Divers Lake

With summer in full bloom, an impromptu outing to Divers Lake was in order.  This area, added to Strathcona Park in 2003, is accessed via logging roads through private forest lands. The Park incorporates the last portion of the logging road before the trail enters uncut timber.

red columbine (Aquilegia formosa)

stream violets (Viola glabella)

Columbine were blooming in the open areas and violets in the woods.

A beautifully broken tree is a notable landmark on the trail.

At the outflow from Divers to Rossiter Lake, the flowing water was high enough to make for a rather tricky & nerve-wracking crossing, in order to get to the sub-alpine meadows on the other side.  The ponds of the meadows capture reflections of the steep western bluffs of Mt. Allan Brooks and Strata Mountain which appears conical from this vantage point.

Mt Allan Brooks on left, Strata Mountain on right 

western bog-laurel (Kalmia microphylla ssp.occidentalis)

The meadows were full of cotton-grass, bog laurel, and pink mountain heather, with accents of early blue violet and northern starflower.

pink mountain-heather (Phyllodoce empetriformis)

early blue violet (Viola adunca)

northern starflower (Trientalis arctica)

One significant difference from the Paradise Meadows ponds was the abundance of Labrador tea.

Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum)

Judging by the footprints in the wet areas, deer frequent these meadows - as well as birds - probably the spotted sandpiper seen on the far side of the pond.