Sun, Sep 16 2007 - Helen Lake and Beyond - Slow to Moderate (View Original Event Details)
Event Coordinator(s): | |
Catherine M
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Participants: | | Chris P, Erika A, Laura M, Helen H, Kimberly H, Ed K, Carolyn B, Astrid S, Catherine M, Darlene W |
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Write Up:The weather was perfect for the Helen Lake hike. Both Helen Lake and Lake Katherine are very disappointing in and of themselves – especially as on the way up, you get fantastic views of the sparkling blue Bow Lake. But the hike is excellent. After an hour or so in the trees, you enter a meadow, and continue along the side of the mountain, with expansive vistas of multiple peaks. Just before arriving at Helen Lake, we walked across the wide meadow – at tree line – again with fantastic views. After a short lunch, we tackled the summit. It is well worth the climb (but remember at the junction to take the trail to the right; the left trail is more for scramblers than hikers). Several of us went to the end of the ridge and were well rewarded. We not only saw multiple peaks, but Lake Katherine, and more impressive, Crowfoot Glacier. The only hindrance to an otherwise perfect view was the smoke that surrounded the mountains in the valley.
We covered 16 km, with a height gain of nearly 600 metres in approximately 5.5 hours; getting back to the cars around 4:20 pm.