Tag Archives: Lake O’Hara

O Canada! Autumn in the Rockies

Autumn is enchanting almost everywhere. But our planet has some unique places that manifest the season’s splendor in such vivid, phantasmagoric glory that hitting these places at precisely the right time is an experience one never forgets. Obviously, the hardwoods of New England and the aspen forests of Colorado. The arctic plain burnished with gold; the cottonwood trees of the …

Read More »

The Topography of Paradise: Autumn at Lake O’Hara

  I first set eyes on Lake O’Hara way back in 1991. It was the last day of July. It snowed. I was there on a whim, having heard about this beautiful place in the Canadian Rockies, travelling with some friends on an extended backpacking trip. We were looking for magic. We found it at Lake O’Hara. Since that first …

Read More »

Autumn in the Canadian Rockies

When a freak autumn storm blew in to the Cascades, dumping snow and packing winds in excess of 50 MPH, our long-anticipated eight day backpacking trip to the Enchantment Lakes was suddenly not looking like such a great idea. After a series of long-distance phone calls and a flurry of e-mails, we shifted direction and headed to the Canadian Rockies, …

Read More »