Marmot’s View

Getting a bus permit to visit Lake O’Hara is one of the most difficult lotteries to win of any that I know of. I had applied for a permit on 5 different accounts several years in a row and had no luck. I’ve heard some stories of people entering the lottery for ten years in a row and NEVER winning a permit. But I felt that this year would be different. I was wrong! Instead of waiting until next year to try again, I walked instead! The bus takes visitors up (and down) an 11 kilometer (~7 mile) fire road that gains about 1,200 feet in elevation. I got an early start and made it to beautiful Lake O’Hara around 7:45 AM. On top of just going to the lake, I had a plan to do (part of) the alpine loop - an incredibly scenic loop that takes visitors up about 2,500 feet and around the highlights of the Lake O’Hara basin. Once I got to the beautiful Lake O’Hara, my alpine loop began QUICKLY. After hiking 7 miles up a fire road, the trail immediately took me up about 2,000 feet to Wiwaxy Gap - a scenic pass with great views of the surrounding area. That morning, I wasn’t the only one enjoying the views. As I reached the Gap, I spotted a marmot on the trail about 30 yards ahead of me. I took this shot of him enjoying the view in this stunning area - see if you can spot him!