Yet another superb hike from the Lake Magog area. More stunning wildflowers, more fantastic views. This was probably our favourite hike from Lake Magog. For much of the journey, you can not see your destination which makes the views all the more rewarding.
The first half of the trail is flat and easy over the wide-open Og Meadows. We had been warned about a grizzly in the area, but saw no sign of it. Still, we made noise as we hiked through some quite dense willow thickets. Once in the trees, the trail climbs through fabulous larch forest to a col which leads to Og Pass. Beyond the col, the trail zig-zags upwards above the treeline and through a rich wildflower meadow, before levelling off at a knoll. From there the rest of the trail is on scree/talus and you finally see that the trail ends at a saddle. It only takes another 15-20 minutes to reach it from here. At the saddle, the ground drops away precipitously into the next valley and there is a little T-shaped outcrop (reached by a short but narrow ridge) which makes for an amazing lunch spot. You can almost sit with your legs dangling over the cliff edge, though the ground is quite loose so it all depends on your comfort level...
After lunch we followed a trail up the loose scree towards a little summit to the north. We didn't quite make it as it got progressively narrower and more exposed, but it is worth the adrenaline expenditure to get the view down into the Valley of the Rocks, Og Lake and our miserably wet camping spot from the journey in.
On the return journey we called in at Assiniboine Lodge for a pricey-but-not-overly-so cold beer. Luxury!