Dennis Dixon is heading West!: 2021 Fall Trip - Day 18

Friday, Sept. 10, 2021 - Hike up to Skoki Lodge, and afternoon-hike up to Merlin Lake:

Got up - showered, shaved, and shined. Mailed postcard at the Canada Post (also known as Postes Canada - they have to write everything twice up here), which is also where I check-in for Skoki Lodge:

I was told that the bus leaves from the parking lot up there at 9:30 (it goes 2.3 miles up a dirt road to the actual trailhead). I had the (mistaken) impression that that was the LAST BUS this morning, and that if I missed it, I would add 2.3 miles onto today's hike. So I HUSTLED, but got up to the parking lot at 9:31 - there goes the bus:

So I just headed up the road:

which wasn't bad at all, with its own nice views:

The bus lets people off near a chairlift that goes down the backside of the Lake Louise Ski Area

It is a very nice trail that goes up through the valley:

And then you go over Boulder Pass:

Coming down the other side, you get a beautiful view of Ptarmigan Peak (on the left) and Ptarmigan Lake:

Coming down the backside, alongside Ptarmigan Lake, a hiker coming the other way said that there was a Grizzly Bear up at the trail intersection to go up over Deception Pass (to Skoki Lodge), but that he wasn't bothering anybody. I found a nice spot to have lunch, with Ptarmigan Peak up behind me, and Ptarmigan Lake down below me:

When I was almost done, a younger couple hiked past me. I ask if "the guy had told them about the grizzly?" and they said yes. So I said "Ok, you guys just keep going on ahead of me." We all laughed.

So I followed them, and they said the bear was up on the trail (yes, the one we were going to use).

So there he was. I figured if he (or she) was just-to-the-right of the trail, I could go up the scree-slope to the left and GO AROUND HIM:

So then the grizzly decided TO MOVE OVER TO MY SLOPE:

So I moved back down-around to the right side. At one point (I was directly UPWIND of him), he stopped grazing and lifted his head and LOOKED DIRECTLY AT ME. I froze for a few minutes, then he went back to grazing, and I continued up-around to the right. As I was nearing the ridge-line, 3 PEOPLE AND 2 DOGS came over the ridge on the trail - I had to shout 3 times "Grizzly on Your Right!" They finally understood, told their dogs to be quiet, and got down into a gully. The grizzly was moving parallel to me, along-and-up-and-over the ridge:

I was VERY HAPPY to leave him there, while I continued on down the trail:

I eventually got to Skoki Lodge:

Where I got to relax with a cup of coffee at 2 PM:

Since it was early-afternoon, I wanted to go up to Merlin Lake. The male-employee suggested the up-and-down shown below:

Sounds Perfect!
The trail starts going up through the woods:

Then breaks out along a scree-field:

with GREAT VIEWS:

At one point you're hiking up some pretty hairy "rock-stuff":

(just don't look down):

I think I got "off-trail" for a little bit, but it worked out. Merlin Lake is WONDERFUL:

I made my way around the Northern Shore:

It is a pretty awesome environment up here:

Going back around, 4 ladies were coming down my return-trail:

A few minutes later, a shot of them at The Lake:

I made my way back down through the woods:

through the meadows:

and over Skoki Creek:

Back up the trail:

to Skoki Lodge at 5:26 (a wonderful hike - 6.2 miles in 3 hours 8 minutes)

and my room:

And this is where I was served Dinner this evening, and Breakfast tomorrow morning:

What can I say - pretty AWESOME ADVENTURE DAY!! Thank You GOD for getting me through all this, SAFE and SOUND!!!

Music for today:

Steve Forbert - The Best Of Steve Forbert: What Kinda Guy?, 1993 compilation album