Sunshine Meadows September 2, 2019

GOSH, what season do I love the most?  I have been asked that many times and I have a different answer every time.  I have come to realize what ever season it is on any given day when I am "out & about" is the season that I love the most!  Sometimes it's a specific season yet it looks like another season or it feels like a different season, on some days I have experienced all four seasons.  All that being said,  I loved today's season!  

The gondola up to Sunshine Village stops running for the hiking season on September 8th so I thought I should squeeze in one last trip up to the top of the world.  In hindsight I should have purchased a summer pass.  Note to self: buy one next year.  I knew I would be in for amazing colourful sights and the weather forecast said it would be an ideal day.

view behind me after disembarking the gondola and beginning the hike up

 another view back while ascending 

 Now it was time to look forward.  

I crested the hill and the view exploded.  

I decided to hike around the three lakes first because that area can get very busy later.  This was my view as I began to hike around Rock Isle Lake.  The ground cover was exactly as I hoped it would be.    There is a term "paint the town red", well I did not have to paint the meadows red, Mother Nature already did it.

 view of Rock Isle Lake

 passing through the meadow on the way to Grizzly Lake

The colours today were so splendid.  

I was surprised to see the paintbrushes and hippies on a stick were still prime looking.  

This collage of photographs depicts why I love this season!   

There was more green rather than red around Grizzly and Larix Lakes.  

Grizzly Lake

 Larix Lake

Clouds came and went all day.  Twice there were significant showers but they lasted only a matter of minutes.  That was more of a nuisance having to layer up and delayer, layer up and delayer.  After the showers the ground cover looked more colorful and vibrant.  Here the clouds rolled in and hung out over top of The Monarch.

I completed the loop around the lower two lakes and made my way back up to Rock Isle Lake.  By now it was busy in this area.  I headed west along the trail that would take me to the wide open meadows.  Now I was back to where all the red was.

 looking back along the trail

 incredible color

I hiked to the Monarch Viewpoint.  When I arrived the wind whipped up, the sky got black, the rain pelted down.  I quickly put my rain jacket on and pulled the cover over top of my pack.  As soon as I got me and everything else protected, the rain stopped, the sky cleared and this was the view in front of me over towards Healy Pass and the Egypt Lake area.   This weather change from good to bad to good again all occurred in a matter of ten minutes.

With it now being nice again, I stayed at the Monarch Viewpoint to have a snack.  I chatted with a runner fellow who came up from Simpson Pass.  He was out for a long long long big loop run.  I wonder who he was, I should have asked!  He then got going and it was now time for me to get going again.  The tarns along side the trail were more dry this time around.  I loved this look because of the green against the red, the reflection, the clouds over the mountain peaks.

 along the trail

On the way back I took a detour up to the Standish Viewpoint and further up still to where the Standish Chairlift is.  I debated that I may take the gondola down and call it a day but when I got up there and saw the sights, I knew I still needed more.

 on the platform at the Standish Viewpoint

After leaving the Viewpoint I descended down and then headed on towards Rock Isle Lake.  Then it was time for a little more uphill but that was fine because these were the views I wanted again.  The whole trail was lined with a carpet of red.

I love being on top of the world at Sunshine Meadows in all seasons.  I felt so fulfilled from today's experience, I was now ready to board the gondola down to the parking lot and then get on home.  I have many wonderful memories of this summer up here.