area.

Consider the clarity of the pond at the foot of Odaray.

Joan and I began our return, and I photographed this old red trail blaze, embellished by some hiker with two eye stones. One hiker dubbed it "Daphne Duck."

We began to descend the Grandview trail, and before the steep portion ended we met a one-man, one-woman trail maintenance crew working uphill. It began to sprinkle lightly, off and on, but we had time to notice dwarf alpine hawk weed, a weasel, which hunts smaller mammals such as pikas, and were buzzed by a hummingbird, either a calliope or a juvenile rufous.

There was one spot on the Highline where Mount Goodsir (11,703 ft/3,567 m) was visible to the west.

By the time we reached the sign-in kiosk Joan and I heard rumbles of thunder. We abandoned all thought of stopping for lunch, and secured our hiking pigs inside our day packs. Then we snapped waterproof covers over the packs, but it was so warm we chose not to put on our rain jackets.

Imperative #3 was to march straight back to our cabin. Just beyond Schäffer Lake it began to rain steadily. We were wet but not soaked by the time we reached our cabin; however, the air had turned cold. We hung our gear up to dry and ate our late lunch on the porch of the cabin, complete with a glass of wine each from small bottles given us by Lindsay and Andrew, the newlyweds we had met at Canadian Artisans B&B in Canmore.

Even if the hiking day was cut short we had a great time and good luck with Odaray Grandview.