This trip was originally going to be Indian Ridge, but as we checked the sky at the campsite, it looked doubtful. This was further reinforced as we got to the lower Skytram terminal and the weather had moved down the Athabasca valley. As Carolyn arrived the cloud was beginning to engulf the lower terminal. After a short discussion we decided to abandon Indian Ridge as there would be limited views and got our tickets changed at no charge. Sunday was looking like a better day to do Indian Ridge. We would swap the dates for Opal Peak and Indian Ridge as it would not affect any other participants signed up for these trips. Shortly after this, it began to snow and grappel and there was snow on Whistlers summit as we drove down to the valley.
As the weather was not great, we decided to head into town for a coffee and check the weather forecast. At coffee and scanning the weather, it was decided that Opal Peak was worth a try although Carolyn thought it was a longer day than we thought. As we drove to Maligne Lake, the mountains along the highway seemed to have increasing amounts of snow. When we arrived at Maligne Lake, Opal Peak seemed to be plastered white and it was starting to snow and grappel. We decided to change our destination to the Bald Hills lookout as neither James or Carolyn had done this trip and it was a much easier hike in the conditions.
Gradually,the rain eased off as we ascended the former fire road to a now removed fire lookout. There is a short cut called the Alpine route which cuts off a long bend in the fire road. We opted to take this up being very careful not to slip on the many tree roots on this route. Gradually, the trail emerges through the trees to meadow to the original fire lookout location. The trail has now been extended to a nearby high point on the ridge nearby and has a loop to another ridge viewpoint - something that was not there when the coordinator did this years ago. The weather had improved somewhat as we approached the summit but the wind was picking up. We took in the views of Maligne Lake and headed down, opting not to do the loop as all of us were damp and the wind was somewhat chilling.
At the parking lot, a number of people were observing and taking photos of a large bull moose with an amazing rack of antlers. He seemed totally unconcerned about the people watching him. Certainly, one of the highlights of this rather damp day.
Once again thank-you to participants: James and Carolyn for being willing to change the trip to one that suited the weather conditions.
Bob C/S