Larch Valley

The hike to Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass is one of our favorite hikes in the Canadian Rockies and we were fortunate to have a beautiful day for it. We got started early so that we could make the 14 km drive into Moraine Lake before the parking lot filled up. A sign at the trailhead informed us that due to the fact that we were in Grizzly bear habitat, it was AGAINST THE LAW to hike in groups of fewer than five people. We hooked up with two young couples and had just enough time to find out that one couple was from New Zealand and the other was from Switzerland before it became obvious that they were going to have to stop and wait for us constantly, so Carol assumed her Scottish Ranger's role and pointed out to them that there were enough people on the trail that they should go ahead at their own pace. It was sweet that they did so a bit reluctantly, but a huge relief to me not to have to maintain a pace which, for me, amounted to running up the mountain.

After a steep climb, the trail emerges in Larch Valley where the larches were just about at their peak.It is a source of great discussion amongst locals and visitors alike as to when they are at their peak of perfection colorwise, but in the sun against the blue sky and the snow we thought they came close. Since they grow just at the tree line they form a narrow golden band across the rockies for a brief time every year.

A short hike further took us to the Valley of Ten Peaks and the foot of Sentinel Pass which is just behind the big larches on the right side of the picture. In the past OilMan and I have gone over the pass and down the other side through Paradise Valley, but the snow was deep, the trail was not evident, and we are no longer young and agile, so we were perfectly happy to sit and watch the young people blaze the trail.

Back at Moraine Lake after picking our way down the icy trail we were sitting on a bench having a late lunch when the two young couples who had started up with us came by. They were probably the ones who we were watching as they found their way up to the pass and they were back down not much later than we were….

The extras are of Sentinel Pass, Moraine Lake from the trail, and Temple Peak with an interesting cloud over it.