01.08.2009
The return journey from our 27 July 2009 report. Note the elevation gain is probably much more than quoted above (by 50% or more).
For our return we opted to break the trip into three stages. After hiking to Wonder Pass on the 31 July, we packed up our gear and returned to Og Lake that afternoon. Much nicer in the dry :-) Also much busier than on the way in due to the BC Day long weekend. Beautiful sunset, and sunrise the next morning. We retraced our steps through the Valley of the Rocks, hoping to be able to relax and enjoy it more. There's no doubt that of itself, it's a very pleasant several km. The trail passes through mostly sparse woodland and the rock formations are cool. But it still seemed to last a long time and our legs still remembered all the ups and downs. The Golden Valley stretch was tedious and we were glad to get that bit done.
After lunch we re-traversed the steep, flowery slopes and steeled ourselves for the uphill slog through the switchbacks. Less than an hour and a half later, we reached a welcome tarn where we stopped to cool off. Citadel Pass was another half an hour or so. Another break and then back over the meadows to Howard Douglas Lake where we camped for our final night, leaving us just 5-6 km to do the next day. Mosquitoes were bad there, and the outhouse was somewhat unpleasant. Also, half of the food-hanging lines were out of action meaning everyone's food was hung on three lines (which makes them very heavy to lift!). The campground here is nothing special but it is a nice spot - the outlet creek from the lake was wildflower heaven and runs over a series of small pretty waterfalls. The lake itself is quite shallow and the rocks are slimy close to the edge.
The climb out of Howard Douglas was a bit of a shock first thing in the morning, but after that it was pretty much all over. Just a little bit of uphill out of one meadow and the rest was more or less level. We stopped off at Rock Isle Lake (overflowing with tourists) where there were quite a few recent grizzly diggings. A pretty spot, but after almost a week in the backcountry the crowds were unpleasant. Back at Sunshine Village, we had time for a celebratory drink before catching the shuttle bus back to the car.
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