Lake O'Hara: Lake Oesa Trail

Our first day in Lake O'Hara continued after our small break in the Elizabeth Parker Hut to get settled. I snapped a few shots of the interior of the hut to give you an idea of the accommodations should you choose to stay here on your hiking trip.

The Kitchen

Upper and Lower Bunks

Common Area

We decided to tackle the Lake Oesa Trail in the afternoon. The trailhead is located at Lake O'Hara so we set off in that direction from the Elizabeth Parker Hut.

When we arrived at Lake O'Hara we caught a glimpse of the lakeside cabins that belong to the Lake O'Hara Lodge. These are very pricey but look wonderful.

We skirted around the shore of Lake O'Hara to get to the Lake Oesa trailhead.

Once we got to the trailhead we began our ascent. The climb up offered wonderful views of the sapphire waters of Lake O'hara below.

The scenery on this trail is spectacular. Gorgeous views of Lake O'Hara and the surrounding peaks. The trail also takes you right past small waterfalls and several small lakes. Absolutely gorgeous. 

This plaque was placed along the path in memory of Lawrence Grassi who built the trails around Lake O'Hara. He did a wonderful job!

We eventually reached our destination , Lake Oesa. There are a few trails that will get you to Lake Oesa. There is the Lake Oesa trail which Dad and I had followed and there there are the famous interconnecting trails of the Lake O'Hara Alpine Circuit. The Alpine Circuit is popular among diehard hikers and thrill seekers. I am too much of a chicken to attempt the circuit. Maybe someday I will overcome my fear but until that day I will be perfectly content to enjoy the less fear inducing trails such as the Lake Oesa Trail. 

We stopped to eat an early supper here since it was starting to get late in the day. 

This marmot was sunning himself on the rocks near the lake. 

 After a bit it started to get chilly and we wanted to make sure that we had plenty of time to get back to the hut before it became dark out. We descended the same way that we had come up.

Once back at the shore of Lake O'Hara we continued along the lakeside trail until we made our way around the lake. 

We arrived back at the hut to some magnificent views of the golden sunset reflecting off the mountains. 

Elizabeth Parker Hut

I made sure to find the outhouse before retiring for the night, there was no way I wanted to be stumbling around in the dark trying to find it! I didn't care for the outhouse too much, the ones next to Le Relais day shelter were much nicer.

Outhouse at the Elizabeth Parker Hut

I went to bed early and feel asleep to the sound of one of our roommates playing the guitar for the other guests staying in the hut.