Today we would go up into the Kokanee Creek Provincial Park. This involved a 16km drive up a rough gravel road climbing some 3,500 feet in the process.
The passengers weren't altogether keen on the ride up, but we survived!
Aid and Meld went for a hike up to Kokanee Lake.
Both parties saw lots of pretty wild flowers.
And animals - squirrel
Hoary Marmot
Pica
Baby Marmots playing while Mum sunbathes.
Marmot sunbathing by Kokanee Lake
Posing Marmot
Foraging squirrel.
One of a pair of little birds who bobbed up and down...
...before flying over a waterfall.
Waterfalls fed by the meltwater from the Kokanee Glacier above.
Meld leads the way up the trail.
As we got higher the surrounding mountains came into view.
Solid wood bridges where the path crosses streams.
More and more flowers in the alpine meadows.
The mountains get closer.
Looking back down over Gibson Lake, where the others were doing their own hike.
Mountains to the south of west arm of Kootenay Lake, looking down Kokanee Creek (that we'd just driven up alongside).
Water tumbling off the hills.
More alpine meadow - rock strewn.
The first sight of Kokanee Lake.
The northern part of the lake seen from the trail alongside.
Pulsatilla seedheads in profusion.
The top of Kokanee Pass.
There's still snow up here.
There's lots of water up here, gathering into streams that flow down into the lakes..
Fortunately they've made walkways for the hikers - appreciated by the squirrels too! (No John, there's no squirrel to look for in the photo, but I saw squirres using the walkways).
At last the skies cleared and the sun came out for a while.
I had to turn back in order to rejoin the others - here on the path round Kokanee Lake.
Looking across the lake - this one doesn't seem to be named on the map, but its neighbour is Esmeralda Peak.
Water from the glacier dropping noisily down to the lake.
The view down Kokanee Creek.
More scenery on the way down to Gibson Lake.
Meanwhile the youth team hiked the Gibson Lake trail
Around the lake
They met this man mending paths.
And saw the lake from different angles.
A feeder stream.
The shelter
Reunited, we walked to the first waterfall together.
And looked at Gibson Lake
Back in Nelson, Aid and B walked over BOB and took some views of the south shore - west...
...and east.
And east up the valley.
This has been our home for a few days - last night tonight.
