CR2013: Lake Oesa, Field, Castle Mountain Lookout

The day had arrived when Joan and I would be leaving Lake O'Hara. However, we would be departing on the afternoon bus, so there was time to squeeze in one more hike. The morning was overcast,

another incentive to not stray far from Lake O'Hara. We chose Lake Oesa as our destination and set out. This was the view from the circuit trail as it passes near the mouth of Lake O'Hara.

The low clouds were no hindrance to lake navigation. This canoe has passed close by avalanche debris that accumulated in the lake.

As is often the case on unsettled days, weather came up the valley towards Lake O'Hara and the surrounding heights. So far Joan and I are staying ahead of it (this is looking back).

A cloud hangs around the Yukness Ledges as we climb past Yukness Lake.

The weather is still holding up as Joan climbs the stone steps built by Lawrence Grassi.

As we passed by Lefroy Lake we could see clouds and vapors filling the bowl of Lake Oesa, just beyond the bluff.

As we approached the top of the bluff our luck ran out, and it began to rain. We had rain covers for our daypacks, which Joan had modified with snaps. Rain covers are designed for backpacks where the body rises several inches above the point where the straps attach. The straps on our daypacks attach at the top of the pack, so there is nothing for the elastic of the rain cover to snug over. Hence the snaps.

Near the lake we managed to find a large boulder with an overhang on the lee side. At first the only parts getting wet were our boots, and we dug into lunch. As the rain continued a drip developed from the top of the boulder, but Joan and I still managed to work through lunch without much discomfort. After all, we had the incredible Lake O'Hara cookies to boost our energy levels and morale. Then we began the walk back down.

The rain was off and on, lighter and harder, as is often the way in these mountains. When we were well on the way down, about 2:oo PM, we encountered a very blasé hoary marmot.

He wasn't worried about us. Is this my better side? he seemed to ask.

Oh! Aren't I handsome?

By the time we reached Lake O'Hara the view was a mixture of cloud and sunny spotlights.

Then, sadly, it was time to leave. The lodge bus took us to the Lake O'Hara parking area, from which it was a short drive for us to Field and the Kicking Horse Lodge. Fortunately this time there were no fiascoes such as basement or double-booked rooms.

The next day Joan and I avoided the poky breakfast service at Kicking Horse and ate across the street at the Siding Café, in the original location of the Truffle Pigs Café. Not only did we get a hearty breakfast there, served on time, but we ordered sandwiches and chose cookies for today's lunch. There are some grocery and general-store offerings here in addition to meal service.

Before leaving Field we walked up to the Field cemetery, just outside of town. On our way we passed the beginning of the Mount Stephens trail, one of the guided hikes of the Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation. We'd like to take this hike, but it's offered only on weekends in July and August, and the specifics vary from year to year, so it's hard to fit into the jigsaw puzzle along with predetermined dates for Lake O'Hara.

Joan's left foot was still bothering her, but there was no bruising, so we assumed it was just a sprain. It didn't keep us from reaching the cemetery, and it was time well spent. The information on the graves tells a story of how hard life was here for the miners and early railroad workers. My only photo is of the railroad-themed gate.

We piled our gear into the rental car and headed back towards Alberta, climbing to the Kicking Horse Pass. Partway up, we stopped at the Spiral Tunnels. Click to enlarge this sign, which explains that the original railroad grade at Kicking Horse was so steep that trains frequently lost control and derailed. The problem was solved by creating two 270º tunnels, allowing the train to loop around itself at a comfortable grade.

We were lucky enough to catch a train doing just that. Here you can see the locomotive emerging from the upper end of a tunnel and about to pass other cars entering the lower end.

En route to our next destination, the Delta Lodge in Kananaskis, we planned to repeat a hike from 2004, to Castle Mountain Lookout. This hike is not long, about 3.7 km or 2.3 miles one way, but it climbs steadily for a gain of 530 m or about 1700 feet. The first section is broad, like an old logging road, but closer to the lookout it becomes a trail and crosses a few eroding gullies.

The weather was cloudy and misty by the time we arrived at the trailhead. We hiked briskly and were soon warmed up and sweaty, wearing rain jackets in a light drizzle and, it would seem, inspired by the locomotives at Kicking Horse Pass. Joan's foot felt best at this pace. I didn't take any photos until we arrived at the lookout, where only the foundations of the old fire lookout remained. There wasn't much to see,

 but it was a decent lunch spot.

Our weather karma is not good for this location. Here is what we saw during our 2004 visit. It was snowing, but you can see why a lookout was placed here.

The weather began to gradually clear as we hiked back down. This photo captures the look of the upper trail.

By the midpoint of the downhill hike the valley floor was becoming visible.

We arrived back at the car and continued on to the Delta Lodge, where we enjoyed a dinner at Grappa, the Italian restaurant there, which in our opinion was the best in Kananaskis Village; it's now replaced by Forte. For tomorrow Joan and I decided, given the state of her foot, that we would hike the gentler Terrace Trail between the lodge and the Galatea trailhead. We could turn around at any time, and there would be views down to the Kananaskis River.

CR2013: Opabin Lake and the Tree-Eating Marmot

By September 5th Joan and I had hiked Mount Yamnuska, Ha Ling, Rummel Lake/Pass, Karst Spring, Lake Oesa/Yukness Ledges, Lake McArthur/All Souls' Prospect, Wiwaxy Gap/Huber Ledges, and Last Larch Prospect. Of these only Karst Spring had been a shorter hike, and we had been able to "train" for only two and a half weeks after returning from our extended Arctic trip. We were ready for an easy day, especially for our tired feet, but we still wanted an enjoyable hike. Our go-to in this situation is always the Opabin Plateau. Just look at the map.

You can enter and exit the Plateau by different routes (East and West Opabin), visit the Prospect and meander on West, East, and Highline trails, and work your way back to Opabin Lake. What's not to like?

Joan and I started up the West Opabin trail, rockier but more scenic than the East trail. We soon encountered a hoary marmot that was staring intently out into space.

Our first extended stop was at Opabin Prospect. This photo looks up the plateau and to the west, not out to the grand view around Lake O'Hara.

The prospect is an excellent viewpoint for inspecting Mary Lake as well as Lake O'Hara.

Here's a closer look at Mary Lake.

There's  a Robin Crusoe tree down there.

On this sunny day the canoes are in use on Lake O'Hara.

Across the lake, on the trail to Lake Oesa, is the viewpoint Joan and I call "lunch rock." It's a dandy place to have lunch, or a snack, while your legs dangle over the edge.

In the other direction there are already hikers at All Souls' Prospect.

From Opabin Prospect you can even watch the comings and goings at the lodge and cabins. Take your binoculars!

At places such as this we'd love to have a geologist as well as a naturalist along. What story does this mountain have to tell us about our planet's history?

Joan and I then turned and began hiking towards the interior of the plateau. Soon there is a view of the lower of the Cascade Lakes.

Here's a section of the cascades.

The trail comes down to the level of the lakes, and here we spotted what we later identified as female harlequin ducks. Yet another reason for binos. (The males all fly back to the coast soon after mating season.)

We continued up the plateau, and at one rocky pile were greeted by a pika.

But what truly stopped us in our tracks, as we started up the final slope to Opabin Lake, was this tree-eating marmot. (Click to enlarge.)

He soon tired of the small sapling and moved off to the right.

There he found prey more his own size.

Continuing up the slope by the west-side trail, Joan and I began to catch a view of Opabin Lake in its mountainous nest.

This late in the season, the glacier at the foot of Opabin Pass looks fragile and dirty, desperately waiting for the first snows.

A closeup of Opabin Lake. Sometimes we lunch by the shore; this time we lunched with this broader view.

We exited so as to make a loop. This image is of Hungabee Lake from partway down the east-side trail. More than once, when lunching in the rain, we have taken shelter under some of those trees on the far shore. Which ones? That's a secret for Joan and me.

Back down on the Lake O'Hara circuit trail, I paused to take a photo of the water cascading down from the Seven Veils Falls.

Joan returned directly to the cabin to rest her feet, while I wrapped up a photo project that will be the subject of a later post. Dinner, as always, was excellent and reviving. My final photo for today is a twilight picture of Lake O'Hara. At this hour the day-hikers have disappeared and the campers are preparing their evening meal, away from the lodge. It is ever so quiet, and becoming chillier.

This was our last night at Lake O'Hara for 2013, but Joan and I would be taking the afternoon bus tomorrow, leaving us time for one more hike in this secluded alpine retreat.

CR2013: Last Larch Prospect

Today's plan is to hike to Last Larch Prospect. The first portion of this trip visits Linda Lake and Cathedral Lakes, which we have hiked to several times; given the distance to Last Larch Prospect, we opted to hitch a ride on the morning lodge bus as far as the Linda Lake trail, which saves a couple of uninteresting kilometers on the way out.

Here we see the Parks Canada bus, not the lodge bus, but the photo illustrates the early post-breakfast light.

Looking in the other direction, towards Wiwaxy Peaks, there's a wonderful reflection.

This map section shows the Linda Lake trail near center top. Just remember to tell the bus driver that you want a drop-off there!

Less than half an hour after leaving the bus Joan and I crossed a footbridge, and every time I see this view, I am compelled to take a photo.

Here's a closer look at Odaray Mountain.

As you can see from the above map, after passing the Four Way Junction you soon arrive at the northeastern end of Linda Lake. Let's pull in another section of the map, covering the ground between Linda Lake and Last Larch Prospect.

We wind around the far side of Linda Lake and continue on the Duchesnay Basin trail, walking through a mixture of meadow and woods.

The trail crosses a footbridge at the head of Cathedral Lakes.

After a couple of meadows and woods the trail splits, ahead for Duchesnay Basin and right for Cathedral Basin/Prospect.

Joan and I head straight, and shortly thereafter we arrive at a long meadow. Here it is in 2013 ... an easy stroll ...

and here it was when we first visited in 2009. The guidebook claimed it was almost always dry, but it wasn't back then! This year we didn't have to bash along the shoreline.

The trail gradually climbs, with an occasional short but steep pitch over a hillock or moraine.

The last section is all uphill; this view is looking back.

The cairn in the center of this photo kept us on track until it was time to climb the slight ridge on the left. We're almost there!

The prospect is marked by a black-and-white striped pole. We ate our lunches here, and I discovered that I had picked up the wrong lunch bag part-way through the self-serve lunch-fixings line. Fortunately my sack had the famous Lake O'Hara cookies that I'd picked out, the most important part of the meal.

This video scans from the prospect, taking in the passes and peaks lining the Duchesnay Basin, plus the view back towards Lake O'Hara. At the end it zooms in on the black-and-white pole.

Joan and I decided to repeat our adventurous return route from 2009. Rather than retrace our steps, we headed further out and down to the left, in order to cross the creek at the foot of the mountains while it was still small. This off-trail option was described to us by Bruce, at Lake O'Hara lodge, back in 2009 as a possibility if time and energy permitted.

Here's our farewell glimpse of Last Larch Prospect.

As soon as we left the heights the land was cut by gullies curving down towards the creek. We picked one -- further up the basin than in 2009, when we had difficulty crossing the creek with dry feet -- and began working our way downhill. The sides of the gully rose.

We switched from side to side of the gully, sometimes abandoning one gully for another, through low spots. Lower down we also maneuvered along stream banks. Here is a photo from 2009.

We arrived at Duchesnay Creek and crossed it. After following the stream for a while I looked back towards the head of the basin.

This initial stretch, labelled Odaray Lakes Flat, is fine for walking, but the other side of the creek is choked with brush and mud. After we reached the Odaray Lakes the margin between the mountain's edge and the water disappeared. We were to begin rock-hopping.

For a while we could still follow Duchesnay Creek. 

The best way forward was to hop from rock to rock; otherwise you are smashing through dense woods or climbing the mountain's flanks. Sometimes the rocks are flat and cooperative, but most often you must calculate a path of small leaps on rocks of many shapes: ridges, indented tops, flat surfaces sloping the wrong way. Losing your footing could mean a nasty sprain or worse, miles from the road, so progress was slow. 

After the creek veered away we were left to traverse the Rutherford Moraines. Here is one section. More rocks.

After the first hundred meters rock-hopping became tiresome, for the feet as well as the mind. This route wasn't as exciting the second time around, somehow, and it seemed to go on forever. With each new turn hope rose in my heart that it would reveal Linda Lake, but it failed to do so time after time. When would the lake show up?

Finally Linda Lake appeared on the left, reachable by a short downhill stretch blissfully free of rocks. We were back on a trail! Linda Lake, beautiful as ever, demanded a pause.

The walk back to Lake O'Hara lay ahead of us. First, switchbacks down the Linda Lake Beeline trail, reaching the Morning Glory Lakes. Then, regaining the lost altitude on the Lower Morning Glory trail, with a couple of last opportunities to scan for marmots and pikas in modest rockfalls, followed by a 120º turn and a long trudge through the viewless woods, which we had avoided in the morning with the bus drop-off. If hiking earlier in the year there is the possibility of at least hearing hermit or varied thrushes, but not today (September 4th). Joan and I felt great relief when we reached the Alpine Meadow pond and Elizabeth Parker Hut. Almost done!

Our cabin was a welcome sight. We were both footsore, and while glad to have visited the Last Larch Prospect again,  we find the off-trail return to Linda Lake has lost its charm. We are unlikely to repeat it.