Summer Wanderings - August

While Pete and friends did more flying (and parawaiting) in Golden I took a few days off and explored the scenery around Lake O’Hara in Yoho Park and the alpine flowers at Idaho Peak in the Selkirk Mountains near New Denver. The morning bus to Lake O'Hara was full, but hiking in along the 11 km road was surprisingly quick and painless as most of it was still in shade. From the lodge I took the trail to Wiwaxy Gap and Huber Ledges up to Lake Oesa and then returned via Yukness Ledges and Opabin Lakes to the lodge. It felt like a long day, although it was not even 25 km. But I had put in a 10 hour day, starting just after 8:30 until 18:15, so I was happy to find a seat on the bus back to the highway (later I heard that everybody gets to ride out as long as one doesn't miss the departure time). Have to come back next year and check out MacArthur Lake!



Having heard of the amazing flowers at Idaho Peak I detoured on the way back from Golden. Driving through the dark ghost town Sandon and up the steep windy gravel road was somewhat nerve-racking, but I still had a good night of sleep in the back of my trusty Patriot. And what sight to wake up in a mountain meadow full of flowers.

Yoho and Golden: July/August

In August we went for a week to the Canadian Rockies. There are so many mountain ranges to explore closer to Vancouver that we haven’t made the long trip to the Rockies for over 10 years. 

But the Canada Parks pass I have won in a photo competition two years in a row begged to be used. There are only very few National Parks on the Westcoast, so we had to venture further east. And the spectacular flying in Golden was tempting too. Pete competed in the Willi Mueller XC Challenge and I joined for flying along. We had some fantastic flights over the long jagged ridge of mountains, but also plenty of parawaiting. 

The last weekend of the competition looked un-flyable so we left with Pete in 2^nd place. After checking out stunning Blaeberry Valley north of Golden, we drove on to join friends from the Vancouver Kayak Club for a couple of runs on the Clearwater under spectacularly overdeveloped Cumulonimbus clouds and car-denting cherry-sized hail. Good we were wearing helmets on the river! 

Turns out that in Golden despite thunderstorms everywhere else some pilots managed to get another flight in between big dark clouds, leaving Pete behind in place 5. Shows again that it can be rather challenging to maintain ones safety standards during competitions.