Eiffel Lake & Wenkchemna Pass (Fall delight) (10/5/2013)

*** If for any reason, the conditions are not favourable to do Wenkchemna Pass, the co-ordinator may choose another hike or may postpone the event so please be flexible when registering.

Thank you for reading the entire posting prior to registering.

- The plan is to enjoy the beautiful scenery and the great company while having FUN so bring your cheerful personalities along
- Given the distance and elevation, this hike is best suited to experienced hikers only. Please ensure that you have completed several D5 events in recent weeks
- Expect to hike as a group as there was recent bear activity in that particular area. If you are unable to respect this guideline, refrain from signing up
- The fall colours started turning in the last few days so it should be beautiful by this week-end especially under the sunshine
- This hike is rated as outstanding in the book entitled "Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies"

Please only sign up if you are 100% interested in joining us. Cancellations can prevent members on the waiting list to join events and also create additional work for the co-ordinators who are volunteers. Thank you for your understanding.

Trail description :

It's the ultimate art gallery. Ten supernal peaks are lavishly displayed so close across the valley you can almost hear your oohs and ahhs come echoing back.

This is the Valley of the Ten Peaks, best appreciated from the higher vantages of Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass, but the trail to Eiffel Lake, while lower, has the benefit of being even closer to the peaks, and the contouring trail allows you to devote full attention to them instead of boot placement or muscle strain.

En route to Wenkchemna Pass, Eiffel Lake is impressive enough to warrant destination status. It is spectacular in bright sunlight, shimmering from sapphire to cobalt. The lake is named after the peak above its northeast shore. But it is Neptuak Mtn, above the southwest shore, that hikers marvel at from the trail while gazing at the lake. Neptuak, which means nine in the Stoney Indian language, is the ninth peak in the celebrated ten. So, to fully appreciate all the peaks, hike at least as far as the lake. The Stoney word for ten? Wenkchemna.