Day 103 - Glacier Canada

I started the day disappointed but finished the day elated. My planned visit to the most beautiful area in the Canadian Rockies, Lake O'hara, would have to wait until another trip as the buses were full and the weather too cloudy/gloomy to warrant the 12 mile hike in/out. So I drove two hours west to Glacier Canada.

I first secured a campsite near old railway spiral loop tressels.

Then I hiked the 10/10 boot rated Abbot Ridge trail, going steeply up a forested hillside then by a glacial lake then up and nicely-graded trail which opened to the craggy peaks of the Selkirk Range.

After an easy but still intense 200 foot sloped snowbank crossing (much easier with newly learned kick-step technique and mini crampons), I ascended to a meadow with a fire watch hut and water tank, then proceeded up the ridge.

The ridge winded around the other side of the mountain and concluded with breathtaking 360 degree views of multiple valleys and glaciers. Despite being late in the day, I scrambled higher up the ridge past the trail end.

And took a celebratory pic among the vast mountain range. I would drive west tomorrow out of the mountains, concluding a two week voyage through the most beautiful mountains my eyes have ever seen.

The sun painted the trail down the mountain like a master artisan paints his canvas. You can see why I ended the day elated.

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Day 82 - Yellowstone to Montana

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Day 78 - Yellowstone Old Faithul Geysers

See Old Faithful, Grand, Lion and Beehive geysers erupt in 60 seconds: http://youtu.be/tv7BPXW4x5g This morning was one of the most exciting mornings of my trip. It started off when I decided to take a long solo hike through the geyser field, leaving at 630am. Mist was still covering this dense geyser field as I walked from geyser to hot spring (20% of the world's active geysers reside here in this one square mile area). Following a boardwalk, so not to get burned, I saw a man sitting on the boardwalk staring at an empty geyser hole. I asked him if he worked for the park service and he responded no-- he was an amateur geyser gazer-- he watched the geysers and recorded eruption times. He mentioned that we were quote "entering the window for Grand" -- geyser gazer speak for Grand geyser is about to go off. I walked a short ways to Grand and waited, one of a few at first and then one of a few dozen as a quick hour passed. The Geizer Gazer, Jim, instructed me on how to wa...

Day 104 - Glacier to Vancouver

The hike up Balu Pass was supposed to be fairly easy, beautiful and dotted with waterfalls, but when I talked to the park ranger and learned that Vancouver was an eight hour drive away, I decided to skip Balu and drive west. I left behind this pretty view. And drove many hours through pristine mountains, fewer and fewer snow-capped ones the further west I drove. Some of the valleys were flooded to make reservoirs, leaving scenic sights. I eventually made it to Vancouver and drove right on through to Point Roberts USA, a five mile by five mile coastal land just below the 49th parallel and thus in the USA. The park ranger had suggested this as a good place to camp but being late of the Thursday night before the Fourth of July there were no spots available. I drove around instead and stopped at a forested coastal park. After ten minutes of walking I came to my first grand Pacific view with Mount Baker 60 miles east. The San Juan Islands and Orca Islands could also b...

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