Karen and Tom Wanderings

Back in Seattle earlier than expected from our Canada/Glacier trip, we headed out on a day hike to Malachite Lake on the way to Stevens Pass.  I had been in the area several times in the past, but only once to this particular lake, over 40 years ago.  The trail started out nice, but got pretty rocky as we progressed, with a few fallen trees across the trail to negotiate ... not all of which were trivial for older folks.  And there were some BIG trees, too.  The lake was a gorgeous ... ringed by very large cliffs, and we were blessed with bluebird skies.  After a casual lunch and a bit of rest, we retraced out steps back down.  All in all, a bit gnarlier than anticipated, but it was great to get out and spend some quality mountain time with clean air! Big tree! Fortunately, this one had a path cleared! Malachite Lake More Photos  

We had big plans for a week at Glacier National Park.  4 days in the Many Glacier area as a base to explore the park's trails, and a final 2 nights in an epic backcountry chalet.  It was smoky when we arrived, but we were willing to give it a try, hoping things would clear up a bit later in the week.  Unfortunately,  the air quality index exceeded 400 during the first night (0 to 50 is considered good, 200 is very bad).  So, after figuring that the probability of it improving was pretty low, and not wanting to suffer in nasty air for any longer, we packed up camp and headed for home.  On the way, we drove through the park on Going to the Sun road, and you could see massive shapes, but that's about it.  But it was packed with visitors, and the line to get in as we exited was several miles long!  The trip home was uneventful, except for smoke the whole way until we descended into western Washington.  Ah, fresh air.   While the smoke d...

As we worked our way south towards our final objective (Glacier National Park in Montana) we decided to stop for a day in Waterton Lakes National Park, which is the Canadian sister park to Glacier.  Again, pretty smoky, but we went on a hike anyway (Upper Rowe Lakes).  The first part of the hike traveled through an area that was burned in 2017 ... a huge fire that covered about 1/3 of the park.  The rejuvination was pretty interesting.  Eventually, we transitioned into unburned forest, and, among other things, stumbled upon the biggest, best display of fireweed we've ever come across.  Not the greatest day ever, but still pretty dang good. Prince of Wales Hotel overlooking Waterton Lake View down Waterton Lake from the town Rejuvinating burned forest en route to Upper Rowe Lakes Fireweed! Upper Rowe Lake More Fireweed Even more fireweed View down the Rowe Creek drainage More Photos

After departing Lake O'Hara, we spent a day exploring Kootenay National Park a bit.  Marble Canyon, which is just a short walk, was pretty amazing.  A very deep, narrow gorge, with a lovely raging river in the depths.  We also hiked to Stanley Glacier. Much more of a real hike, with some big mountains to view.  Unfortunately, the smoke was significantly (though not horrible), which took some of the sparkle away from the sights.  We ended our day in the town of Radium Hot Springs, though we didn't actually go for a soak.  The smoke was bad, so we opted just to have dinner and an ice cream cone.     Marble Canyon Tokumm Creek entering Marble Canyon Fireweed, en route to Stanley Glacier View up towards Mt Stanley Admiral Butterfly More Photos  

Our next stop was one of the prime reasons for our trip ... Lake O'Hara.  It's located in Yoho National Park in the Canadian Rockies, just over the mountain from world famous Lake Louise.  Access is via a bus up a 11 km road (~7 miles), or you can walk it.  Overnight options are limited to a very expensive lodge, a climbers bunkhouse, or a 30-site campground.  One big challenge is actually getting lodging or bus reservations, since access is very limited and there's tons of demand.  We fortunately snagged 2 nights camping, and were very excited to finally get to visit.   Since we were blessed with bluebird skies and no smoke (for a second day in a row!), we headed out on a hike as soon as we finished setting up camp.  And what a absolutely stunning place!!  Big mountains, lovely subalpine basins, tumbling streams, wildflowers galore, and gorgeous lakes!  And accessed by a a combination of excellent trails and some well-marked...

After quite a few trips to the Canadian Rockies were planned, then aborted, over the years, the stars seemed to be finally aligning.  Our plan this time included a week in the Canadian Rockies, followed by a week in Glacier National Park in Montana.  The only possible snag was the heavy wildfire smoke.  In the weeks prior to our departure date, as the fires worsened, we closely watched the smoke models with a sense of resignation that this, too, would be another canceled trip.  Or equally bad ... not cancelled, but enough smoke to make it way less than ideal.  In the last few days, a possible window seemed to appear where the smoke was pushing to the south of our initial intended destination!  So, we headed out from Seattle with high hopes, and a mantra of "one day at a time".  Driving up through British Columbia, the smoke was thick in places, and some routes were closed due to fire activity.  But, as we pulled into the town of Revelstoke, t...

As usual, we managed to get in a number of hikes locally in the spring and early summer.  The unusually low snow pack let us get started very early (i.e., May 1).  All were hikes we had previously done, but a couple were many years ago, so it was good to get a refresh.  As always, we needed to balance the hike difficulty with our current physical condition, and were somewhat successful in that regard.  All were quite enjoyable, though our visit to Burroughs Mountain at Mt Rainier was unexpectedly conducted in the clouds with on-and-off heavy mist and cool temperatures! Salmonberry, Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Middle Fork Snoqualmie Trail Mt Garfield & Middle Fork Snoqualmie River Pratt River Waterfall en route to Melakwa Lakes Upper Melakwa Lake Lower Melakwa Lake Middle Wallace Falls Upper Wallace Falls Lousewort, Burroughs Mtn, Mt Rainier NP Lodge at Sunrise in Mt Rainier NP   More Middle Fork Snoqualmie Photos More Melakwa Lakes Photos More Wallace Falls...