| Author |
Topic |
|
Calgary
211 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 12:09 PM
|
This is a fairly difficult hike to a beautiful lake and basin. As an added bonus, the fall colors are out in the area! Larches abound beyond the ridge as well, so a late Sept. trip might be worthwhile.
The main difficulty on this trail, despite what I've read in other trip reports, is the steepness of the approach and not the deadfall, although I suppose that depends on what you're good at. For us, the only painful deadfall section was 1.3 km of overgrown logging road, and we dispatched that in 20 minutes. The steep ascent through an old burn is also littered with deadfall, but it's the beautiful bleached kind that lies flat on the ground; if you're not averse to lifting your feet 10 inches above the ground and can plan a route 50 feet in advance it's not a problem. The ascent is 450 m over a distance of little more than 1 km though, so it's one heck of a grind.
The area also appears to be a mecca for bears. There were a huge number of diggings (all older), some of which were 3-4 feet deep, and a few fresh scats filled with berry seeds. At times on the ridge slope these diggings were so frequent they made nice, albeit high, steps. In areas the bushes are still thick with berries. The upper slopes of the ridge are also currently sporting a bumper crop of strawberries, although we put a dent in that bounty. One type of plant has turned brilliantly red and others have turned yellow or orange on the ridge slope, so things are quite beautiful now.
The descent from the ridge down into the lake basin could be a little sketchy for hikers. We ran into a bit of trouble taking the wrong fork of a trail and I've got this described on my website for those that are interested and of similar ability. Anyone with scrambling experience would likely have no difficulty.
One additional note: This hike is described in a popular guidebook and the elevation stats are way off. My GPS read 1100 m total for the day while the guidebook states 635 m. While I know my GPS overestimates because of minor ups and downs, the pure vertical difference between trailhead and highpoint is 650 m and it's another 150 m down and about 50 m up to the lake. Not that you should be in this area if you rely on guidebooks, but it's always nice to know what to expect.
I've got tons of photos on my website and more detailed directions: http://mattclay.zenfolio.com/invincible_lake
 |
|
Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3830 Posts |
Posted - 09/03/2012 : 9:39 PM
|
A LOT of guidebooks give net rather than cumulative elevation gain. It's not necessarily that they are wrong, but that careful reading is required.
Nice colours. |
|
|
Calgary, AB
52 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 12:16 PM
|
Hi Matt,
Thanks for the write up.
We were the not quite crack of noon group of 6 (plus 1 dog + 1 mountain chihuauhua) who ran into you at the top of the ridge. Looks like you may have had a bit better weather due to your earlier start, but it wasn't too bad for us.
I've got a bit of a backlog on editing my pics, so I can't post mine yet, but it looks like you had some great ones.
Thanks for passing along the info about the lower trail to us. I was thinking that area would look great at the height of fall colors, but it was still cool with only the first hint of fall colors.
We enjoyed a bumper crop of blueberries on the way down - not quite fully ripe, but really sweet. |
|
|
Calgary
211 Posts |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 8:09 PM
|
Small world!
We actually thought the weather would be better for you! Most of the photos I have of the steep slope were taken on the way down shortly after crossing paths with you. While we were at the lake we had a brief moment of sunshine to eat quickly during and then spent the next 30 minutes waiting in strong wind for hints of sun in which to snap photos. I actually liked the cloud that day though - the beams of sun made for some nice photography. |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
Invincible Lake
