Stanley Glacier October 3, 2019

Weird! Wild! Wonderful!  Well, there you go, words that depict today's hike into the Stanley Glacier area.  This part of our playground was spared from last weekend's super snowfall.   We did encounter just enough snow higher up to make conditions a bit sketchy in sections.  I felt like I was trekking back into the ice ages with all the glaciers and ice and darkness and fossils and rock.   It was overcast for all but maybe 30 minutes of our hike but that dismal cloud cover made for such a dramatic and way-out-there look.  I sometimes like it like that and today was one of those times.  

It was easy going early on with nothing to contend with but just making our way forward.  

When we got glimpses of where Stanley Glacier was located then I began to get excited...  

...and I knew there would be much to love about this day!

The clouds very slowly danced about...

...and at times the sun slightly peaked through for split seconds.

We began to encounter the couple of inches of snow over the rocky section.  It was just enough to be more cautious & methodical with foot placement.  Taking safety into consideration we opted not to carry on higher but rather to traverse across to the cave.  Here you can see my friends at bottom right.  This is when bright colored clothing works best in photos.

I stood here wondering where on earth am I!

We gingerly did the traverse then hugged the wall and worked our way over to where our other friends were.  You can see them in the cave beginning to savour their lunch.  To get in their I needed to sport my spikes as it was sheer ice from here to there.

This was my lunch time view!

I wanted to secure a destination shot so snapped this one up.  

While it looks like I am directly under the icicles, I am actually on this side of them. 

Throughout the cave there are carabiners hanging from above.

It was time to get on with our adventure.  It was time to move gingerly again getting out of the cave and down slope off the ice and snow-covered rocky section.  Now I could enjoy the scenery again and spotted one lonely larch tree.

One of our friends knew where to go to check out the fossils.  We took the detour and found this locked box that Parks People use when they are doing their guided hikes.  We spent a few minutes here and found a few fossils.  I found it hard to photograph them under the not so great lighting conditions.  I would like to come back one day when I have loads of time and just sit and see what I can find.

fossil top right

I am not that up on fossils so not sure what kind this is.

The colorful rocks captured my attention!

By now the trail was a mess of mud but now we did have more blue sky.

nearing the end and seeing a bit of the road

We crossed the last bridge then went to the river's edge to wash away the mud.  

I then savoured the balance of my sandwich and some snacks.  

As these Thursday's with these friends has been going, I have been learning lots.  

Today was no exception, in fact, true colors of the club members shone bright.  

I am thankful to be a part of this group and everything it has to offer.