At last night's dinner, Platt asked me to tell him - Short Story: What have I been up to since we won the 110 Nationals in the Summer of 1977. SHORT STORY!?!? You know me - there are no "short stories", only "stories left out".
It was 32º F when I left the hotel at 9:15 AM, and 26º F when I parked at the trailhead at 10:12 AM. Um, it was a BEAUTIFUL morning on my drive 14 miles down 93A, then 4 miles up a dirt road to the trailhead:
I was the only car here, which means that I am the only person on this trail/in this Valley/at these Lakes!
The Excellent Topo Map at today's info kiosk:
(off-center because of glare)
The first mile is through rainforest-type woods:
very lush and damp.
And then you see the outflow from the 1st Geraldine Lake (also called Lower Geraldine Lake):
Looking south, up the lake, up the valley:
looking back down the lake:
I hiked up to the waterfalls above the 1st Lake:
I turned around for a final shot of 1st Geraldine Lake:
Um, yes, that is actually the "trail" that goes straight forward into the woods:
Just keep thinking: "Now, where would I put a trail?" I have pretty good instincts, so it usually works out.
The view up the right side of the valley is pretty stunning:
This yellow marker marks where to cross to the other side of the wash:
And a view of a waterfall far in the distance
It took a while, but it was great getting closer:
I had kind-of made a mistake by getting so close to the falls - I then had to scramble up an insane skree-filled chute:
This is definitely NOT Trail-Approved, but the VIEW is worth it:
After more hiking, you get to see 2nd Geraldine Lake:
I got down out of the trees, had gone 3-and-1/2 miles in 2-and-1/2 hours, so this was it for today:
Some pretty photos on the way back down:
a small pond between 1st and 2nd lakes:
After the hike, and the drive down the dirt road, I stopped by Athabasca Falls, which Wendy and I saw last year. Still very Beautiful, Powerful and Impressive!:
I then had fun stopping and seeing Sunwapta Falls
and the granite that gets carved away:
Oh - and after all that, I get to go back down THE ICEFIELDS PARKWAY!!:
Then finally down to Calgary, where I watched the Patriots WIN! Thank You God for these wonderful adventures!
Music today was from my big iPod, continuing in the W's:
various artists - Woodstock 2, 1971 2 albums (the other artists)
The Miles Davis Quintet - Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet, 1959
Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream, 2009
Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead, 1970
Greg Lake - Works, Volume 1 (cd 1), 1977
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Works, Volume 1 (cd 2), 1977
Jackson Browne - World in Motion, 1989
Still playing "Check Off The License Plates". Today I did not see any new ones.
Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine (On Sept. 1, I joined Deede and Tad hiking Mt. Katahdin [Hunt Trail] - his final day on the AT!)
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/
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