Photo of the Week #2

This week's photo comes from one of my favorite trips last summer. Once again in Canada, we packed into the backcountry of Garibaldi Provincial Park, outside of Squamish for several days of exploring around the Elfin Lakes. At the lakes, a moderate 11km from the trailhead, is a backcountry shelter that offers hikers - and skiers and snowshoers in the winter - a cozy alternative to tent camping. The lower level of the shelter facilitates dining benches and cooking and washing areas, while the upper level provides over 30 bunks for weary hikers. Outside the shelter are several more picnic tables offering primo views of Mt. Garibaldi, Opal Cone, and the surrounding Canadian Coast Range. The shelter, or the nearby campground, make a perfect base camp for exploring farther into Garibaldi's backcountry; to the rim of volcanic Opal Cone, with dramatic up-close views of Mt. Garibaldi and the Garibaldi Ice Sheet, or to Mamquam Lake, a brilliant glacial lake below towering Pyramid Mtn. This particular image was captured on the last morning of our trip as we began the hike out. The hazy sky, from wildfires in the eastern high country, in combination with the early morning sun created a pastel-colored Mt. Garibaldi reflected in the mirror-like waters of Lower Elfin Lake. This image was selected as a finalist in BetterPhoto.com's November 2009 photo contest.