Loaf Mtn Off-Trail hike on 14-Aug-2023

It was a perfect day to hike Loaf Mt. We arrived at the Bovin Lake trailhead shortly after 8:00 am. We started walking on the road about 8:25 am. It was an exploratory trip for all of us as none of us has done this hike before. We walked on the road for about 4km till the end of it. Then we followed Bovin Lake trail for about 5 km before we turned left towards the col between Loaf Mt. and the peak above Bovin Lake. We stopped for a short snack break before climbing up to the col. It is about 11 km from the gate to the col.

After climbing more than 300 m from the col to the summit, we arrived at the summit shortly before 1:00 pm. We have seen only two hikers climbing the peak above Bovin Lake. The weather forecast was to expect a very hot day, but we enjoyed a very nice breeze all day long. At the summit the temperature was 23℃ with the gentle breeze. We spent about 40 min on the summit, having lunch, admiring spectacular views, and taking pictures.

On the way down we took a little detour to enjoy the awesome swim in Bovin Lake. It was much needed as the temperature was rising rapidly. We have seen bold eagle, grouse, some birds, and two very fresh bear scats. However, no bear encounters. The remaining 9 km walk to the cars after the lake refreshment made us wish we had bikes, however; it was still an awesome day. We arrived at the cars shortly before 6:00 pm. We traveled about 28.5 km with the total elevation of 1353 m.