Backpacking - Glacier Lake (5/30/2009)

In June 1807, David Thompson and a party of fur traders encountered a large lake in the Rocky Mountains where, in the words of David Thompson, "all the Mountains in sight from the end of the lake are seemingly of Ice."

200 years later, hiking in the Rocky Mountains and visiting Glacier Lake isn't nearly as difficult an endeavour as it was for intrepid 19th century explorers. This is very fortunate for us! In fact, because of its relatively low elevation, the Glacier Lake trail can be hiked earlier or later in the hiking season than many of the trails in the national parks. So ... I'm really excited to plan on visiting this lake for my first overnight backpacking trip of the season!!

We will rise and shine bright and early Saturday morning, meeting at the Glacier Lake trailhead at 10 AM. (If there is sufficient interest: potential accommodations for Friday night are available in the vicinity, such as at the Nordegg Hostel, located approximately 1 hour's drive away from the trailhead.)

We will hike into Glacier Lake at a moderate pace (approx. 3-4 km/hour), spending the night at a campsite located on the eastern shore of the lake. The round trip is 18km (9 km to the lake; 9 km back out). This would mean that we should be able to reach our campsite by mid-afternoon, hopefully with enough time to do a little exploring after setting up camp (potentially going as far as the toe of the Lyell Glacier, if we're adventurous enough). The trail isn't particularly steep: going towards the lake, the trail has an elevation gain of 210 m over the first 7 km, before descending 225 m to the shores of the lake (the trailhead is actually 15 m in elevation higher than the elevation of the lake).

For a taste of what we're in for, and for a peek at the absolutely glorious views that I greatly hope to see, check out the write-up and photo album for a previous visit to Glacier Lake by an EOC group.

Organizational Considerations:

The maximum group size for this trip will be 8 people. I will be using a competitive sign-up for this trip: please add your name to the waiting list, and as soon as I receive notification that you have paid the backcountry fees, I will transfer you to the registered list.

This trip would be suitable for people who are relatively new to backpacking. However, I do want to make sure that none of you are in completely over your head! So, if you are a beginner, I urge you to contact me with any questions you might have.

(UPDATE):A pre-trip meeting will be held at Boston Pizza on Whyte Avenue (near 109th St.) on Wednesday May 20th, 7 PM. At this time, we will sort out tenting/cooking partnerships and arrangements. We will also clarify any needed carpool arrangements.