On the last full day I spent at Nuk Tessli, we all went up to the North Pass Meadows. After 8 days of crappy weather, it was finally wonderful. Still pretty windy, but sun, sun, sun!
Doron towed us with the motor again, and we landed at Big Beach. The trail to the North Pass follows the creek up.
Soon we were skirting Snowshoe Mountain (named because the first time I climbed it was on snowshoes.) The last time I came this way was late June 2012, with Doreen, and we were slogging through deep snow. The lakes and ponds were frozen. Today, however, the tundra was bone dry and the flowers were prime.
We picked our way around the edge of the lake then climbed up the steep ridge on the west side.
North Pass Lake lay below us.
The meadows were amazing. Like everywhere else, they were 2 weeks early. We should not have seen this kind of display until well into August.
The common red paintbrush was most obvious, but there were several small flowered paintbrushes as well.
The meadows got better and better!
Doron called a lunch break at the top of the ridge and afterwards introduced us to a new trail he and his crew had made. First we went down towards Anvil Mountain.
An obliging clump of paintbrush grew near the bott0m.
Then we followed a series of little ponds and tarns, back down towards Nuk Tessli. I had never been exactly that way before so everything was new and exciting.
I had not done such a long hike for 3 years and, although I was very slow – and very sore at the end of it – I was pleased at what I had been able to do. It was truly a beautiful ending to what had been a somewhat disappointing visit so far. I am already planning next years’ trip.
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Hello Chris,
Lovely pictures of my old meadow friends from days gone by. I used to get nose to nose with them, when no one was looking, lol.
Thanks for the rewind of my hiking days in the rockies, you are definitely inspiring me to visit them once again!
carol
Beautiful pictures. Thanks for ‘guiding’ us around in this way!
stunning
absolutely stunning pictures!
would love so much to just sit there, anywhere, and paint!!
and congratulations for accomplishing (what I think was) a successful time photographing the alpine flowers!
Barbara Di Lella recently posted…Haliburton Art and Craft Show 2014 Day 1
I so enjoyed your visit to Nuk Tessli and your delightful pictures. I am glad you are able to go back and revisit and explore new trails as well. Makes me want to go back!