Tranquility

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. I took this shot on the way back down from the alpine, right before my 7 mile road walk out of the area. While it’s frustrating that so few people win permits, it did give the area a feeling of tranquility that was missing from other beautiful location like Lake Louise or Moraine Lake. I thought the calm blue-green water combined with the cabins and the mountains rising dramatically behind them felt so peaceful.