Opal Ridge 317268 Off-Trail hike on 2-May-2025
What a day! The combination of blue sky, incredible views, interesting things to see, and enjoyable company was so perfect that we spent almost 7 hours on the trail. The only tricky part of the route was an icy section in the "gates", and the snow high up was supportive with only a couple of postholing incidents.
After lunch on the summit with entertainment by a raven doing barrel rolls, the group indulged me by agreeing to climb up the next section of ridge to the north, where we watched sheep and wished that we could keep going (but obviously there was too much snow). The trip down was leisurely because we kept stopping to admire horn corals, interesting rocks, and hundreds of vibrant crocuses, in addition to just stopping for more conversation. Overall it was a fantastic day and I'm still grinning about it many hours later.
Participants: Bill, Gary, Jane, Ingrid (coordinator), Deborah, Cynthia
Morning break
Heading up to the gates
Almost at the top
For some reason, Gary looks about 8 feet tall...!
Coming down from lunch
Group on our extra hill, with S Opal summit in the background
Group less photographer Bill
Vibrant colours
Fascinating rock