Stanley Glacier

The trail to Stanley Glacier is just across the border from Banff into Kootenay National Park - when we are technically in the Province of British Columbia. It is also the guided Ranger hike that we took last summer when we went to see the fossils of the Burgess Shale.

Lovely

The trail runs through an area that has suffered multiple forest fires in the last few years. As a result, the trees are rather young and not fully grown. Frederick is there for scale.

After a steady climb through the burned pine forest we passed into an area of old woodland that escaped the forest fires. Here we crossed Stanley Creek where there are two footbridges. This scored, half-log one and...

twenty feet away this newer, modern one.

We continued to climb into a hanging valley surrounded by Storm Mountain, Stanley Peak and the sheer rock face known as the Guardwall.

Just beginning their descent was this group of 14 women, a hiking club from Cranmore. They go hiking as a group once a month. They are certainly in a beautiful part of the country to go hiking.

In the middle of the glacial valley we found a tree for our lunch spot - within sight of Stanley Glacier.

The valley floor was about 25% covered with these charming little flowers growing out of the rocks.

And, our lunch buddy from last year was able to join us.

As we ate our lunch we were able to look up at all the many waterfalls.

The waterfall just below Stanley Glacier.

The Guardwall with the Stanley glacier Waterfall and you can just glimpse the edge of the glacier on the top.

As we ate our lunch Frederick did some fossil hunting and found this one.

Coming back through the burned over forest, the sky had cleared from this morning (See the second picture above.) The surrounding mountains are in clear, sharp relief.

Today's hike:

Length - 5.7 miles

Duration - 3 hours, 40 minutes (including lunch)

Elevation gain - 1,160 feet (118 floors on the Fitbit)