Elizabeth Parker Hut

Lake O'Hara can be so different. On my first day hike up there in 2009 it almost felt too story-like for me: you have the lake, the cabins, the meadow, the trails, the mountains - everything - in front of you all at once, just as you would have everything on one page in a storybook.  It was nice, but at the time I felt that once was enough up there. 

A year later I was inspired by a night-time image taken at Abbot Pass and last August decided to head up there for more.  That was a completely different experience, even though the starting point was the same.  We were up there, and it was incredible having left the crowds behind.  I loved the fact that the mountains dipped down on both sides, but I had no idea how I'd get down that slope. Rockfall was bad that day. 

Then, a couple of days ago, a friend suggested we spend two back-to-back days skiing in Yoho, but continued to ask if I knew of any reasonable accomodation around there as it's such a long drive.  Our original plan was to ski the Lake O'Hara fire road and get up to the lodge for their noon baked goods and soup.  I had looked into accommodation in Field the year before, but costs do add up, so I jokingly (well, half seriously) suggested staying at Elizabeth Parker Hut. That way we can take our time heading up, drop the big packs, and explore around the lake.  Then have a fire, eat, drink, look at the stars, and just be away from it all.  It was a dream, but after countless e-mails back and forth we wrote it off as night-time delusions and would reassess in the morning.  Indeed, by morning reality set in and we decided to put it off a month or two to get a day with more daylight - and have time to figure out what to do about light touring skis.  But, the catch was that Elizabeth Parker Hut books solid and indeed this would be our one chance to get up there - and have the place to ourselves!  That opportunity doesn't come up very often, so we booked and I reserved a pair of light touring skis from MEC.  Now we think we may get lucky: ACC has confirmed that there are people in the hut just before us, so we shouldn't have any issues getting the propane going; the hut isn't going to be busy, so there'll be lots of room to spread out; and it's been cloudy out there for some time, so I'm thinking we may get lucky and get that clear sky.  Roll on, next weekend!  Now my goal will be to get a pack down to 30 pounds including all camera gear.