Little Odaray (Walter Feuz Peak)

Elevation: 2955 m
Elevation Gain: 960 m
Little Odaray is a high point on the southeast ridge of 170-m-taller Odaray Mountain. Both peaks rise spectacularly to the west of Lake O'Hara in Yoho National Park. Odaray's first ascent is generally credited to surveyor James McArthur in 1887, however, it is possible that he actually ascended Little Odaray. Regardless of which high point McArthur reached, it was he who named the peak. McArthur was fascinated by the local Stoney language and applied it when naming many of the surrounding peaks. "Odaray" is no exception and is the Stoney term used to describe "many waterfalls" (which are indeed visible from either of Odaray's summits). Little Odaray is also, unofficially, referred to as "Walter Feuz Peak." Feuz was a Swiss guide who climbed extensively with Katie Gardiner in the southern Rockies during the early 1900s.
My Ascents:
July 25 2019
Trailhead: Lake O'Hara Parking Lot
GPS Track: Little Odaray

A strange thing happened on the morning of April 23. After mindlessly refreshing my computer screen for 40 minutes, a green "available" spot for two people appeared on the Lake O'Hara bus reservation website. I stared at the monitor for a stunned moment of disbelief before quickly clicking it. Since my love affair with the Rockies began, I've spent hours attempting to secure O'Hara bus reservations every year. Only once have I succeeded and, then, it was a single seat. As I completed the various online forms, I held my breath anticipating a glitch on the Parks Canada website, power outage or some other act of God that might still rob me of this rare, coveted pair of seats. When the confirmation email reached my Inbox, I finally exhaled. Then I texted my wife and told her that we were going to Lake O'Hara for a kid-free scramble on July 25! For years, I've told Brianne how beautiful this special corner of Yoho National Park is. I even dragged her up to the Lake in the dead of winter on cross-country skis to see the snowbound peaks. But she'd never seen the verdant vegetation, colorful alpine wildflowers or spectacular green and blue tones of the area's many lakes that appear, only briefly, every summer. All that, however, was about to change!

As the day of our reservation approached, I eagerly noted that the forecast promised abundant sunshine and clear skies. How lucky! In my experience, fewer than a third of summer days feel summer-like in the Rockies so a late July spot on the O'Hara bus offers no guarantee of good summer hiking. Excited, we awoke just before 5 am to drive west towards the Continental Divide. As the sun rose, however, we were somewhat dismayed to discover that the Rockies were still wearing cloud caps and mist scarves this morning. Hoping that the weather would clear, we drove on and arrived at the O'Hara bus stop in time to check in and board the 8:30 am bus.

Despite the still-cloudy skies, Brianne was all-smiles as she enjoyed her first Lake O'Hara bus ride butt massage up the bumpy 11 km fire road. Wanting to look her best for the many photos that she knew I'd take, she even donned a pair of sticker earrings that she'd stolen from our 1 and 3-year-old daughters! Looking good Goat!

Usually, those on the bus flock to the nearby shores of Lake O'Hara as soon as they're let off. We, however, set off like a shot in the opposite direction. We were hoping to scramble up Little Odaray which was rumored to sport the best views of the area's many lakes and peaks. However, Little Odaray's vicinity is subject to numerous Parks' closures including a voluntary restriction that allows only 4 groups per day to enjoy the "Odaray Grandview" trail that is used to access the peak. Wanting to guarantee our spot, we, therefore, did not dilly-dally about at scenic Lake O'Hara. As we climbed up through lush forest towards McArthur Pass, I even dared to suggest that Brianne hike faster (it seemed that she was regretting our earlier decision not to stop at Laggan's for a coffee and her get-up-and-go had got up and gone). Prodding her upwards (and somehow getting away with it), our objective soon came into view as we neared McArthur Pass.

Near the pass, a kiosk informs hikers of the many surrounding closures and restrictions. As we opened up the daily registration binder to sign in, we were beyond pleased to discover that we were the first group of the day. Little Odaray was on (and better-still, we could now enjoy the rest of our day at a more relaxed pace)!

From McArthur Pass, we followed the many painted rocks that mark this leg of O'Hara's famous "Alpine Circuit." These rocks mark the trail as it cuts up and across Little Odaray's western flank. As is common on Lake O'Hara trails, this good path skillfully avoids numerous cliffs as it winds its way up through steep terrain.

Looking back towards McArthur Pass and the spectacular, but still-cloud-capped, Goodsirs as we ascend.

One of the locals looks on as the trail passes through an alpine rubble-field. Marmots were abundant alongside the trail and are clearly not subject to Parks' many closures and restrictions.

A chilly-looking Brianne wonders what kind of summer hike she signed up for upon reaching "Odaray Grandview." Here, the trail peters out amidst a rocky slope on a high plateau. From here on, the painted rocks disappear and the scrambling begins in earnest!

Cathedral Mountain's dramatic "steeple" rises to the north. When we reached the "Grandview", Cathedral was, essentially, the only peak visible as the many nearby giants remained shrouded in cloud.

Little Odaray rises steeply above a snowfield/pocket glacier. From here, the route follows the rock rib to the climber's left of the snowfield before weaving up a series of steep ledges to the skyline ridge above.

Another party starts up the ascent rib from Odaray Grandview as Mount Huber makes a rare appearance above Lake O'Hara.

Brianne dons a helmet amidst the steep, loose terrain and begins to put her mountain goat skills to good use!

Blocky rocks make for fun scrambling on Little Odaray. Despite appearances, the scrambling was far-from-difficult (I'd rate it on the easier end of moderate). Having said that, don't come to Little Odaray expecting a hands-in-pocket walk-up!

My "Breezy Goat" enjoys the improving views of Lake McArthur to the south from a scenic perch.

A large cornice still blocked access to the skyline ascent ridge (despite it being late July). Fortunately, there were plenty of places where it was possible to kick-step our way up it.

Brianne enjoys the views to go along with some cold ankles. Those capris certainly seemed like a good idea when we left the hot city earlier in the morning...

Once we'd gained the skyline ridge, it was only a matter of following our noses (and a well-beaten trail through the talus) up towards Little Odaray's summit. Little Odaray must be the site of a significant geological fault as I've never seen such dramatic differences in rock color so close to one another!

Even the skyline ridge offered the occasional opportunity for hands-on scrambling. I really thought that the final meters would be a walk-up but, pleasantly, they proved more entertaining!

The rocks near Little Odaray's summit sported dramatic black-and-white zebra stripes on both a macro and micro-scale.

Can't get enough of these "zebra" rocks!

After a pleasant scramble up the mountain's upper reaches, a zebra-rock-cairn welcomed us to Little Odaray's scenic summit.

Even with overcast skies, it's hard not to smile with views like these!

The colorful panorama to the southwest includes verdant McArthur Valley. This valley is completely closed to human travel until August 15 annually and, even after that, only 2 groups are allowed per week. Click to see larger.

Lake McArthur aglow thanks to a rare splash of sun. While the sun shone briefly on the lake, nearby Mount Biddle, unfortunately, remained ensconced in cloud.

Park Mountain (left) and the glaciated Goodsirs (center right) highlight the view towards McArthur Valley.

The Goodsirs (left), Mount Owen (center) and Mount Duschesnay (right) highlight the views to the west. Click to see larger.

A closer look at sun-splashed Mount Owen and its glacier-capped peak.

The true summit of Odaray Mountain dominates the panorama to the northwest. Click to see larger.

Although officially named, Mount Hurd is really an outlier of much-larger Mount Vaux. Unfortunately, Vaux remained hidden amidst the relatively low cloud so we had to settle for Hurd.

A closer look at nearby Mount Duchesnay and more distant, but aptly named, Spike Peak.

From Little Odaray, the summit of Odaray Mountain is only 1 km away and 170 m higher. While it was tempting to continue (and a path beaten into the scree suggests that many do), we knew that Odaray's true summit is guarded by an exposed 5.4 notch that requires a rappel and an iron stomach.

Cathedral Mountain (left) and Narao Peak (right) bookend the long approach valley to the north while some of the area's many lakes come into view below. From the valley's length and the extent to which it is forested, you can see why bus reservations are so coveted here - believe me, it's a long way to walk!

A closer look at Linda Lake below the towering east face of Odaray Mountain.

Morning Glory Lakes almost directly below.

While I snap my usual summit photos, Brianne generally amuses herself by reading register entries. The absurdly oversized PVC tube register on Little Odaray, however, proved a tough nut to crack. After we both tried our best to unscrew its stubborn cap, Brianne resorted to violence, hurtling it against the cairn in an attempt to access the precious logs inside. Mouse over to see how that worked out for her (spoiler alert: oversized registers smart when they bounce back off cairns into your shin...).

The panorama to the west features a host of Lake Louise Group 11,000ers hidden in the clouds above Lake O'Hara (right). Click to see larger.

Throughout the day, the clouds would lift slightly (providing false hope) before descending just as quickly. In this photo, 11,000er Mount Huber makes a rare and brief appearance.

The deep blues of Lake O'Hara (bottom) and Lake Oesa provide a welcome splash of color on an overcast "summer" day.

A closer look at Lake O'Hara including the famous Lake O'Hara Lodge (bottom left) and spectacular Seven Veils Falls (top center).

Lake Oesa peeks out from behind Yukness Mountain while aptly-named Glacier Peak towers above. 11,000er Mount Lefroy (left), of course, remained shrouded in cloud.

Looking beyond Little Odaray's summit cornice towards a spectacular lake-filled panorama to the southeast. Those with a keen eye will spot at least seven different lakes (O'Hara, Oesa, Mary, Hungabee, Obabin, Schaffer and McArthur) and six or seven smaller ones may also be visible if you squint hard enough. Click to see larger.

Schaffer Lake glows green at the base of its namesake Mount Schaffer while Ringrose Peak towers above more distant Yukness Mountain.

Massive Mount Hungabee remains firmly above the cloud level. At its base, bright blue Opabin Lake is just visible.

Despite the unexpectedly overcast skies, the views from Little Odaray were, unquestionably, spectacular.

While the view was radiant, it wasn't enough to keep Brianne warm in the icy summit wind. After exhausting our supply of hot tea, she'd had enough of this "summer" weather and we began our retreat to lower elevations.

Despite both being cold, our descent was slow as Brianne moved cautiously over piles of loose talus while I stopped frequently to photograph the spectacular views of Lake McArthur and Mount Biddle beyond our descent ridge.

Looking down past a midsummer cornice towards another party playing on the snowfield below.

Saving the best for last: final postcard-worthy views of Mount Biddle and Lake McArthur before leaving Little Odaray's ascent/descent ridge and embarking on a choss-fest descent.

Brianne "enjoying" said choss-fest.

Fortunately, this year's poor-excuse-for-a-summer meant that there was ample snow left on this route, allowing us to bypass a significant section of knee-jarring chossy rubble with a cheeky (literally) glissade.

The joy of glissade.

Impressive views of Odaray Mountain proper from the base of our exhilarating glissade. The exposed notch which prevents easy access to its summit is readily apparent from here.

As we returned to Odaray Grandview, the clouds began to lift (somewhat) allowing us to better-enjoy the grand view. I "joked" at this point that we should go back up to take advantage of this sudden "clearing." Predictably, Brianne didn't go for it. Click to see larger.

The area's many rubble fields are certainly easier to navigate once you're back on a good trail!

Marmot kisses warm the heart on an otherwise chilly July day.

Upon returning to McArthur Pass, we realized that we still had a decent amount of time before the next bus down (4:30 pm) and opted to wander towards Lake McArthur. Having spent most of our day looking down towards the lovely lake, we figured that we might as well see it up close while we were "in the neighborhood."

Brianne enjoys a scenic seat at the lake. As you might guess from her attire, the temperatures at lake-level were considerably more summer-like than those which she'd recently endured atop Little Odaray!

Emerald green shores and deep cyan waters make for a vibrant vista at Lake McArthur. This is probably one of those instances where the views from the lakeshore proved as good or better than those from the summits above.

Massive Mount Biddle's summit finally emerges from the clouds, gracing us with its presence.

The remains of the great glacier that once carved Biddle's impressive north face and the basin which Lake McArthur now fills.

After a serene sejour at the lake, it was time to "saddle up" once more and to begin our hike back down towards Lake O'Hara. Leaving Lake McArthur, open alpine meadows provided pleasant views of our earlier exploit (Little Odaray - center left) and its grander neighbor (Odaray Mountain - center right).

Tiny Wiwaxy Peaks and much-larger Mounts Victoria and Huber reflect in the Schaffer Lake's still waters as we hike down.

Lake O'Hara provides a spectacular, final panorama for the day. Talk about the world's most scenic bus stop (even on an overcast day)! Click to see larger.

Brianne enjoys a moment of tranquility with fresh coffee while waiting for the bus. Despite the allure of the scene, she was soon chased inside by a swarm of bloodthirsty mosquitoes! We might have gotten eaten alive but, at least, we didn't get sunburnt! 🤣

After an enjoyable bus ride butt massage back down to the parking lot, we decided to celebrate our kid-free day in the Rockies with a sampling of the many fine ales available at Canmore's new Sheepdog Brewery. A highly recommended stop for craft beer enthusiasts tired of the offerings and crowd at Canmore's uber-popular Grizzly Paw Brewery!

After our ales, we piled back into the car to make our way back home (conveniently, in time to catch the 4th quarter of the Stamps game on satellite radio). Sunny summer days at Lake O'Hara may be rare but, fortunately, Stamps wins are not!

Despite being cruelly lied to by various meteorologists and weather models, there really is no such thing as a bad day in Yoho's Rockies - especially when your date is as cute as mine was. 😍 😉