Sun, Jun 30 2013 - Eiffel Lake & Larch Valley (View Original Event Details)
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You never know unless you go! From the displayed attitudes of today’s participants, I would have to say each one was glad they went. We were not sure what to expect traffic-wise and time-wise getting to the trail head nor what the trail conditions would be like. As it turned out, everything was on our side. We were the only group at the car pool, did not have to share the highway with many others and it was smooth sailing right to the trail head with no added extra time.
First, we hiked up to Larch Valley along a dry trail the whole way and arriving there only to see a few spots of snow here and there. We went right to Missestimma Lake and spent about 30 minutes taking in some snacks and views. Next, we headed back along the trail to the intersection and veered off towards Eiffel Lake. We had a few steep snow slopes to traverse. A couple reported a spooked grizzly ahead that crossed the path in front of other hikers and then slide down the snowy slope towards the Lake, so we decided not to head down but stay up. The group (all except me) traversed another snowy slope and a few went even further along to see the bear’s slide track. Upon their return, we took another extended break before heading back to our vehicles.
The drive home was smooth too with only an additional 20 minutes added on for slow going at Canmore. Thank you all for making today so much fun. Thank you to Ron and Roy for helping with the driving.
Andra