by Don Wighton

In late July and early August, a group of 16 people participated in a Montreal section Camp at Lake O'Hara in the Canadian Rockies. This camp, originally scheduled for Tonquin Valley, was moved to the ACC Elizabeth Parker hut at Lake O'Hara when the Tonquin Valley huts became unavailable.

The hut, located on an alpine meadow at about 6,000 feet, is surrounded by spectacular, rocky peaks. It is easily accessible, a half-mile from the Lake O'Hara Lodge, which is served by private bus. This allowed us to bring in a good number of luxuries. Lake O'Hara proved to be a superb choice for the group which consisted solely of hikers. The area provided a sufficient variety of hikes for our ten day stay. The trails were all well maintained although those above the tree line were rocky and required some route finding.

The highlight of the Camp was the trip to Abbott Pass hut, at 9,600 feet, the highest hut in Canada until very recently. It was a grueling climb to the top of the steep scree gulley. We were rewarded for our efforts by spectacular views of the glaciers which lead down to Lake Louise. Joanne Hebert, Don McLeod, Dave Hicks, Reiny Eisner and I stayed overnight which allowed us to explore terrain on Mount Victoria and Mount Lefroy. The hut built in the early 1900's, is an impressive stone structure and is quite comfortable. Georgia and Eve Marshall also joined us on the trip but returned the same day.

Several other challenging hikes were made to altitudes of 9,000 feet or higher. Little Odoray was climbed several times by different members of the group. From the top of the hiking trail, we scrambled up a steep slope to reach a ridge which accessed the summit. Fine views in all directions could be enjoyed. Several hikers continued to climb to Yukness Col which provided an awesome look at the gulley leading to Abbott Pass.

Present at the Camp were Don McLeod, who did an excellent job of organizing, Joanne Hebert Jean Findlay, Lynne Dawson, Marthe Fauconnet, Lynne Wright, Dave Hicks, Reiny Eisner, Geof Richards, Eve and Don Marshall, Pat, Karen, and Ingrid Kongshavn, Gisela Wighton and myself.

Lake O'Hara is a truly spectacular area and lived up to all the expectations of the group, especially with the fine weather we enjoyed. It served to whet our appetites for further trips to the Rockies.