Home»All Photographs»2018 Hikes»Panorama Ridge 08-04-18

After surviving the typical Moraine Lake Road access restrictions, we pulled into an almost full parking lot at 7:15 a.m.. We met a friendly young couple from Chicago at the bottom, so I gave them a ride up. The scenery was clearly blowing them away. I noticed their sense of excitement, their sense of anticipation - I've experienced it myself when Megan and I are about to discover a new place on vacation, a place I've been looking forward to, a place I'm stoked to see.
After a short obligatory stroll up the Rockpile for a view of Moraine Lake, David and I headed down the trail, around the Tower of Babel, toward Consolation Lakes.
The stream ford to follow was probably the crux. The riverbed was an awkward mix of rocks, mostly covered in slimy green algae.
The ascent up the gully was pleasant and straightforward. About halfway up, we encountered a series of steps like a staircase that provided really fun scrambling. I mistakenly started traversing to the summit ridge a little too early, while David found a better line along the ridgecrest proper.
If there was a second crux, this was it. The large black boulders were immense, and loose. They would shift and rock under the lightest touch. Some of the gaps below were 8 to 10 feet deep, the rocks were so big and cumbersome here.
Soon, we were on better terrain and enjoyed a very brief stay at the summit. We opted to continue down almost right away because we weren't sure what the weather was about to do at this point. And the black boulders I described before are black because they are covered in a black lichen that turns viciously slippery when wet. Once past the boulderfield, we sat and had a great lunch together, overlooking the azure Consolation Lakes. It never rained, and we found a way better place to cross the stream this time - double bonus!