AWA Board Member, Secretary and Treasurer Chris Saunders lead an adventure to see the fall larches at Tryst Lake in the Kananaskis on September 20 2020 and writes of that trip here:

At about 10 am on September 20, 2020, 13 hikers assembled at a parking spot on the west side of the Spray River just off the road to Mount Shark, ready to start on the hike. The weather was warm and sunny and the smoke that had dominated the sky in the previous few days had suddenly cleared. The purpose was to see the alpine larch trees around the lake at a time of year when their needles change from green to a spectacular golden colour.

The hike was in 3 parts.

The first was 1.5 km south along an old logging road, which was likely created in the 1940’s or 1950’s. The route then turned west at a cairn following a stream through the forest up the side of the main valley to a small hanging valley in which Tryst Lake is located. Some larches, all in their glorious golden phase, were seen in the upper parts of this section. Lunch was taken by the lake. There were sightings of a family of hoary marmots nearby as well as magnificent views of the golden-coloured larches on the slopes on the south side of the lake.

After lunch the group walked to a moraine beyond the west end of the lake where there were fine views of the cliffs of The Fist towering over the cirque.

The third section of the hike involved a steep climb up a bank covered with grass and larch trees to the ridge on the south side of the lake. The path along the top of the ridge wound its way through groves of larches of many different ages, all a bright gold colour. In addition there were spectacular views of the lake below and the mountains to the south, including the majestic Mount Birdwood partially shrouded in cloud.

The group concluded this was a spectacular hike and we were lucky enough to do it in perfect conditions.